Although Covid is still dealing the cards, says Warsaw-based exhibitions business consultant Żaneta Berus (pictured), the 2022 trade fair data in central and eastern Europe prompt insights into how business may shape up this year
The MICE industry is probably the most pandemic-hit industry in the world when it comes to changes related to the ability to function normally, to meet and conduct normal business related promotions. Much of that business usually took place and takes place at trade fairs or during B2B meetings.
The governments of all countries have many challenges related to healthcare and ensuring its normal functioning. They are not eager to close down entire economies and finance the closure of hundreds or thousands of bigger and smaller companies connected with trade fairs and events.
Looking at the statistics of planned trade fairs for 2022, as presented by Paris-based exhibitions data portal Eventseye, one can see that the markets are open at least theoretically although the situation can drive you crazy. Why ‘theoretically’, you may ask? Well, because some countries still apply so many restrictions related to travelling that they are actually scaring off many intrepid types willing to exhibit or just visit. These difficulties are also mentioned in a statement by Andrzej Mochoń, president of Poland’s Kielce Trade Fair, who is predicting a rather weak year with much travelling postponed again.
The Eventseye list shows as many as 290 events planned in Poland, with the capital city leading the way with 83 events, followed by Poznań with 78, then Kielce with 57, and then a bit of a gap to Kraków with 17 events and Gdańsk with 15. However, it can already be seen that many organisers are planning to postpone original dates or rather counting on the local dimension of the event than the international one.
The first 2022 ‘trend’ I notice here is emerging. Many events in Poland must abandon international pavilions and focus on the local character of fairs with a view to the region or, at most, a national scale. This opinion is shared by Ewa Woch – president of Targi w Krakowie (Krakow Trade Fair), who observes this very trend of localisation breaking through above others “in her own backyard”.
Exception to the rule: scientific and government conferences
Scientific congresses and accompanying exhibitions can be an exception, as these are specialised events, often combined with scientific certificates or points for participation. Here, therefore, the pandemic is having less of an impact and the same can be observed for large gatherings organised on behalf of government institutions and international organisations.
Suffice it to mention the just-concluded Internet Governance Forum, organised on behalf of the UN in December in Katowice, which attracted and registered over 10,000 participants from all over the world.
In contrast, international trade fair events in Poland will face many challenges and are not expected to rebound until 2023.
Looking further at the map of plans coded by the Eventseye portal for central and eastern Europe, Poland is followed by Ukraine with 142 events planned (mainly in Kiev) and the Czech Republic with 129 events divided almost equally between Brno (63 events) and Prague (66 events).
In the next places were Belarus – 56, Romania – 41, Latvia – 37, Slovakia – 36 and Hungary on just 15 events planned. It should be noted that the Eventseye list is burdened with several inaccuracies resulting, for example, from the unstable political and health situation, which is hard to follow even if you are a portal.
That is why, due to the instability of the world around us, we will continue to observe another, second trend, i.e. developing hybrid events and online events (unloved by many). We will not move away from hybrid models as, rightly, many organisers have already noticed their effectiveness in promoting events and achieving greater reach.
However, many organisers need to learn to use these tools properly and also to monetise certain activities skilfully.
After all, trade fairs are a business project, not a charity project, and the organiser needs to make a profit. That is why hybrid solutions are often used for conferences accompanying the trade fair, which are easier to monitor and, moreover, participants are willing to pay for participation in such educational seminars.
Therefore, the multitude of hybrids will force further streamlining of the existing ones and the emergence of new technological tools enabling this part of the trade fair to develop freely. This is the third trend I would pick out and is a development also discussed by Małgorzata Musiał, secretary of Poland’s Meetings and Events Federation, who sees in the development of online and hybrid events a new opportunity for many organisers to ‘rescue’ attendance and build reach in the new reality.
Lack of manpower
Another, fourth trend that all organisers in Poland and this part of Europe are currently experiencing is the lack of manpower. Many valued specialists had to retrain because they could not afford the several months of inactivity caused by the pandemic. Now they are in demand again, but many of them have changed to a sector that is more predictable and safer from their point of view.
Many organisers, therefore, will not be able to grow their events as much as they could and would like. So, the next, fifth trend observed is to develop acquisitions and takeovers as this is the best possible time to develop your events through an acquisition or joint venture so that you don’t have to grow purely organically as this can take years. An example of good acquisitions on the Polish market is the purchase at the end of 2021 of well-known and popular fairs organised for over 25 years by MT Targi Polska, i.e. EUROGASTRO (Catering) and TT Warsaw (Travel) by the largest player on the Polish market, Ptak Warsaw Expo. The same organiser also bought the event package of another organiser from Łódź, namely Interservis, which offers such well-known brands as Rehabilitacja (Rehabilitation), Vet Medica (Veterinary Medicine) or Dach Expo (Roofing). There will probably be more such examples, as not all organisers can withstand the time pressure and this period of difficult struggle not only with the pandemic, but also with the market difficulties it causes.
Thus, 2022 is set to be marked by challenges, remodelling of the trade fair market and modern technologies, as well as inevitable mergers and acquisitions and a constant search for good specialists.
