"Balt-Trans-Port" fair in Gdansk

14.05.2004

On May 11-13 this year, Gdansk was hosting the International Transport, Forwarding and Logistics Fair "Balt-Trans-Port". The Fair was jointly organised by the Gdansk International Fair Company SA and the company of PROMARE Ltd - the publisher of a renowned trade magazine "Namiary na Morze i Handel", the press organ of the Polish Chamber of Maritime Commerce.

The order of the Fair consisted in the slogan "Seaports in the Trans-European Transportation Network", whilst the organizers aimed at the presentation and promotion of maritime and land transportation links maintained by Polish ports.

Such definition of the target of the Fair, as well as the venue obviously encouraged the participation of the major Polish ports in the event. The port authorities of Gdansk and Gdynia held a common exhibition booth, which was noticed by a large number of participants. The Authority of Szczecin and Swinoujscie Seaports kept the adjacent booth. This contributed to creating the atmosphere that favoured strengthening the relationships among representatives of the ports maintaining their booths.

The opening celebration of the Fair was attended, among the others, by: Under-Secretary of State for maritime economy and road transportation at the Ministry of Infrastructure Mr. Witold Gorski, as well as Head of the Maritime Transport Department Ms. Janina Mentrak, Deputy Governor of the Pomeranian Province Ms. Krystyna Gozdawa-Nocon, City Mayor of Gdynia Mr. Wojciech Szczurek and Secretary of the City of Gdansk Ms. Danuta Janczarek, as well as Mr. Andrzej Kasprzak who played a double role of Chairman of Council of the Polish Chamber of Maritime Commerce and President of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA.

The Fair attracted the participation of the following foreign exhibitors: Port of Karlskrona (Sweden), Port of Klaipeda (Lithuania), Containerships (Finland), Norwegian Public Road Administration, Transport International Center (Latvia) and the Byelorussian Association of International Forwarders.

As it is customary on such occasions, a large number of contacts were made among the representatives of companies that held their booths at the Fair. Such encounters frequently prove of tremendous advantage, however, it seems that the organizers had failed to provide the event with the proper publicity as connections with ports' prospective clients would have appear of much greater significance. Even more so since, in their everyday operation, the ports clearly report the increased interest on the part of clients, which coincides with our accession to the European Union.