THE BLUE MARKET – THE ATENEO WEEKEND MARKET SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Thursday, November 08, 2012


On November 17-18, and 24-25, the increasingly popular weekend fair gets a new spin when the Blue Market rises between gates 1 and 2 of the Ateneo de Manila parking lot in front of the Blue Eagle Gym, right along Katipunan Avenue in the heart of Quezon City.  

While it may look like your typical Saturday-Sunday bazaar chock-full of merchants showcasing all sorts of goods, the Blue Market is a far different incarnation of this favorite shopping/dining habit.  Beyond providing a venue for buyers and sellers to come together, it is a vehicle for helping social entrepreneurs and student business initiatives take off with minimal cost, and a ready clientele.  


These student ventures and social enterprises, along with other micro enterprises, are assured of a constant and loyal client base, since the Blue Market is a natural draw for members of the Ateneo community, as well as residents of neighboring villages such as Xavierville, La Vista, and the like.  This gives them instant access to a large group of consumers with tremendous purchasing power, and affords them a unique opportunity to understand, interact and build relationships with a broader spectrum of customers they would otherwise have little chance of tapping.  



For some, an innovative product or a particularly worthy advocacy may find favor with benefactors willing to throw their full support to see such endeavors and ideas to fruition. Aside from this, the Blue Market is also a valuable marketing resource.  It can provide significant exposure to the various social enterprises via its website, and promote their products and services to an infinitely wider audience.



For market-goers, this is a chance for spending time with family, touching base with old friends, forging new partnerships, relaxing, unwinding, and sharing their blessings while making great  new finds and savoring the joys of shopping.  It is a simple yet effective outlet for them to lend their support to young companies and apostolate communities, and in so doing, participate in nation-building and the empowerment of the less fortunate.  


The Blue Market is many things to different people.  It is a unique and solid launch pad for incubating business endeavors.  It is a practical learning lab for budding entrepreneurs.  It is an arena for giving back to the community.  As a fundraising project of the Ateneo High School Batch `87 for the benefit of the Tulong-Dunong Foundation and the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus, it is a fun, festive, exciting, and enriching way of answering the timeless Ignatian call towards being men and women for others.  


For booth inquiries, please e-mail bluemarketenterprise@gmail.com or accomplish the application form at www.facebook.com/bluemarketenterprise .


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