International Fair Plovdiv (), held in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

, is

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

's largest and oldest international

trade fair A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific Industry (economics), industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest Product (business), products and se ...

.Пловдив // Советский энциклопедический словарь. редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. 4-е изд. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1986. стр.1014

History

It was established in August 1892 as an industrial and agricultural show, and attracts more than 600,000 visitors from many countries. During its first year, the Plovdiv Fair had an exhibition area of 90,000 m², participants from 24 countries and 162,000 visitors during its two and a half months. The fair has been held annually since 1933. A National Industrial Exhibition was organized in 1933 that had 424 exhibitors and 120,000 visitors, being the first

sample fair The concept of the sample fair (in German language, German: ''Mustermesse'') was invented in 1895 in Leipzig, Germany. At the Leipzig Trade Fair the traditional goods fair was replaced with sample shows. The sample fairs are the usual type of trade ...

in Plovdiv. A second followed in 1934, when the Plovdiv Fair was proclaimed permanent and the only in Bulgaria on 16 May. The fair officially became an international one by joining Union des Foires Internationales (UFI) in 1936, when over 1,000 Bulgarian and 385 foreign companies took part. The USSR first took part in the fair in 1940. Soviet agricultural tractors and other goods were offered for export to Bulgaria, but the Axis attack on the USSR in 1941 brought the trade to a halt.инженер Юрий Дружков. Город на холмах // журнал " Вокруг света", No. 9, 1983. стр.4-6 In 1948-1949, the architectural complex of the International Fair was built, which was later used in other public events between fairs. It was used for Expo 81, Expo 85 and Expo 91. The modern International Fair Plovdiv is situated in a large-scale exhibition complex of 360,000 m², of which 95,000 m² exhibition area (and 60,000 m² indoor). The fair has 24 multifunctional pavilions and has the largest capacity in

Southeastern Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe is a geographical sub-region of Europe, consisting primarily of the region of the Balkans, as well as adjacent regions and Archipelago, archipelagos. There are overlapping and conflicting definitions of t ...

. Some 40 shows are held a year, in which 7,000 exhibitors from 58 countries participate.

References

External links

Official website
Trade fairs in Bulgaria Economy of Plovdiv Recurring events established in 1892 Tourist attractions in Plovdiv World's fair sites in Europe {{bulgaria-stub