66th MSV under the sign of industry transformation

This year's expo took place at a time when traditional industrial sectors are undergoing a key transformation and opening up space for new opportunities. “Digitisation, automation, artificial intelligence, energy transformation – these are all topics that are fundamentally changing the shape of industry and with it our daily lives. But even with all the technological progress, one thing remains unchanged. The most important thing is born from human cooperation. Technology is just a tool, but the driver of change is always us, which is why MSV is so unique. At its core are not machines, but people who create, invent, take risks and make investments,” said Jan Kubata, CEO of BVV Trade Fairs Brno, in his evaluation of this year’s expo.

The expo was moreover held at a time of change in political representation, following the parliamentary elections, and its course clearly confirmed that MSV is an event that stands above the current political debate: “It is a platform for innovation, cooperation and the search for solutions that move Czech industry forward. I am incredibly grateful that everyone, regardless of political positions, is aware of the crucial role MSV plays for the prosperity of our country,” Kubata summed up.

Dialogue on the future of Czech industry

The first day was traditionally marked by meetings of key figures in Czech industry, including representatives of political representation, unions, associations and chambers. Among the guests were the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Miloš Vystrčil, Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček, Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Karel Havlíček, President of the Confederation of Industry and Transport Jan Rafaj and President of the Chamber of Commerce Zdeněk Zajíček. The Congress of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic also took place, presenting tasks for the upcoming government. Among the guests were the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel and the First Lady Eva Pavlová. The active participation of representatives of the industry and trade sector from both the finishing and the upcoming governments was a rarity.

An important topic of this year's MSV was energy. The first forum of the new Energy Association of the Czech Republic was held at the exhibition centre. The main topic was the transformation of the Czech energy sector, or rather its transition to a more sustainable and low-emission level in such a way as to prevent rapid development and continuously ensure stability, security and safety of energy supplies. The energy sector was represented by ČEZ, EPH, Sev.en, innogy, Pražská plynárenská, ČEPS, Veolia Energie ČR and E.ON among the participants in the panel discussions. The industrial sector was represented by Třinecké železárny, Wienerberger, Siemens Energy and Doosan Škoda Power. All companies were represented at the highest level, especially by their CEOs.

International dimension of the expo opened way to new contracts

This year's edition was attended by exhibiting companies and trade delegations from 40 countries around the world. 10 countries opened official exhibitions here under the auspices of their governments or pro-export institutions: Slovakia, Austria, France, Poland, Hungary, China, India, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Japan. The interest from the USA deserves special mention. A delegation from the US state of Georgia arrived at the fair, which also had a booth for networking with representatives of state and local governments. The delegation included experts in the field of supporting entry into the US market, doing business in the US and developing technologies.

No less significant was the visit from South Korea. The delegation included 15 purchasers and, as part of the visit organized by CzechTrade, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between BVV  Trade Fairs Brno and the Korean import institution KOIMA (Korea Importers Association). Additional CzechTrade activities worth mentioning include the traditional Meeting Point – a consultation meeting with twenty directors of its foreign offices, as well as a rich accompanying program supporting Czech exports.

Czech National Exposition introduced new visual identity

It has become a tradition that the state's offer to entrepreneurs is gathered in one place at MSV. The Czech National Exposition at the 66th MSV was a joint presentation of 13 state institutions under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and served as a comprehensive platform for supporting Czech entrepreneurs and exporters. In one place, they found information on all forms of support, from product development to certification to the journey to foreign markets. For the first time, this exposition was presented with the motif of a unified visual style of the central state administration bodies of the Czech Republic.

An important part of the Czech National Exposition was the presentation of successful examples of Czech innovations and technological progress, which can inspire further development of the industry. There were examples of applications of 5G networks and hydrogen technologies or a model of the completion of the Dukovany NPP. The successful Contact Ukraine project, which connects Czech and Ukrainian companies, continued in the vicinity of the Czech National Exposition.

Key trends in one place and focus on technologies for the defence industry

In addition to the exhibitions of individual exhibitors, several projects were held that introduced visitors to new trends in a comprehensive way. The already established Digital Factory 2.0 project, prepared together with the National Centre for Industry 4.0, had a new interactive concept and focused on the possibilities of using artificial intelligence in industry. Robotics was also presented in an innovative way, in the thematic exhibition ROBOTY 2025. And 3D printing was also present, this time in the form of a specialized 3D EXPO exhibition.

This year's key sideline event was remarkably successful – the DefenCEO management summit held under the auspices of the Association of the Defence and Security Industry of the Czech Republic and the Union of Engineering Technology, which brought together managers of companies from both the engineering and defence sectors. "We sold out the Rotunda when we had a total of 478 registered participants, including the speakers. Their composition was also interesting, which confirmed the CEO in the title - 74% of general directors, CEOs and managing directors were there," evaluated the summit its organizer Jan Homola.

Successful Transport and Logistics fair, varied extra programme and new awards

There was great interest in the international Transport and Logistics Fair, which presents trends in transport and logistics every two years concurrently with the MSV. It also included the thematic display Packaging Live, which introduced visitors to the world of packaging in practice - from design and printing through filling to the final exhibition. This year, the main topic was high-quality inkjet marking. The most important accompanying events of the year included the traditional matchmaking project Contact-Contract, which mediated negotiations between business partners throughout the expo.

This year's opening evening of the expo had an unconventional course. Two awards were presented in its first part. For the first time, the CEO Award was handed within the framework of MSV. It was received by Thomas Alijew, owner of the Swiss company Alfleth Engineering AG, for continuous participation in the last fifty years of MSV. The award for lifelong contribution to the development of Czechoslovak mechanical engineering subsequently went to Prof. Ing. František Pochylý, CSc., FEng., who is behind the development of a new type of so-called vortex turbine, significantly contributing to the production of electricity from renewable sources. In the second part of the evening, awards were ceremoniously presented in the Manager of the Year competition, which has been announced by the Czech Management Association for over 30 years.

After last year's successful premiere, the Industrial Design Awards were once again presented at MSV, which are intended for Czech companies for combining innovation, functionality and aesthetics in the design of industrial products. The winner of the second year was the company HOUFEK with its metal grinder MAXX 5; the second place went to the company WAKEMASTER with the MTaxis attachment and the third place went to the company POLAK CZ with the GRABit cabinet. In addition, the Design Lounge consulting centre under the auspices of the CzechTrade Design Centre opened for the first time at MSV.

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