Good vibrations

Even on the opening day of the fair, it was obvious that a lot of people would be leaving the event in a good mood. At 9 o’clock on this foggy Monday morning in Munich, the crowds were already gathering in the exhibition centre. Nobody wanted to waste a single moment. The visitors launched into discussions and negotiations almost immediately. Even though the fair is still dominated by exhibitors from German-speaking countries, the Central and Eastern Europe contingent continues to make its presence felt more strongly. This year Russian could be heard everywhere as the stands of cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg enjoyed huge interest, attracting visitors with a bewildering number of discussion panels and presentations. By contrast, cities such as Ostrava or Prague were rather pushed into the background. Still, on the other hand there were more upbeat words than in previous years exchanged about the investment potential of two countries that have recently been somewhat forgot