The director of the Brno exhibition center on the new selection process: I don’t want to leave
What was it like when you took up the position of director of the Brno fairs in December of last year?
It wasn’t easy. It was a follow-up to the first fair after the covid period, which was a nice start. At the International Engineering Fair in November 2021, we experienced a euphoric atmosphere. At the turn of November and December, the Dance Life festival took place, which I started not yet officially in my position, on the day the state of emergency was declared. An unforgettable experience.
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In the year, you, like others, encountered three events – covid, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis. How did it affect the fairs?
The whole year was still partially affected by covid. For example, Techagro, which is one of the largest agricultural fairs in Europe, did not take place at all. Exhibitors lacked innovative exhibits. A similar situation existed at the Motosalon, which was supposed to take place in the first week of March, but there was no news from the world of motorcycles. They arrived in Germany only in June. We improvised and organized Motovíkend in April as the start of the motorcycle season.
In the interview you will also find:
How did Tomáš Moravec intervene in the structure of the company?
Was he able to digitize the fairs?
What was the financial result of the Brno Exhibition Center in 2021?
Why didn’t Tomáš Moravec apply for the selection process again?
What does he think is the future of trade fairs?
Can you compare last year with those before covid?
That year gradually took off, and most fairs then gradually returned to fifty to eighty percent of their original pre-covid size, depending on the theme. However, there were various term and content changes. For example, Urbis, the fair of smart solutions for the municipality, which used to be always in June, we connected with the new project Future mobility and Urban Mobility Days and did it only in September.
How did the war affect the fair calendar?
We quickly prepared Kacpa in Pavilion B, the Regional Assistance Center for Refugees from Ukraine, at the beginning of March it was the largest and best functioning center in the Czech Republic. Because of this, some of the fairs were moved to other premises, some events were even cancelled. For example, the Revival, which is a veteran race, the route led around Pavilion B. But we took it as part of our socially responsible approach. We tried to help. Of course, they also unsettled all companies, even if they were not yet affected by the energy crisis.
So the energy crisis did not affect the Brno exhibition center last year?
A large number of companies, including Veletrhy Brno, had prices fixed at the end of the year. So we are only now approaching new energy prices, which are tens of millions higher. They will partly be reflected in the rental price, but not completely, because the exhibition areas and other services would then be unsaleable. We will bear a large part of the costs on our crates. I recommend not wasting yourself.
What was your intervention in the structure of the company?
My predecessor reduced the staff from three hundred to two hundred employees due to covid and I had to continue. Of course, our income was falling. I ended up reducing the staff by another forty-five people. In the time of covid, my predecessor limited mainly executive employees, I was forced to reach into managerial positions as well. One of the two business directors stayed, five of the nine managers stayed. The informatics department was also outsourced, now we share the know-how of the employees with Technical Networks Brno.
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Digitization was also your topic when you started. Have you lived up to your size in this area?
I am a supporter of the opinion that digitization does not threaten the existence of trade fairs, but is a suitable complement to them. I wanted to create a virtual environment where visitors who cannot physically attend the fair can visit. We prepared a platform where exhibitors could exhibit exhibits that they could not physically make for the exhibition. The offer was used by all exhibitors, with one exception, as an exhibition to expand the effect of participation in a real fair.
So is sustainability also related to this?
For example, now we are facing the distribution of honorary entry cards for VIP partners for the year 2023. Previously, we received them in the form of plastic cards delivered by post. On Monday, we will send them electronically for the first time to be inserted into mobile phone e-wallets. We also purchased an LED panel for the entrance building, which replaced the historic polystyrene signs. Its flexibility is significantly higher than single-purpose signs, and in the long term we will save on installation.
The year 2021 ended with a negative economic result for the exhibition center in the amount of fifteen million. How are the fairs for last year?
The result will also have a negative sign, but the total amount will be significantly less. This is due to the fact that there was no transfer of land under the multifunctional hall. This item was part of the 2022 plan and was not due. We exceeded the business part of the approved plan by more than ten percent.
You’ve spent 20 years with the company, now you’re leaving. Isn’t that a shame?
I am not happy that I will probably leave and the initiation is definitely not from my side. I dedicated twenty-four years of my life to the company and sacrificed my first family. I worked my way up at the exhibition center around Baťovsko, from clerk to general director. Everything comes to an end, and if a form of cooperation in another format does not appear, I will probably leave the field of trade fairs for good.
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So why didn’t you apply for the selection process?
Current conditions do not allow me. I have already presented myself in one selection process and I was chosen in four rounds of candidates. The consistency of the ideas and the presented steps during the induction by the original board of directors filled me with hopes that the extension of the contract will definitely happen. This did not happen and the owner has the right to start a new tender. I am ready to continue to perform the function in the event that the selection process does not produce an adequate professionally qualified candidate. However, it is a secondary and completely uncertain possibility at the moment, so I am going beyond the Brno Exhibition Center to look for potential prospects, where I could evaluate my many years of experience and knowledge.
What do you think is the future of trade fairs?
Fairs will continue to function, it’s about meeting people who are connected by the field. Experts in different fields need to meet and exchange opinions. However, I think that in our conditions the fairs will be smaller in size and will increase in quality. So there will be fewer exhibitors than we are used to, but they will clearly know why they are going to the fair and what participation brings them. Just like a visit.