On Thursday, 31 May 2018, 155 enterprises from our country participating in the contests “Trademark of the Year 2017”, “Quality Achievement Award” and 17 district councils, present at the National Exhibition “Made in Moldova 2018” were awarded in the framework of the most important event of the local business – “Moldovan Business Gala”, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova (CCI) in partnership with the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI).
This year’s event brought together more than 350 people, including officials, members of the government, parliament, representatives of the local administration, ambassadors on mission in the Republic of Moldova and of course the institutions and companies in our country that occupy an important place in the sphere of development of the national economy.
In the opening of the event, Sergiu Harea, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova, mentioned that this year’s event is of special significance, given that the chamber institution celebrates its 100th anniversary of the foundation, and the contest “Trademark of the Year” is in its 15th edition, i.e. 15 years, this project highlights the most competitive local trademarks.
“The presentation of the winners in the official catalog of the event and the distinctions to be handed out are just a small demonstration of the merits of those who work daily in these enterprises, the labor they are doing to meet the consumer’s requirements, but also to increase visibility and economic competitiveness of the Republic of Moldova at national and international level. The retrospective of the previous editions of the contests reveals the evolution of the national enterprises in the conditions of a developing market economy. This year were evaluated 110 trademarks and 45 enterprises for achievements in the field of quality, which confirms the implementation of the new standards, the innovation skills and the fact that we have a favorable framework for the development of the national economy”, said the president of the CCI of RM.
In the opening ceremony of the “Moldovan Business Gala”, Lilia Bolocan, Director General of the State Agency on Intellectual Property, specified that: “For AGEPI, the Contest “Trademark of the Year”, which has reached the beautiful 15th anniversary, has a special significance: we are the first to whom the applicants submit their marks, to protect them, we keep track of their evolution and we rejoice when they become successful brands. Under market economy conditions, trademarks are the main tools for promoting the image of enterprises, products and services in the consumers’ environment. They perform specific functions of stimulating competition, developing competitiveness, promoting trade and attracting investments. It is gratifying that the economic agents manifest an increasing interest in participating in the Contest “Trademark of the Year”, and representatives of the business environment want to gain recognition of performances in the trademark promotion field. These encouraging trends show an increase in awareness of the importance of efficient use of the tools offered by the national intellectual property system as a prerequisite for business success and an essential component in the economic development of the Republic of Moldova”.
At the same time, within the Moldovan Business Gala, Mr. Chiril Gaburici, Minister of Economy and Infrastructure stressed that this important contest promotes the most competitive local trademarks and entrepreneurs who have successfully implemented the European standards in the field of quality management, affirming themselves through the quality of products and services offered on the national and international market: “Exported Moldovan products are becoming more and more qualitative and competitive as a result of implementation of the tools for the development of entrepreneurship and elimination of barriers for the business environment”. The Minister of Economy and Infrastructure thanked the organizers, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the State Agency on Intellectual Property for the good organization of this year’s Moldovan Business Gala and the award contest for the most qualitative domestic products and the best entrepreneurs.
The contest “Trademark of the Year” was launched in 2003, with the purpose to highlight the most successful projects in the field of creating and promoting domestic trademarks on the internal and external market, to enhance their competitiveness and to contribute to the increase of the professionalism of the marketing teams. The current edition of the competition was attended by 110 national trademarks, which competed in 13 nominations:
“The Debut of the Year” - 3 companies were awarded;
“Consumer Appraisal” - 12 companies were awarded;
“Export” - 8 companies were awarded;
“Inter” - 5 companies were awarded;
“Local Trademark” - a company was awarded;
“Acknowledged Trademark” - 7 companies were awarded;
“Rebranding” - a company was awarded;
“Socially Responsible” - 7 companies were awarded.
For the first time, four new nominations have been introduced:
“Leader of the Year” -13 companies were awarded;
“Woman in Business” - 6 companies were awarded;
“Favorite SME of the Year” - 8 companies were awarded;
“Reputation and Trust” - 12 companies were awarded;
“Important Contribution to Sustainable Development” - nomination in partnership with UNDP Moldova - 5 companies were awarded.
The Distinction “Important Contribution to Sustainable Development” awards companies that launch products and services to sustainable development. Among the activities that qualified in the contest are: reduction of energy and water consumption during the production process, sustainable waste management, staff retention efforts, as well as other indicators related to the sustainable/durable operation and management of the business.
The contest “Trademark of the Year” has achieved major successes in the field of entrepreneurial activity, with each edition increasing the number of participants, over 1300 marks being presented in the contest during the period 2003-2017. The stake of the contest is the Grand Prix “Golden Mercury”, which attests the most prestigious appreciations, confirming the effectiveness of marketing strategies.
The contest “Quality Achievement Award” is the fourth edition and aims to promote companies that implement quality management standards and motivate local enterprises to penetrate new markets with competitive and quality products. For the grand prix “Goddess of Quality”, 45 companies competed this year.
During the event, prizes were also awarded to all 17 districts (Anenii Noi, Cahul, Calarasi, Criuleni, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Orhei, Nisporeni, Riscani, Ungheni District Council and ATU Gagauzia) who participated during the period 31 January – 4 February 2018, in the 17th edition of the National Exhibition “Made in Moldova 2018”.
