site.bta308 SMEs Participate in World's Largest Trade Fairs in Bulgaria and Abroad in Three Years

Three hundred and eight small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) took part in the world's largest trade fairs between 2019 and 2021, presenting Bulgarian production to producers, buyers, and experts from around the world, supported by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), it became clear at the closing conference of the project "Participation of SMEs in international fairs, exhibitions and conferences in the country and abroad", financed under Operational Programme Innovation and Competitiveness. 

The total number included 211 SMEs which participated in 24 trade fairs in foreign countries, among them Germany, France, the UAE, Qatar and Turkey. Some 88% of them expect to sign at least one or more contracts for export of Bulgarian products to leading international markets. As an element of their participation, more than 5,000 meetings were held with potential business partners.

Those SMEs which participated in major international exhibitions in Bulgaria over the three-year period numbered 97. There were 10 such events. The enterprises held 1,448 meetings, and 90% of them expect to sell their products on local or international markets under at least one contract. These are contracts for export of Bulgarian goods from the food industry, machine building, cosmetics, shipbuilding, information and communication technologies, furniture production, the footwear industry and many others, BSMEPA Executive Director and Project Manager Boyko Takov said.