The final preparations in Warsaw's Teatr Polski - the Targi Kielce Jubilee Gala commences
soon
You can watch live transmission at: https://player.liveu.pl/78f87146fa9970ca9182fedcbc0dbdc9
Are you interested in the history of the Kielce exhibition and congress centre, its possibilities and the interesting events staged in Targi Kielce" You should visit the Special Service focused on the 25th Jubilee of Targi Kielce; this is a real information mine. The service available here:https://plus.echodnia.eu/swietokrzy.../w/25_lat_targow_kielce/
The very important meetings meeting place which enjoys 25 years of history.
The Kielce Trade Fair Centre was founded in 1992, this gave rise to the 25-year history of Targi Kielce. That was the time when the world could feel the wind of change. The Old Continent's new political shape started to crystallise.
That was the climate of in 1992 when the Kielce expo centre also started its business existence. A year later in the former warehouses of the Provincial Internal Trade Enterprise (WPHW) in Zakładowa Street, the first International Defence Industry Exhibition was held. Over the quarter of the century MSPO has become the Targi Kielce flagship event; it has become a permanent part of the economic landscape of the city and the region, it has also gained an domestic and international recognition.
The beginnings were not easy, as is often the case. Inspirations were needed. The town of Herning in Denmark was the stimulus. The then Kielce Mayor Robert Rzepka was amazed with Herning's expo centre and its role for the city.
- He decided to take up a challenge and develop a similar undertaking in Kielce. The Voivode Józef Płoskonka also helped with the in-kind contribution of the lot, halls and office buildings that used to be the Provincial Internal Trade Enterprise. A new access road to the fairgrounds was constructed in an unbelievably fast pace – it took only 3 months. That was the very beginning. - recollects Andrzej Mochoń PhD - President of Board at Targi Kielce, HE An important moment was when the Kielce based Exbud S.A. became involved. Exbud had been one of Poland's first companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Exbud presence was the trigger to incorporate modern business management models into the emerging enterprise.
That was the Kielce Fair Centre beginning; then it was a state- and municipal self-government owned government company. Andrzej Piasecki was appointed the president - Mr Piasecki acted pro-bono. Daniel Kunz was the company's vice president. At the beginning of CTK employed 25 people. - In September 1993, 85 companies from 5 countries, including the remote South Africa presented their potentials in the post-WWHW warehouses adapted to serve as the exhibition halls during the first MSPO. We even released the defence companies catalogue – the publication no one had ever released before. As for a fledgling exhibition company, that was quite an achievement. - says today's President Andrzej Mochoń PhD., the-then head of the Świętokrzyskie Agency for the Region Development and Promotion S.A.. With the 25-year hindsight, president Mochoń uses the improvisation to describe the trade-fair business of that time. Today our experience is much greater, yet we must admit that the first edition of the event was really successful. Little was Kielce known at the global economic map, however the Financial Times published the first expo related feature.
After twenty-five years we can say that the MSPO has indeed become the important meetings place for the international safety and security milieus; MSPO is held in the city which boasts over a century of legions traditions. Not only is this the reason for Kielce inhabitants to take pride, this is also an immense commitment for all the people associated with the Kielce expo centre. The Targi Kielce has been growing and advancing hand in hand with MSPO. Today many important politicians who appear in modern congress centre's meeting rooms recall the times when the opening ceremony was staged outside, in front of the exhibition halls.
Wojciech Lubawski has been the City Mayor for fifteen years; he believes that the decision to create the exhibition centre "has been one of most significant investments for the City's and the region's economic development". - This decision has been consistently implemented by successive governing bodies in the City - recalls the Mayor.
In 1996, CTK almost doubled the headcount. Andrzej Mochoń PhD was then appointed the Targi Kielce President of Board. - At that time we still occupied just one floor in a large, obsolete office building. In the cellar there was 5 centimetre flooded with water. In the winter I used to sit in my office wearing a coat, because the window frames were leaking. There was a terrible draught. Everything has changed – this is owed to many people, it is hard to quote all their names here. I believe that this is a real satisfaction for us – the centre's team. - the President recollects many years after.
However, Targi Kielce has had to go a long and difficult way before it transformed into a powerful and modern centre . At the turn of the century, a large package of the company's shares was in the hands of the International Poznań Fair (MTP). For several years since March 2000 the Poznań International Fair had a dominant position at the general shareholders meeting. The cooperation terminated in 2006 when the city of Kielce repurchased the shares, that was result of the conflict over the profits allocation for the expansion of the exhibition centre's infrastructure. The coexistence with the Poznan centre was an interesting experience, it also showed that others can learn from us too. Another milestone in our history was the the City of Kielce decision to buy back the shares from Poznan. 50 percent of the shares cost the city 24.5 million PLN. Today thee 50 percent share is worth 100 million PLN. That was the Mayor's key decision – the city was able to keep up the centre's business activity and enable Targi Kielce's and the city's development. - said Andrzej Mochoń PhD., who was re-appointed the company's head in 2006. It should be noted that the company adopted its current name - Targi Kielce four years before.
There were also more challenging times. The fire started in the F and G Expo Halls the day before the opening of the International Defence Industry Exhibition. - The fire broke out on Sunday morning. MSPO was due to start on Monday. It was really scary. We experienced a difficult time, yet we were able to turn this experience into the success. We were able to build replacement stands in the other halls. Despite the adversities, the exhibition was business as usual. This also become an extra impetus for further centre modernization. - says President Andrzej Mochoń. The photos and films of the expo halls on fire made the front-page-news of the informational media. The next day the same media informed about the opening of the consecutive MSPO. In less than 24 hours we managed to show that even in a hopeless situation the team did not give up, it was able to sort things out.
Poland joining the European Union in 2004 and the access to Brussels funds have opened the way for further development of the Centre. The funds provided by the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland 2007-2013 was also an important moment. This allowed us to modernize the infrastructure, build the cutting-edge E Expo Hall, the Congress Centre, the multi-level car park., the entry terminals with electronic visitor registration system. Not only have these investments allowed to alter the external image of the Expo Centre. The investments also allowed to enhance Targi Kielce's prestige and the exhibition space functionality. The viewing tower with conference rooms on top towers over the centre, is can be seen from the modernized S7 route and the near the Kielce-West junction. The tower has become the landmark, the symbol of changes and aspirations.
Targi Kielce has marked its presence not only in the business world. In the years 2009-2014 the company was the titular sponsor of Poland's best and one of Europe's greatest handball clubs - Vive. In 2013, at the end of the sensational season Vive Targi Kielce reached the Final Four in handball. Targi Kielce also hosted Ennio Morricone and Wojciech Kilar.
Over last 25 years, the post-industrial landscape of north-west Kielce was transformed into a modern expo and congress centre which boasts great infrastructure. Targi Kielce boasts international recognition. At the beginning, in the early 1990s these were just a few events a year. Now the exhibition calendar has advanced to include 75 exhibitions and 700 conferences, the meeting platforms for business, scientific, diplomatic, political, cultural, artistic and sports milieus. Targi Kielce facts & figures - over 248,000 visitors from almost 60 countries, 7.6 thousand exhibiting companies which utilise 255 ,000 m2 of the exhibition space. This makes Targi Kielce one of Poland's two trade fair and exhibition market leaders. Today Targi Kielce also enjoys the third part of Poland's trade fair market. Among Central and Eastern Europe's exhibitions organisers Kielce expo centre is ranked second in terms of exhibitors number and exhibition space lease; thus Targi Kielce is ahead of Budapest's HUNGEXPO, Brno Expo Centre and Kyiv International Fair.
Kielce Mayor Wojciech Lubawski stresses that - Targi Kielce's economic success enhances the City's image. Not only have we become a recognized trade mark on Europe's exhibition-market map, but we are also well-known in China. The exhibition centre's presence and its dynamic development has resulted in the fact that the HoReCa sector, hoteliers, catering companies, expo-stand developers and other expo-related service-providers have recognised economic-growth opportunities in Kielce. These business-entities thrive on. This is evidenced with the Grono Targowe Kielce [Kielce Expo Cluster] and the fact that trade fairs and congresses organisation has become one of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship's smart specializations.
