Marketplace for Projects and Ideas took place for a first time in Lovech on 8 November 2012. It was organised by Tulip Foundation in cooperation with the Confederation of Employers and Industrials (CEIGB) Lovech and a team of civil organisations in the town with the support of Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Marketplace took place in the Ceremonial Hall at Chitalishte Nauka 1870 and brought together tens of representatives of local profit and non-for-profit organisations. They met in a new different format to look for opportunities for mutual beneficiary cooperation which reflects the interests and the resources of both sectors. Such a cooperation most of all meets the needs and the interests of the people in Lovech. The local associations, foundation and community clubs have prepared different interesting suggestions. They were looking for and offering goods, materials, services, voluntary work etc.
The Marketplace is organised on a voluntary basis. That was the case in Lovech as well, where various people and organisations from profit and non-profit sectors, local authorities and media were actively involved. Gergana Petkova from CEIGB Lovech played the role of an active broker who encouraged contacts between representatives of different sectors. A volunteer notary was Aneta Gechevska who verified the agreed deals. Nikola Kolev, a journalist from the municipal Radio Lovech, brought dynamics and a good mood by leading the event. The photographer Cvetomir Petrov documented the interesting moments during the Marketplace. The teams of Znanie Association and Ecomission Association contributed a lot to the organisation of the Marketplace. The young volunteers from Ecomission Association were in charge with the arrangement of the hall and practical support for the guests.
Gergana Petkova from CEIGB Lovech and Maria Petkova from Tulip Foundation presented shortly the concept of the marketplace. Mladen Mladenov, deputy mayor of Municipality of Lovech addressed the participants and opened the Marketplace with the traditional ring of the gong. About an hour later Ivo Ivanov, Chair of CEIGB Lovech, rang the final gong of the Marketplace.
The first Marketplace in Lovech ended with 19 signed agreements for a total of 21 050 BGN. Many other preliminary deals have been made during the event and will be realized during the next days and weeks.
Most agreements from the business side signed Daga Printing House and Imobilli EOOD - 3 deals. Among the civil organisations the team of Ecomission Association was congratulated with respectively 5 signed deals.
