Background

On joining the third stage of the Technical Twinning Program implemented by FLGR and ICMA, the Municipality of Sliven, in cooperation with experts from the City of Auburn, State of Alabama, USA and the Municipality of Blagoevgrad, had the opportunity to choose between several topics for participation. It presented a proposal for the development of a marketing profile of the municipality, taking into account the need for presenting the potential of Sliven in terms of investment opportunities. In the context of the initiated collection of information for the profile, the utilization of successful practices in the field ensured a good start for the team.

Practice

Marketing of the municipality was brought out as one of the priorities of the Municipality of Sliven. In that connection, in 2001 a team of municipal experts began the systematization of information, appropriate for the municipality s presentation to potential investors.

The municipality worked on the creation of the profile with its competent and devoted partners from Auburn, Alabama and Blagoevgrad, and from the Foundation for Local Government Reform, which not only made the specific task easier, but also contributed to the creation of an interesting and useful partnership.

In the first place, the proposal of Phillip Dunlap, Director of the Economic Development Department, Auburn Municipality, that an electronic marketing profile be developed, was adopted as exceptionally valuable. The profile would give the possibility for continuous update of the information as well as for preparation of printed versions in accordance with the specific needs of the potential investors or other interested persons.

Very useful was the experience of the Municipality of Blagoevgrad team, who acquainted their colleagues with the steps of preparation of their marketing profile and with the difficulties they had encountered in their work.

All that enabled the Sliven team to shape more easily and quickly its vision of the profile of the municipality, estimate its volume and content, look for the suitable people and create the working group.

The assistance of FLGR for realization of the partnership under this project, for the workshops, the consultations and translation of the marketing profile in English was very useful in the process.

Besides the development of the marketing profile, the participation of the Municipality of Sliven in the Technical Twinning Program was of great importance also with a view to the partnership created and the opportunity for exchange of ideas and experience with colleagues from other municipalities. As a result, the preparation of an electronic marketing profile of the Municipality of Sliven initiated the development of a marketing strategy of the municipality and the creation of other marketing materials. Other ideas were also discussed with colleagues from Auburn and Blagoevgrad, special attention being paid to the setting up of an industrial park.

The innovation in the practice of the Municipality of Sliven is related to the partnership approach. The development of a marketing profile in electronic form has been accomplished only by few Bulgarian municipalities so far, and for the Municipality of Sliven it is a fact owing to the partnership with Auburn and Blagoevgrad. The idea that the successful partnership experiences within the Technical Twinning Program be multiplied is itself innovative for Bulgarian municipalities and the team is convinced that its development will lead to the creation of a multitude of good practices in different areas.

Results

- An electronic marketing profile of the Municipality of Sliven has been created. The profile has been published in Internet in the Bulgarian language. Its publication in English is forthcoming. Due to the profile s recent completion and publication specific effects from it cannot be indicated yet.

- The work on the marketing profile of the Municipality of Sliven has led to the creation of good trilateral partnership between Auburn, Blagoevgrad and Sliven that has gone beyond the framework of the concrete subject. The partners experience has been useful for the Municipality of Sliven with a view to the realization of other municipal functions and the Sliven team has passed on their own good practices as well.

- The Municipality of Sliven has had the opportunity to get acquainted with many interesting ideas and practices of the Bulgarian participants in the Technical Twinning Program, and their US partners through the workshops organized by FLGR. As a result, new ideas concerning the marketing of the Municipality of Sliven and other spheres of activity have emerged.