National Business Awards 2007

If you're given the opportunity to go to the palace that has played host to the President's daughter's wedding and countless foreign dignitaries, you take it.

On tap: the National Business Awards. Thirty-five companies in different sectors were being presented with Company of the Year awards. I was only given the opportunity to go because of the "let's send the token foreigner because I don't really want to attend" syndrome.

They told me the event was being held at the Gulustan. Gulustan? Sounds like a country. When I heard it was a palace, I immediately pictured this daunting, mogamma-esque building overlooking the city.

The Gulustan is in fact a Soviet-era palace that is utterly devoid of architectural style. It sits amongst the trees on a hill that rises up from the western side of the bay. From the balcony on the Presidential level (as it is known), there is an incredible view of the city. Inside, on the other hand, is another story. The stairways are carpeted, the bathrooms have guys that will comb your hair, and the couches were leather.

The gala event was chock full of Azerbaijan's best business personalities. It seemed fairly obvious by the 80/20 proportion of men to women that the latter had not yet gained a foothold in the local business world. No doubt this is changing.

More importantly, though, was the food. Once again the spread on the table was impressive, and everything was local in origin. I wolfed down my fair share of Azerbaijan's finest, including a vodka brand that the average person doesn't see too often in his/her life.