Throwback
CONSTRUMA BOUQUET 2020
The 39th CONSTRUMA exhibition bouquet was successfully closed at the HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center. The exhibition, which was postponed from spring to autumn due to the COVID-19 virus epidemic, with increased hygiene rules, was the most important business event in the industry this year. According to the Secretary of State for ITM, due to the changed circumstances, there is an even greater need for similar events than before. Due to the virus situation introduced new entry rules and new security standards which developed by the organizers were well examined.
After a forced break of more than six months caused by the COVID-19 virus, HUNGEXPO organized the 39th CONSTRUMA and 9th HOMEDesign exhibitions postponed from spring to 7-11th of October.
Almost 150 exhibitors participated in the exhibition, which was organized at an unusual time and under unusual conditions in HUNGEXPO’s largest hall, Pavilion A. The organizers pointed out that this year’s CONSTRUMA was a significant achievement in itself, given that several traditional European exhibitions with similar themes had been postponed indefinitely.
At the opening of the exhibition, Dr. Anita Boros, Secretary of State for Construction Economics, Infrastructure Environment and Sustainability of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, said, among others, that the coronavirus pandemic posed a challenge to countries in all areas. Keeping economies remaining on its feet is key. “We compete with neighboring countries, we also compete with European countries and the wider international market. We are therefore very pleased that these exhibitions, such professional forums, will take place despite the pandemic situation because we believe that the development of the whole sector can only take place if the related sectors and the various synergies can be utilized”, said the Secretary of State, adding that “this event is also a worthy example of how business events can be organized with adequate efficiency.”
Gábor Ganczer, CEO of HUNGEXPO, said that he and his colleagues, as exhibition organizers, still believe in personal presence and relationship building. “We are convinced that the business life, the economy has to run, and that requires events like this. The fact that this exhibition has opened proves that many of us believe in this”, the CEO said.
The central theme of this year’s exhibition was renewable energy. Visitors were able to meet a number of domestic and international distributors from the construction industry to home furnishings. The bouquet of the Construma exhibition has been the highly successful HOMEDesign exhibition for years, where visitors could learn about the latest trends in furnishings and interior design novelties. The traditional element of the exhibition is the Hungarian Design stand set up in the spirit of annual sustainability and environmental protection, which presented the current design trends through the unique offer of Hungarian designers. The stand was also a place for personal meetings, in addition, several Hungarian design brands, for example, the Shelfie was waiting for visitors at their own stand.
Despite the decreasing number of exhibitors and visitors due to the pandemic situation, the majority of participants were satisfied with the exhibition. The exhibitors mainly mentioned the increase in the number of serious inquirers. As they said, they were pleased to find that this time the visitors who arrived for a definite purpose were in the majority. Due to the focused interest and the discounts announced for the duration of the exhibition, several exhibitors reported a higher proportion of deals than before.
„The organization and design of the Construma exhibition was excellent and the crowd was surprising despite the virus. We will also take part in the exhibition in the spring. Thanks to the organizers” (Ferenc Antal, Managing Director – CEC Connector Bt.)
„The charm of the Construma, apart from the decline in the number of exhibitors, is unchanged in my opinion. As a positive effect of the virus situation, I would like to highlight that our stand was mainly visited by targeted visitors. Our message reached our visitors, which we were able to present in a worthy place” (Boglárka Varga, SW Umwelttechnik, Head of Building and Garden Construction).
“We’re glad we didn’t step back from the show because our exhibition did well in business as well. It is true that we had fewer visitors, but those who came were very serious. We will come next year too!” (Attila Pintér, Managing Director Nilan Kft.)
“The building engineering of a modern house is becoming increasingly complex and requires basic knowledge even at the user level, which will be harder by even stricter energy regulations from 2021 onwards. Consultation with professionals is essential even in the case of a home renovation. At VGF & HKL’s large boiler and heat pump selection booth, we were able to help hundreds of builders despite the strict health protocol! See you again at Construma next year!” (LászlĂł Szilágyi, VGF & HKL)
Construma has once
again hosted serious professional programs this year. These include –
now traditionally – the professional training of building engineering in the
Budapest and Pest County Chamber of Engineers; ÉVOSZ roundtable discussion
“What is the resource for?” on high-value construction investments;
the event of the Association for Housing and Housing Renovation entitled Rental
Housing Program 2020; professional training of the Hungarian Chamber of
Architects for architects.
This year’s CONSTRUMA was also particularly important for the organizers, exhibitors, and visitors alike, because the event introduced for the first time the special epidemiological protocol of HUNGEXPO, which – according to the experience of the participants – passed the exam. With increased attention to the health safety of the participants, HUNGEXPO compiled a so-called POST COVID manual as well as new entry rules that minimized the risk of infection. In addition, the exhibitions were expanded with a virtual space where visitors and exhibitors could meet without the risk of personal contact. With the help of the virtual exhibition form, exhibitors and interested parties could also connect through a new platform; and the uploaded information was available not only during the opening hours of the exhibition but separately from it, 24 hours a day on the days of the physical exhibition. “In order to reach a wider range of visitors, we are testing this form with you as the first step towards a hybrid exhibition model”, said CEO Gábor Ganczer at the opening. “Based on feedback from exhibitors and visitors, we have gathered a lot of useful experience for organizing future exhibitions,” he added on the closing day of CONSTRUMA.
This year’s CONSTRUMA awards were handed over at the exhibition, with which the organizers of the exhibition recognized the best innovative products that took part in the spring competition.
2020 award-winning companies and products
- BACHL Thermal Insulation Manufacturer Ltd. (BACHL Extrapor HL)
- Horizont Global Ltd. (Nest house)
- Internorm Window Ltd. (Internorm KF520 plastic – plastic/aluminum window)
- Nilan Airtechnic Ltd. (Nilan Combi S 302 Polar Top)
- Solar Hero Innovation and Renewable Energy Ltd. (New generation cell-optimized solar module developed in Germany)
CONSTRUMA BOUQUET 2019
Nearly 50 thousand visitors attended the recently concluded 38th CONSTRUMA homemaking exhibition. 600 exhibitors from 20 countries presented their novelties at the top domestic construction industry event at the HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center. Apart from the CONSTRUMA and HOMEDesign exhibitions, the event in 2019 featured the bi-annual HUNGAROTHERM as part of the assortment of exhibitions, allowing professional visitors to gain an even wider base of information on novelties. Participants of the professional events tied to the exhibition discussed the rapid growth of the industry alongside labour shortage-related issues.
Every year, Hungexpo places a great deal of emphasis on the professional advancement of construction industry experts. Accordingly, with the assistance of its professional partners, it features a number of conferences and workshops for CONSTRUMA visitors that deal with the latest trends, technological innovations and current professional issues. The first three days of the event were again devoted solely to the professionals.
Record Turnover in Hungarian construction industry with Problems to be Resolved
Over the last two years, the Hungarian construction industry provided an outstanding performance with the sector’s output showing an overall increase of 56 percent – said Minister of State for Economic Strategy and Regulation László György of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology (ITM), adding that for the period between 2018 and 2023, the construction industry’s stock of orders amount to HUF 25 thousand billion. In order to ensure the steady level of results, the State Secretariat prepared a construction economy strategy with the involvement of professional organisations – the National Federation of Hungarian Building Contractors (ÉVOSZ) and the National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers – which the government is set to discuss in the month of April, added the State Secretary. One of the key elements of the strategy is the tender for the technological modernization of the construction industry, through which the government provided grants of HUF 16 billion for expanding the capacities of small and mid-size enterprises. The call for bids is anticipated to continue through the month of April with an additional allocation of HUF 6 billion, added the State Secretary.
The forum taking place on the opening day of the exhibition, encompassing the entire construction industry, was hosted by ÉVOSZ, the Ministry for Innovation and Technology and the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At the conference entitled Opportunities of the Construction Economy, President of ÉVOSZ László Koji explained, amongst other things, that over a ten-year period, 150 thousand fewer new apartments were built than necessary and this shortcoming has to be rectified over the next 15 years while the construction industry also accommodates the newly arising needs. The greatest challenge is the lack of professionals and capacities compared to the number of orders. This was also confirmed by President of the Industrial Department of the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zsolt Zsabka, who explained that currently, the greatest issue is not so much the quality, but rather the actual completion of the works. All in attendance agreed that over the next one to two years, the construction industry will show a growth of around 15 percent, in which the ratio of the currently dominant state, as well as industrial and private orders may change over time.
A gathering of the profession
As customary, the HUNGAROTHERM building engineering trade exhibition is the bi-annual member of the CONSTRUMA assortment of exhibitions, which was now organised on the tenth occasion. This year, the event focused on ventilation technology and renewable energy. On this occasion, this branch of building engineering yielded the greatest number of exhibitors. There is a continuous need for skilled professionals, therefore the exhibition included a number of workshop lectures and practical training sessions – including, for example, solar panel installation demonstrations.
There was a great deal of interest in the ECO HOME and SMART CITY conference hosted at the HUNGAROTHERM exhibition, where lecturers presented feasible and completed projects in Hungary in the field of efficient energy use and control.
On the opening day of the CONSTRUMA assortment of exhibitions, State Secretary for Sustainability Balázs Weingartner of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology (ITM) announced at the ECO CITY demo house that the convector-replacement scheme of the Otthon melege (Warmth of Home) program will be continued with an allocation of HUF 2 billion, allowing entrants to submit their tenders throughout the country from 20 May. The State Secretary emphasized that tenders can be submitted through the sub-scheme for the replacement of convectors as well as the modernization of complete heating systems.
Apart from the architect and engineer advanced training sessions, this year the greatest crowds were attracted by the conference featuring the novelties of the Frankfurt ISH trade fair (the world’s leading building engineering trade exhibition). The conference featuring the novelties and future trends presented at one of the most significant trade fairs of building services engineering in the world was attended by a great number of professionals from all points of the country.
The workshops hosted at the stands, presenting a particular technique or field of expertise, were highly popular features. One of the most frequented of these was the Wood Like event hosted at the HOMEDesign exhibition staged by the Furniture Association, where visitors were transformed into craftsmen in a well-equipped woodworking workshop for a few hours. For years, the goal of the Association has been to establish a series of events that mobilizes the entire wood industry. This included the Wood Like event, the Green Furniture exhibition as well as the Innowood demonstration. The Association again hosted its annual gathering and professional conference at the exhibition, entitled Sustainability and Green Solutions in the Wood Industry.
The professional conference tied to CONSTRUMA Garden was the GREEN CITY event, where international speakers presented the latest trends of garden design and landscaping. The conference also accommodated the award ceremony of the 9th Hungarian Landscaping Competition and Show which was held during the exhibition with the support of Agrármarketing Centrum.
The weekend was all for the general audience
As always, the last two days of the CONSTRUMA assortment of exhibitions was devoted to general audience events. Tens of thousands of visitors attended the stands of exhibitors, where they had a chance to survey and try a range of novelties in practice. Just as last year, it was obvious this year that visitors come to the exhibition fully prepared and purposely seek out free counselling which facilitates and aids construction work.
Visitors had a chance to encounter the latest works of young Hungarian designers at the HUNGARIAN DESIGN 2019 stands. The artists in question simultaneously represent the ethos of current trends while providing tangible products, which are often available for purchase.
The Green Furniture – Sustainable Domestic Furniture Manufacturing exhibition presented successful domestic brands and the furniture product of Hungarian designers who are devoted to sustainable development while building their brands, considering their ecological footprint in every step of the design process, including its impact on the community and environment, as well as the long-term consequences of their actions.
One of the spectacular features of this year’s exhibition was the DESIGN –GENERATIONS stand, where two interiors of identical floor area presented interior design ideas for different target groups. The START UP interior created by the National Association of Interior Designers was made for a young couple settling in for an urban lifestyle, with the sensation of freedom, playfulness, a laidback attitude and a youthful, urban style as important considerations – which are to be achieved in a cost-effective manner. The LUX UP interior was a flat created for a middle-aged couple with an elegant, representative, lasting design. According to the intentions of the organizers, the two interiors provided visitors with a range of ideas.
The EcoCity demo house also had high attendance, where could receive practical answers on innovative solutions for near net-zero energy use.
An intrinsic element of the assortment of exhibitions was CONSTRUMA Garden, featuring landscaping devices and appliances, free garden design and ornamental plant care counselling, as well as serving as a source of new inspiration at the spectacular stands of the 9th Hungarian Landscaping Competition and Show, which were realized through the support of Agrármarketing Centrum.
