The Sokol Conference (ATTN Hoboes)

[Serbovia]

Hotel Serbovia,
Sokol, Social-Nationalist Republic of Sokol,
Serbovia

In anticipation of the arrival of foreign representatives for the promotional conference of the Sokol and Komoran Special Economic Zones in Sokol, the city's airport had been temporarily put to the use of foreign visitors amidst tight security arrangements on behalf of the Border Guard and the Special Police Service. In view of the fact that the conference was not likely to involve foreign heads of state or similar representatives, the MDB had settled for increased patrols and checkpoints around the city.

The SNNP-owned Hotel Serbovia chain was considered to be the most high-class of all Serbovian hotels, and would serve as the meeting place with the two top floors of the hotel as well as a conference hall and a restaurant having been reserved solely for the use of the delegates. Here the authorities were keeping a closer watch: The Special Police Service had set up checkpoints around the hotel, while everyone actually in the hotel would be screened and monitored by plainclothes security personnel from the MDB.

Eliza Raskovic, the Serbovian Minister of External Trade, and her team of assistants and specialists of various fields accompanied by representatives from public and private Serbovian companies would be in charge of the actual conference. Their purpose was, as had been stated by the Special Economic Zone Authority, to encourage foreign investment in the Special Economic Zones and to provide information about economic opportunities in Serbovia. And, of course , to downplay the few negative aspects.

OOC:Feel free to post arrivals without prior response. In case someone wasn't following up on the SEZ thread, this is essentially a trade conference. Unfriendly governments need not brother

 

[Serbovia]

OOC:Bump

 

[Serbovia]

OOC:Bump :x

 

[Austurland]

so whos allowed to come government ministers or private companies?

 

[Serbovia]

OOC:Both, but a logical set up seems to be corporations attending alongside government representatives or something. And obviously bigger ones, not every Tom Dick and Harry who happens to run a five-employee garage in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Thaumantica]

Infamous for a trademark beard, which had won him a "Better than Blue, Best Groomed Award", from Životinje's prestigious National Beard League (NBL: Facial Hair Championship 2009). Vlad Miklós, owner of 'Konstantania Brewery', and sole holder of the recipe to the Unions oldest domestic beverage: 'Liberty Lager', first created by Marešal Konstantania, who served it to his men before and after the Živolutionary War. Revolucija: Union Draft, was Liberty's newborn cousin, samples of which the bearded businessman was wheeling behind him in a massive keg.

Besides drinking to civil liberties, and raking in millions every year off of a growing revenue, he had secured a leading role in the Blue Flag Corporation, a private-sector interest group which was now notorious for "shunning" the Union for a 6 Months when the Union Congressional Board had threatened to raise Income Taxes nationwide. Members of the umbrella like Corporation support their cause by painting a waving blue flag on every product sold, now regarded as the "Freemarketeers Mark of Capitalism" in the Union, and to Communists Europe wide.

Progress in Serbovia would be seen when its Government relaxed some of its tight regulations, Blue Flag members believe. If Vlad alone could charm the Serbovian Business World within a single whisker of his beard, trade between the Union and its southeastern neighbor would likely multiply.

 

[Serenierre]

When first presented with the invitation to the talks, the Chamber of Commerce, back in Paris, had hesitated replying, after all Serbovia and Belmont weren't the bests of friends and were, sort of, on the opposite teams. But seeing that this was a rare opportunity, the CoC had agreed to send a delegation to the talks. The Minister of Finance, upon being told, silently agreed to the meeting but only on the condition that the delegation just went and checked out what the Serbovian's had to offer.

*****​

Elisabeth Mozette lead the other four into the hotel. They had arrived a few hours ago and now they were entering the Hotel Serbovia. The members of the delegation had already discussed what their strategy was going to be and confidently they entered the hall. Each of them met Ms. Raskovic and shook her hand and took their seat and waited for the meeting to begin.

Elisabeth turned to her colleagues, "Remember guys, we commit to nothing."

"Yeah, yeah... just check them out... see what they offer."

"Exactly."

 

[Tyvia]

He smelled distinctly of smoke. His skin an oddly pallid tinge of brown, the man dressed in the black pinstripe shirt, raised his hand to his mouth - allowing a cough to come freely. His face had a negroid complexion, the jaw and bone structure being distinctly such, his eyes a stark European green. Such a mixture was not entirely unusual in Coronado. Much mixing of the formerly homogeneous ethnic groups ensued following the abolishment of slavery during the late eighteenth century, the local native populations, Hispanic settlers, and slaves rapidly assimilating into a single distinct cultural group. Eduóard Santido did not bathe, at least not in the conventional sense. He was a traditionalist of sorts, his corporation running along similar lines. He didn't take baths, nor shower in water, but instead took smoke baths and frequented sauna's (which were really smokehouses) as was tradition in the Commonwealth. Though fairly high up in the corporate hierarchy of the Agripa General Línea de Producción, he held little de facto status.

The AGLP was the premier manufacturing corporation within the Commonwealth. It enjoyed the status of a state-supported company, receiving funding and support form numerous parliamentarians, and held seats within the Parliament itself as was the right of any major corporation. They controlled five senior parliamentarians, the AGLP having a good deal of say in political decisions, a fact which had only contributed to the maintenance of the status quo in regards to fair trade laws, which were constantly turned down by the AGLP. A courteous smile upon his face, his hair cropped short, Santido was accompanied by a number of others, amongst them the Vice Chancellor of Finance for the AGLP, other men of little note, and his aide. There were seven of them in all, five of them negroes. They would arguably be the only ones there, a fact which they remarked upon between themselves with amusement in the creole tongue of the Commonwealth.

The white men across the sea amused them greatly, but a common assurance of wealth could still be made.

 

[Großlausitz]

Hotel Serbovia,
Sokol, Social-Nationalist Republic of Sokol,
Serbovia

Economic Affairs Minister Franziska Unsteet felt somewhat peevish about the location of the meeting, but she tried to hide the sentiment as best as possible. I wouldn't pick it as my holiday destination, Unsteet decided. Then again, this meeting was about business alone. Politically Serbovia's and Franken's relations were neutral, but Serbovia could not be ignored as an export market for national companies. Therefore, the young minister was accompanied by a flock of senior representatives from leading Franconian companies with an interest in Eastern Europe.

Unsteet's job was to secure the Franconian enterprises a stable and economically promising framework. Anything beyond was up to the companies' representatives to duke out with the Serbovian authorities and local firms.

 

[Beautancus]

Unlike many of the other corporate bodies that had come to Sokol, the Królewskie Bronie Wspólny, or the "Royal Arms Cooperative," had a longstanding relationship with the Social-Nationalist Regime of Serbovia. Though unrepresented in Sokol, there were a few other subsidiaries in operation throughout the country already, turning a modest profit for what was only one of a true multitude of economic bodies that were at least partly owned by the Crown of Międzymorze- and as such enjoyed significant support from all quarters of Sarmatian and Khazar society.

Aleksander Sławek, a true "magnat" of surprisingly plebian origins had been chosen to represent KBW at Sokol because of the extensive ties he already had within the regime, and the basic understanding he had of the labor/profit ratios that could be expected- particularly in cases where that labor was drawn from the downtrodden Ozgur population of the Kingdom's southern ally-neighbor and "national sibling."

It was also possible that further contacts could be made at the conference, a decided bonus alongside the obvious benefits of an increased level of manufacturing cooperation between the two LFS member-states.