Incheba – Holding Their Own in Central Europe

Exhibition fair organizing goes back a long way for established ITTFA member Incheba, who run the successful shows of Slovakiatour and Holiday World. Incheba Plc has been operating successfully in the exhibition market for over 40 years and originally came about through the first Exhibition of Chemical products held in June 1967. This was the start of a new exhibition tradition in Bratislava which had its roots in the 18th and 19th centuries when various markets were organized, later to become the Danube Trade Fair.
Since its inception, the company has undergone many changes, culminating in what we see today – a joint-stock company. Thanks to tradition, experience and professional support base, it ranks among the most significant companies in its field not just in Slovakia but also internationally, in particular in the Central European region. In 1970 Incheba became an international trading company, its main activities involved the organizing of exhibitions and trade fairs and offering promotional services.
In 1992 the company started Incheba Praha based at the Prague Exhibition Ground. By 1995 the first stage of its own new exhibition ground was completed with additional areas built in 2003 and 2004 resulting in a 60,000 m2 exhibition area where over 30 exhibitions and fairs are held each year.
In May 2002, Incheba Praha became the sole owner of another exhibition company, the Triumf Agency, which organises the event Holiday World, a significant international fair and member of ITTFA, International Tourism Trade Fairs Association.
Holiday World held its 18th event in February this year, covering an exhibition area of over 24,000 m2 and hosting 868 exhibitors from 47 countries. In 2010 the fair will be held from 4th to 7th February, the first two days for specialist visitors only with the weekend days open to the general public. As well as a broad representation from foreign exhibitors, the fair will present all of the domestic regions under the umbrella of ‘Region World’. An interesting part of the international fair is an extensive accompanying programme for professionals, including seminars, presentations, conferences and the general public is sure to be interested in the World Travel Films feature.
Holiday World’s sister show, ITF Slovakiatour, has been in existence for 15 years and over this time has become the most significant exhibition event in Slovakia. It offers a well organised selection of travel agencies, tourism services and foreign travel companies, as well as local regions, placing the fair among the most important fairs of its kind in Central Europe. An increased interest in the Slovak market has assisted in the prosperity of the show and every year this is shown in its overall growth, the participation of new countries, agencies and regions.

From 22 to 25 January 2009, the 15th fair of tourism ITF Slovakiatour, the 16th fair Hunting and Leisure and the first exhibition Wellness and Fitness took place at Incheba Expo Bratislava. 536, a record number, of exhibitors participated in the show, representing 32 countries. A total of over 65,000 visitors attended the show over the 4 days, 9000 of which were registered as industry professionals.
Bearing in mind the current global financial crisis, Incheba have chosen to focus on ‘Quality’ for the 2010 IFT Slovakiatour, based on the belief that exhibitors will need to concentrate on customer satisfaction, which comes from supplying a quality product and experience. Incheba believe that everyone can find an excellent travel experience at their event.

Both of these Incheba events continue to show strong growth and play a important part in the tourism development in the region. Meeting global standards in exhibition management and adapting to meet current challenges, we can be sure to see both events on the exhibition calendar for a long time to come.

ITTFA, International Tourism Trade Fairs Association, represents some of the best travel trade events worldwide. For more details on Holiday World and Slovakiatour and all our members, see www.ittfa.org.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Wendy Walker / Sara Armitage Evans
International Tourism Trade Fairs Association (ITTFA)
Email: [email protected]