THE EXHIBITION firm Incheba Bratislava regards last year as the best in its history. Based in the Slovak capital, the company and its Czech daughter organised 200 fairs and exhibitions in 2005, attracting half a million visitors.
"I think the better prepared part of the Slovak fair and exhibition sector, where Incheba belongs, is now experiencing a boom," said Alexander Rozin, general manager of Incheba.
Incheba considers its most successful fairs in 2005 to have been the Coneco construction fair, the Autosalon car show, the ITF Slovakiatour tourism fair, and the Danubius Gastro fair, focused on gastronomy.
"In the long term, the IDEB international fair of defence equipment looks like it has great potential," Rozin added.
After Slovakia's accession to the EU, many European firms that previously had not taken part in Slovak fairs began to arrive. Incheba projects an increase of about 5 percent in the number of foreign visitors this year over 2005.
Rozin said that the fair and exhibition sector has grown very quickly in the past several years. "Currently, each participating firm gives even more thorough consideration to what exhibition and presentation event it will attend and which events it will invest its money and energy in," he said.
During the last ten years, the Incheba fair centre in Bratislava has grown in size, and added new pavilions and buildings. Investments in modernisation have reached almost Sk1 billion (€30 million).
"We expect that the new year will bring a greater number of foreign participating firms and professionals," Rozin said.
In the future, Incheba intends to introduce new technologies such as electronic registration of visitors. However, Rozin is not in favour of creating fair rankings based on electronic systems. He says that the value of visitor and exhibitor information is limited.
"There is a great difference, for example, if a firm participating in the Coneco fair is the Slovak gas utility SPP or a small enterprise. However, this difference is not visible from the arithmetical point of view."
Selected Events in the Incheba 2006 Calendar
ITF Slovakiatour: (January 26 - 29)
12th International Travel Fair
Danubius Gastro (January 26 - 29)
13th International Fair of Gastronomy
Intermoda: (February 28 - March 2)
5th International Fashion Exhibition
Autosalon (March 21- 26)
16th International Motor Show
Coneco (April 4 - 8)
27th International Building Fair
IDEB (May 3 - 5)
International Defence Exhibition Bratislava
CSII - Car Sub-Suppliers Industry (May 16 - 18)
2nd International Fair of Producers and Sub-Suppliers for the Car Industry and Logistics
Car Plast (May 16 - 18)
International Fair of Plastics, Rubbers and Composites for the Car Industry
International Dog Exhibition (August 19 - 20)
Interbeauty Bratislava (September 21 - 23)
14th International Fair of Cosmetics and Healthy Living
Intermoda (September 21 - 23)
6th International Fashion Exhibition
Intermedia (September 26 - 29)
12th International Fair of Advertising Services, Marketing, Media and Gifts
Moddom (October 18 - 22)
11th International Exhibition of Furniture, Housing and Office Interiors and Design
TZB (October 18 - 22)
14th International Exhibition of Building Services
Bibliotéka (November 9 - 12)
4th International Book Fair
Source: www.incheba.sk
