Booths come alive

SLOVAK booth designers follow global trends and use them as inspiration when creating exhibition spaces for their clients. In turn, clients are happy to present their wares at industry fairs - at home and abroad - from attractive booths that stand out in the crowd.
Libor Chyla is an executive director of AVC Pro Expo, one of a few successful exhibition design and installation firms in Slovakia. In an interview with The Slovak Spectator, Chyla said he is optimistic about the future of the Slovak exhibition industry despite national firms having limited financial resources. At the same time, he emphasized that closer cooperation between exhibition organisers, municipalities and design and installation firms is needed.

SLOVAK booth designers follow global trends and use them as inspiration when creating exhibition spaces for their clients. In turn, clients are happy to present their wares at industry fairs - at home and abroad - from attractive booths that stand out in the crowd.

Libor Chyla is an executive director of AVC Pro Expo, one of a few successful exhibition design and installation firms in Slovakia. In an interview with The Slovak Spectator, Chyla said he is optimistic about the future of the Slovak exhibition industry despite national firms having limited financial resources. At the same time, he emphasized that closer cooperation between exhibition organisers, municipalities and design and installation firms is needed.


The Slovak Spectator (TSS): What do your domestic and foreign clients look for in a booth design?

Libor Chyla (LCh): Slovak and foreign companies alike are limited by budget constraints. The difference lies in the size of the budget. Slovak firms have less money, which is fine if they want a booth designed for a fair in Slovakia but not enough if they want to take part in fairs abroad. Only a small number of Slovak companies can take part in foreign fairs without state assistance.


TSS: What are the current trends in booth designs throughout the world?

LCh: Attractive, open booths that lure visitors inside are the current trend. In terms of overall design, large-size, three-dimensional full colour graphics are popular. Each detail must be realized in 100 percent quality.

Trendy materials include plastic, wood veneer, aluminium filling with a special surface design and glass in various colours.

High-quality lighting is a very important part of both design. Its role is to ensure sufficient light without producing a negative warming effect.

Video presentations that increase the effectiveness of products and services are also important factors. Last but not least, the furniture should harmonize with the booth and emphasize the overall image.


TSS: Do Slovak booth designers follow the trends? What types of booths do Slovak exhibitors prefer?

LCh:Important Slovak players follow global trends and use them as inspiration for future booth designs. From a European point of view, Slovak architects are recognized for their designs even though they are strongly limited in choosing materials by the client's budget.

Because of their financial resources, most Slovak companies prefer standard booths with elements of up-to-date trends. We can also see that Slovak exhibitors are tending to opt for more open booths than were used before.


TSS: Which industries use your services the most?

LCh: There are exhibitors from many industries - machinery, electronics, automotive, construction and IT. We even had a manufacturer of exclusive yachts as one of our clients.


TSS: Could you give an average price of a booth and for rental space at exhibition halls in Slovakia and abroad?

LCh: It is very difficult to say. Many factors impact the price. It depends on the size of the booth, the distance the booth will travel, the importance of a fair, the size of the graphics and whether the booth is situated on the ground floor.

On average, the price for renting exhibition space together with the price of a both is about four times higher abroad than in Slovakia.

Average prices for rental space in an exposition hall in Slovakia range between Sk2,000 to Sk3,000 (€52 to €76) per square metre. Abroad, it is €170 to €230. Each fair and company's presentation at the fair is individual, however, so the numbers vary.


TSS: What is in store for exhibitions in Slovakia?

LCh: After some time of inertia, we can see a rebirth of exhibitions on the international level as well as small exhibitions on the regional level. Both forms of exhibition play a unique role in helping companies extend their communication with business partners at a certain place and time.

Firms that prepare for a fair consider their participation worthwhile and the exhibition as successful and effective. In the forthcoming future, we suppose that it will be niche fairs that will grow as their importance exceeds the region where they are located.


TSS: What could help encourage the growth of exhibitions in Slovakia?

LCh: Building up an exhibition infrastructure to meet European standards would mean constructing new facilities in at least three or four cities in Slovakia. But this would encourage the development of the industry.

Many European towns are constructing new exhibition halls on the outskirts of towns, or they have gradually destroyed old exhibition halls and replaced them with new ones in the same location (as in Vienna).

In Slovakia, some exhibition halls do not fulfil current market demands from a technological point of view. They are difficult for firms to access and install their booths. They have height limitations, insufficient lighting, halls without air-conditioning, poor sanitary facilities, limited parking spaces and poor catering facilities.

Towns with exhibition halls should take advantage of what they have. Cooperation between the exhibition organizers and municipal offices could bring financial resources, investment and life to the city. At the same time, exhibition organizers should be open to booth design and installation firms, since the quality of a fair can only increase with our input.

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