Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center to Re-Open

Hungexpo is preparing for the opening in full swing, and will welcome exhibitors and visitors again in the Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center from September, Gábor Ganczer, CEO of Hungexpo Plc. told the state news agency MTI.

He pointed out that they have developed an application to make the entrance touch-free. The entry gates can be disinfected and fever measured at the same time, and cleaning protocols have been introduced in the pavilions that include virus removal. However, he noted that the events industry was eagerly awaiting detailed regulations for business events, without which a relaunch was not planned. Once the conditions are known, planning and preparation for events can begin.

The CEO said that they were in constant contact with exhibiting companies in preparation for the opening. In their experience, companies, both as exhibitors and visitors, are keen to have well-regulated business events.

Gábor Ganczer said that in the second half of the year, there is almost no empty space in the event calendar. In the autumn, they will organise the International Eucharistic Congress, the World Exhibition of Hunting and Wildlife and several of their own exhibitions.

Hungexpo's CEO believes that the resumption of business events could bring significant revenue to the remaining players in the event management industry, and that Hungexpo could close this year with a "strong positive break-even". He estimates that in 2021, the company could reach around half of the HUF 8.3 billion turnover of 2019, up from HUF 2.7 billion last year.

As he said, it is possible to have a good second half of the year, but it is not possible to make up for the lost revenues of the first six months.

So far this year, the events industry has not been able to work, it has been subject to a total ban, so due to the crown virus epidemic, a full half year will be lost in 2021, meaning that the industry, which has a turnover of around HUF 1,000 billion, will miss out on HUF 500 billion in revenue.

Gábor Ganczer said that Hungexpo typically has more events in the first half of the year, and that the company usually holds 90 percent of its own exhibitions in the first half of the year. In the second half of the year, international events are more typical, as well as domestic events for which Hungexpo provides a venue and services. He added that the events held in the online space did not bring economic benefits, they were good for providing a networking opportunity for the industry.