The event took place at the ART Hall of Radio Varna on 31 October 2012. The hall was provided pro-bono by Radio Varna. Varna Philharmonic Orchestra provided the traditional gong. After the successful realisation of the first marketplace in 2011, the local business and civil organisations met again to look for various opportunities for mutual cooperation. The participants offered and looked for goods, materials, services, voluntary work. There were charities and companies that have participated in the last year’s marketplace as well as new ones.
The Varna Marketplace was organised by Tulip Foundation and Varna Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the support of the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe, Varna Municipality and Radio Varna. The Marketplace was realized on a full voluntary basis with the active involvement of people from different sectors each of whom played a special role. Valeria Vassileva, journalist from Radio Varna was leading the facilitation of the event. Elina Stoykova was a notary for a second year. Maria Prohaska from Gavroche Association was a broker and helped participants to get in contact. The young people from AIESEC were volunteers who helped with the registration.
The event lasted about an hour and a half. During this time the representatives of business and civil society were talking, exchanging business cards, information for available and needed resources, suggestions and ideas for mutually beneficial cooperation. After Ivan Tabakov ringed the last gong Valeria Vasileva announced the overall results of the marketplace – 40 signed deals totaling to more than 60 000 BGN leva. Further to these formally agreed deals numerous other agreements have been made for additional meetings and detailed conversations for future cooperated activities.
Various deals were signed including: accounting, legal, architecture, IT and psychological services, advertisement and PR, voluntary work, language and computer courses, teambuilding, joint development and realisation of projects, provision of halls and other premises, office consumables and equipment, furniture, medicines, building materials, statutory, etc.
The most active civil organisation with the highest number of signed deals was Co-participation Association – they were praised with five agreements.
On the side of the business it was Law Firm Maria Todorova who signed 7 agreements with different organisations thus winning the applauses of the participants.
Article in Capital Careers (in Bulgarian language).
