Explore U.S. Conference
“Explore U.S. Conference”, was held on October 13th, 2022 at Sofia Hotel Balkan. The event was jointly organized by American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian SME Promotion Agency with the support of the SelectUSA Program, the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria, and EU’s Innovation and Competitiveness Operation Program.
The Official opening of the Explore U.S. Conference welcomed the remarks of Aleksandar Poulev, Minister of Innovations and Growth, Republic of Bulgaria, Nikola Stoyanov, Minister of Economy and Industry, Republic of Bulgaria, Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State, and Boyko Takov, Executive Director, Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency.
Bulgaria needs to sustain and increase its trade with the United States on a bilateral and multilateral (European) grounds. Our country needs to redefine its business and investment strategy in partnering with America in various way and sectors, such as energy, healthcare, IT and cyber security, foods, and more. This should be embedded in the present and future policies of any government that seeks sustainable growth, job creation, well-being of its citizens, and the protection of the environment,” said at the Opening Olivier Marquette, AmCham Bulgaria President.
I’m incredibly excited about the future of the strategic relationship between the United States and Bulgaria, and also very excited about the contribution that our strategic energy partnership is going to make. Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
- Read Olivier Marquette’s remarks and AmCham Bulgaria statement for developing the Bulgarian-U.S. economic relationship.
- Download Ivo Konstantinov’s presentation “Coming to America: The U.S. Market for Bulgarian Entrepreneurs” (in Bulgarian)
Event Resources
AmCham Bulgaria and the Small and Medium Size Promotion Agency (SMEPA) are organizing the Explore U.S. Conference 2022 to present the opportunities before Bulgarian entrepreneurs that plan to start and develop business in the United States.
New Venue: Sofia Hotel Balkan, 1, St. Nedelya Sqr., Sredets Hall
AGENDA
13:00 – 13:30 Registration and Networking Lunch
13:30 – 14:20 Opening Remarks
- Olivier Marquette, President, AmCham Bulgaria
- Aleksandar Poulev, Minister of Innovations and Growth, Republic of Bulgaria
- Nikola Stoyanov, Minister of Economy and Industry, Republic of Bulgaria
- Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State
- Boyko Takov, Executive Director, Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency
14:20 – 15:30 Panel 1: Scaling Up: Opportunities for Business and Investments in the U.S.
- Omar Oweiss, Contractor Support for SelectUSA, U.S. Department of Commerce/ International Trade Administration, Washington DC
- Ivo Konstantinov, AmCham Bulgaria U.S. Office Director, Washington D.C.
- H.E. Georgi Panayotov, Bulgarian Ambassador to the U.S.А.
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 17:00 Panel 2: Bulgaria in the U.S. from the Business Perspective
- Krassimir Petkov, CEO, Milara International
- Raycho Raychev, Founder and General Manager, Endurosat
- Bilyana Marinova, Co-owner and Manager, Chateau Burgozone
- Kolyo Minchev, Alexander Kamarashki, General Managers, Balkanica
- Konstantin Lambrev, Owner and Manager, Konex-Tiva
Moderator: Ivo Konstantinov
17:00 – 18:30 Break-out Practical Sessions
SESSION 1:
Sectors on Focus: ICT, Digital Health, Environmental Technology
Success Stories and Business Tips.
- Plamen Tsekov, Chair of the Board, ScaleFocus
- Dimitar Dekov, founder, B-Eye
- Nikola Apostolov, Business Development Manager, Tiger Technology
Moderator: Milko Minev, Commercial Advisor, U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria.
SESSION 2:
Sectors on Focus: Food & Beverages
Success stories&
- Ventsislava Stoycheva, Owner and General Manager, ORYX TIM Ltd.
Moderator: Ivo Konstantinov, AmCham Bulgaria U.S. Office Director, Washington DC
17:45 – 18:30 SESSION 2.2: Potential versus Reality
Focus on Logistics & Transport, Construction Materials, Furniture, Beauty & Skincare, Automotive Components, Nutritional Supplement
- Karla Klincheva, and Sandra Klincheva, Co-owners, More Noir
- Simeon Stoilov, Managing Director, SILO Global
About the event
„Project № BG16RFOP002-2.052-0001 “Supporting the internationalization of Bulgarian enterprises through organisation of trade missions, business forums, conferences, brokerage events and bilateral meetings”.
The participation is complimentary for all interested companies – AmCham members and Bulgarian SMEs