The Bismarck Civic Center will play host to the 20th annual Marketplace for Entrepreneurs in 2009.

Marketplace, which began in 1989, is an economic development conference for NorthDakota; it began with a focus on agriculture and has expanded to draw more than 10,000 people a year. Marketplace 2009 also will include the third annual Marketplace Talent Search.

"Over the last 20 years, it's expanded into something that's really quite wonderful,"said Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson.

The 2009 Marketplace will be held from Jan. 13-14. It was last held in Bismarck in 2005; since then, it has been held in Fargo twice and most recently at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

"We are very much looking forward to our return to Bismarck,"said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who, along with Johnson, is the organizing sponsor of Marketplace.

Conrad said the 2009 Marketplace will have an emphasis on innovation.

- Crystal R. Reid