We have completed the 53rd MOS trade fair – last September, the fair left its doors closed for the first time in history. A year and a half went by since the last fair event, which was followed by a difficult period, marked by complete prohibition of any fair activity. We took advantage of this period to think thoroughly about the concept of the biggest business and fair event in Slovenia, to give it new contents and a new fil rouge of sustainable development, green and digital solutions.

“Today we can say that the decision to go through with the 53^rd MOS this year was more than welcome for everyone involved – it turned out that MOS was sorely missed by both the exhibitors and the visitors. Although the fair was smaller than in 2019, one thing is clear – authentic one-on-one contact cannot be replaced with any other approach. Trade fairs are and always will be the central place for bargains, new business deals and socialising,” said Robert Otorepec, Executive Director of Celjski sejem. We managed to carry out MOS at about 60 % of the scope of the 2019 MOS, and, according to preliminary data, it was visited by over 37,000 visitors. The total number of visitors of MOS will increase further, though, as the visitors using the free e-business coupons will be added to the number.   

The number of visitors has met our expectations, but many exhibitors were positively surprised at the visit rates, considering the current situation. Together, we managed to prove that such a massive event could be carried out despite the covid restrictions. We are certain that we have done everything in our power to make MOS run smoothly and safely for everyone. For those who were not vaccinated or recovered, we provided free rapid testing, and about 10% of the visitors took advantage of this opportunity. Furthermore, we reminded people about the importance of wearing protective masks and we checked people’s compliance with the recovered/vaccinated/tested (RVT) condition when people entered the showground. Undoubtedly, the increased number of online purchases of tickets contributed to safer implementation, as this helped us avoid crowding at the ticket offices. We will continue with this practice in the future and come up with new ways to purchase tickets.

Insecurity, rapid changes and a high level of tolerance marked the weeks leading up to MOS. However, it was all worth it – already on the first day, optimism and positivity were felt among the exhibitors and the visitors, reminiscent of the past fairs. New business deals, bargain purchases and plenty of fun leisure activities helped us, at least for a while, to forget the troubles of the past months and enjoy the fair to the fullest. Additional proof of the success of the 53^rd MOS were the results of the survey carried out among the visitors. As many as 90% of them claimed that this year’s MOS had met their expectations. The most popular segments were MOS DOM and MOS TURIZEM, but in general, the majority of respondents deemed the offer of the exhibitors to be very interesting. As many as 80% of the exhibitors claimed that they were satisfied with the response of the visitors to their fair presentation. Almost 2/3 of the exhibitors concluded a concrete business deal at the fair. Satisfaction of exhibitors was felt also due to the large number of target-oriented visitors and, consequently, a number of potential new business deals acquired at MOS. We are happy, proud and grateful to all the exhibitors who trusted us that MOS would indeed happen this year. We are certain that their performance at the fair will continue to benefit them long after the end of the fair.

The synergy effects and the importance of MOS were pointed out by Janez Janša, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, in his opening address. He said that until last year, we were probably not aware of how important MOS was for the Slovenian economy. The 53^rd MOS was marked by visits of high politicians, a bilateral meeting of the Slovenian and the Hungarian governments, as well as numerous business-related side events and meetings.

Partner country Hungary

Hungary, the partner country of MOS, indisputably left a special mark on the 53^rd MOS. In its pavilion, Hungary prepared a truly remarkable presentation of “21^st century Hungary”, its traditions and customs. We are proud that almost 30 Hungarian export-import companies were presented at the fair, and they concluded a number of business deals with Slovenian entrepreneurs at MOS. We were glad to see that Hungary’s participation as the partner country attracted a number of Hungarian visitors and visitors from other neighbouring countries.

Plans for 2022

We are happy that, although times are hard, we managed to prepare an unforgettable fair. Our thoughts are already in 2022, which will be immensely busy. Numerous fairs will take place between January and May, starting with Agritech, the fair for agricultural and forestry technology, and continuing with the traditional Spring Fairs. They will be followed by the immensely important professional fairs MIS, Terotech and Lestech. We are happy to announce that the International Industry Fair (MIS) is already incredibly popular, considering the received applications. In September, we will see you at the 54^th MOS, which will be even richer in content than this year’s, and in December, we will come together at Eroticland.