Silver jubilee

This year Italy has won the contest on launching The International technical exhibition Expo-2015, which was open on May, 2 in Milan. It will host visitors till October, 31. Exhibitions of such a format take place once in every five years in different European cities. European countries start struggling for the right to launch such a forum long before its opening. Meanwhile, competition may be, perhaps, even tougher than during The Olympic games preparation period.

The topic of the International technical exhibition 2015 is Feed the planet. Energy for life. 120 participating countries have come to Milan. The international community has invested more than 4 billion Euros in building new infrastructure and areas equipment, which form the common budget of the International exhibition (11 billion Euros), taking into consideration all the related projects. New transport hubs and bridges have been constructed, underground parking lots for ten thousand cars, underground and suburban trains routes have been built, three Milan airports as well as railway stations have been expanded in territory funded by this money. The exhibition has been located on a territory of 1.10 million square kilometers and is not far from the new Italian exhibition complex Rho Fiera. According to the plan, more than 30 million specialists from different spheres and, of course, tourists from all over the world will have visited it by the end of the season.

It is for the first time on such a top rank exhibition that air balloons have become not only an art material for mount decoration but exponent goods as well. The Gemar company was the first among air balloons manufacturers to dare participate in the International technical exhibition and exhibit their goods and services in a separate pavilion during the whole week. Yes, of course, it was due to their will to catch the interest of the international community to balloon product and also show the uniqueness of this manufacture, increasing sales of balloons throughout the whole world.

Furthermore, the jubilee in itself — 25 years since the Gemar brand, currently very popular in balloon industry, appeared — became a reason to participate in such an exhibition. The Italians invited their distributors from 40 countries of the world to the jubilee. A group of representatives of the Russian company Europe uno trade was also present here.

The jubilee was held in an amusing and interesting way against the background of the Milan exhibition. For example, each newly arrived guest drew their own small balloon with their country and company’s logos on a gigantic banner with an image of a big air balloon. Thus and so, it resulted in a rather motley and volume balloon picture where one could see the route of Gemar balloons across the whole world.

While performing, the company’s leaders stated that Gemar production had been actively developing in the last few years. This is influenced by the air balloon market growth in Europe itself. By the way, it also happens due to the European ban on low-quality goods sales, considering balloons from China and other countries, as well. Those European manufacturers who forget about their goods’ quality, at times appear on the black list. The speakers highlighted that they rather actively collaborated with Russia and the CIS. Exactly these countries purchase about 30% of all the production. It is a rather high rate, taking into consideration Italian air balloons export into forty countries.

The market growth has required high-quality balloons with prints. And nowadays Gemar is actively pursuing this line. There was a presentation of new balloon prints and new equipment for balloons packaging at the exhibition. That is why it ended in a very harmonious and good presentation of all the new company’s lines. The birthday boys got beautiful congratulations and gifts in respond. For instance, the Russians brought them a copy of Kustodiev’s picture «Palm Sunday near the Spassky Gate on the Red Square in Moscow» (1916), where a Russian balloon seller was depicted. A Russians’ remark that, perhaps, the balloons from the picture originated from Italy, brought a pleasant smile to the birthday boys’ faces.

Advertising actions where balloons were handed around were also run at the exhibition. A composition by Italian Balloon Academy, who imitated the big fountain of the Milan exhibition symbolizing the Tree of life, became an exquisite decoration of Gemar exhibition space. The composition was about 10 metres high. Approximately 40 thousand balloons had been spent on its preparation. The balloon fountain was very popular among the exhibition guests.