The Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Fair will be held on November 6 and 7, 2015 in the Agricultural University of Plovdiv. The fair will be a national awareness-raising event for about 200 participants. The two major themes of the event will be Bulgarian Herbs Abroad and Funding Opportunities and Innovative National, Regional and EU Practices of Effective MAP Use.

The Fair will include two roundtable discussions on the major themes with representatives of all stakeholders. European and Bulgarian experts will hold presentations on topics, relevant to the participants. The MAP fair will also include a consultation session, where buyers, processors, farmers, entrepreneurs, collectors and others can meet and ask for information and advice from experts.

The entertainment portion of the day will include a happening with presentations of various folklore traditions and rituals connected to herbs, a concert, competitions for a song, story and photograph, as well as an offering of food and drinks related to medicinal plants. The catering will be organised around the MAP theme with herbal drinks and herb related food. Producers of pharmaceutical, cosmetics, dietary supplements, spices etc. based on MAP will exhibit and offer a sampling of their products.

The premiere of the “Sustainable Herbal Harvests” video film will also take place at the fair. The audience will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the film with the team of producers and the featured personalities.

The Fair is going to be a culmination of the project and should manifest and solidify its results, namely an improved communication between the key players in the field and a raised awareness of the general public and specific target groups on medicinal plant sustainable use issues.