The man behind open doors – meet Vatra’s Gerton

This May the 9th Tirana was basically on the same page with the organization it has been aspiring to earn a membership for over two decades. Europe Day was celebrated in Tirana too, at the gates of the Albanian Parliament. What was perceived by many as an “ordinary” ceremony, turned out to be a pleasant surprise, opening up a lot of space for reflection. Europe Day celebration was probably the most original among all EU countries.

Guests, EU ambassadors, top-level Albanian politicians and media representatives had shortly announced that the Albanian Parliament’s yard would host a mini-concert later in the day, followed by a session on the EU’s honor. Despite all these arrangements, to everybody’s surprise, the Ministry of Integration in cooperation with Vatra Agency had set-up an installation of outstanding significance at the parliament’s gates. 27 real-size doors placed one after the other on the red carpet! Each one of them was wide open and standing for one EU country. In order for the guests to attend the event, they had to walk through those 27 doors. It was fun to see the EU ambassadors’ outer expressions, surprise and amusement by such a highly original idea. On the inside however, each one of them was clearly reflecting upon the message behind those open doors. “Is it high time to open a door and welcome Albania in? The 28th EU’s 28th member?”

As mentioned above, Vatra Agency was the mastermind of this brilliant idea. An experienced design and communication agency located in Tirana, charged by the Ministry of Integration with the task to give out a strong, yet creative message. Vatra staffs’ professional teams on marketing, design, public relations and promotional events. The person behind every triumphant idea at Vatra Agency is widely known as “Gerti from Vatra”. Despite his young age, Gerton Bejo is a marketing and design senior in Albania. He was graduated in the UK on Design and Communication, but dissimilar from his peers, he decided to return to his homeland. 14 years ago, Tirana was not that open-minded to warmly welcome a newly-founded design and communication agency. The market was rather informal, while communication sciences were dominated by people who had attended the old Soviet school. Gerton was headstrong about going till the end of it, thus establishing Vatra agency, one of the first genuine agencies in Albania.

Over these 14 years, Gerton’s agency has beautifully transformed into an almost design, marketing and creativity academy. Vatra’s offices support dozens of youngsters to transform themselves into true professionals, thus becoming highly dynamic and competitive individuals in the labor market. These novice professionals learn how to keep up with the times – something they never took away from education institutions. Maybe because Gerton is one of the most creative people in this country on communication and marketing matters. He is highly active in the media through reports, analyses and opinions introducing or bringing new perspectives into light on vital domestic or foreign industry issues. This feature makes Gerton a unique agency leader, as much as a genuine communication researcher. Throughout all these 14 years, Gerton’s Vatra has been coming up with marketing campaigns and legendary re-brands. Some of these involve cooperation with other broader markets in the Balkans, Kosovo, Macedonia or Serbia.

Europe Day was surely far more impactful this year because it was backed by Gerton the genius and his team.

May the 9th is a marked out date in the EU calendar. It is celebrated by all EU members and their allies. It marks the beginning of the EU’s political and economic integration process. On this day back in 1950, the French politician Robert Schuman proposed the set-up of an economic nucleus as a first step towards a federal Europe.