Eastern Europe

Proximity to France:
All countries in the region are within 2½ hours of France by air, which makes attendance easy. In addition, many low-cost airlines operate in these countries and therefore travel is no longer a financial obstacle.

Local trade shows are fairly well developed in most countries in the region. Many are organised by trade boards, federations or associations, which are genuine institutions in these countries.

One-on-one meetings are greatly appreciated by trade professionals in countries such as Croatia, Poland and Bulgaria and generate excellent results. These meetings often take place at local trade shows which are ideal venues for meeting potential visitors to French trade shows from the same sector.

After five years of recession, most countries in the region have returned to positive growth. According to estimates, this trend will apply to all of them by 2016. However, it is important to keep in mind that countries in this region fall into two categories: those with annual GDP of more than $7000 per capita and a diversified economy with multiple industry sectors, and those whose economic growth depends on a single sector, namely agriculture.