Poland: Even busier than before

The big new trade fair centre just outside Warsaw has been open for three years now. It currently hosts 30 of its own trade fairs and 15 guest fairs a year – on a rising trend.

Held twice a year, Comic Con in Warsaw is considered to be the biggest pop culture festival in Poland. (Photo: Ptak Warsaw Expo)
Held twice a year, Comic Con in Warsaw is considered to be the biggest pop culture festival in Poland. (Photo: Ptak Warsaw Expo)

Ptak Warsaw Expo could make a “big leap forward” in 2019, according to managing director Zaneta Berus. “Namely, when the external events that are currently being negotiated come to fruition.” She is expecting dynamic growth next year. “That applies both to our own projects and our guest events.” The well-known Eurogastro, organised by MT Targi Polska, is being held at Poland’s largest trade fair centre at the end of March for the first time. This hotel and restaurant industry get-together was previously held at MT Targi Polska’s multi-purpose hall. The switch to Ptak Warsaw Expo might set a precedent. Other trade fairs will come from other venues, believes Berus, in the expectation of having greater opportunities for growth. 

Berus suspects this is due to the additional services offered, which go beyond merely the rental of exhibition space. “We also offer services such as marketing support, hosted buyer programmes and help with logistics, such as the operation of shuttle buses,” she says. “In addition, we provide support with registration and hotel reservations.” She also emphasises the state-of-the-art Wi-Fi available in the halls and mentions the modern, lightweight stand construction system Quadro. This solution is very popular with exhibitors.

The third edition of Warsaw Home interior design show occupied over 100,000 square metres in five halls. (Photo: Ptak Warsaw Expo)
The third edition of Warsaw Home interior design show occupied over 100,000 square metres in five halls. (Photo: Ptak Warsaw Expo)

Another reason why things are currently going so well at Ptak Warsaw is that the Polish economy is booming. GDP is expected to grow by 4 percent this year, and many trade fairs have seen remarkable growth. The number of exhibitors at the largest Chinese event in Poland, China Homelife, increased by a third. There were 1,200 of them at the most recent China Homelife in June, and the event took up a total of 35,000 square metres of exhibition space. Beauty Days and Warsaw Wedding Days have also developed well, occupying a total of over 30,000 square metres of exhibition space in September – over 10 percent more than for their debut in 2017. The first Warsaw Dental Medica, which was held shortly beforehand, was also a success. The first event attracted around 200 exhibitors and 5,500 visitors, and almost 100 presentations were delivered. The Euro Dog Show was held at Ptak Warsaw for the first time in mid-October. The Euro Dog Show is an FCI event that is held in a different European location each year. The FCI is an international canine association. Over 20,000 dogs from 65 countries took part in the latest show in Warsaw.

October got off to a roaring start – a “Big Bang”, according to Berus – with Warsaw Home. “This event is an absolute phenomenon, showcasing interior design and a vast range of products for the home – furnishings, decorations, fittings, appliances and so on,” she enthuses. The event addresses target groups seeking to do business as well as design enthusiasts – a mix that is one of its trademarks. The number of brands exhibited grew from 400 last time to over 800 at this year’s event, which was the third Warsaw Home. At the same time, the proportion of international exhibitors grew to over 30 percent. Warsaw Home took up a total of 100,000 gross square metres of space in five halls. “To put that in perspective, it is growing faster than any other major event in central eastern Europe,” enthuses Berus. The event uses around 70 percent of the venue’s 143,000 square metres of indoor space. 

October and November have been very busy months at the exhibition centre on the outskirts of the Polish capital. A glance at the events held at Ptak Warsaw Expo recently confirm that. The World Travel Show was followed by the biannual pop culture fan convention Comic Con, Warsaw Industry Week and Warsaw Motor Show. The textiles show Fast Textile, which only finished on 24 November, also again proved to be very popular (www.warsawexpo.eu).

Author: Peter Borstel

This article was published in TFI issue 4/2018

 
 

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