Expo Kielce – this is the brand name introduced on 8 September by the Kielce exhibition centre formerly known as Targi Kielce. The new name is the Kielce team’s way of emphasising the brand’s international expansion, which has recently gathered particularly strong momentum.
“Our rebranding is not the result of blindly following trends – although these matter to us too – but above all of a desire to meet the expectations of our partners, exhibitors and guests. One third of our exhibitors come from abroad, and interest in our trade fairs is also growing among visitors from outside Poland. We are also establishing numerous partnerships with foreign institutions. We want our name to be friendly and easy for them to remember, but we also care about maintaining the positive associations with the previous brand – hence the change, slight though it is,” says Dr Andrzej Mochoń, President of Expo Kielce.
New name, new logo
Targi Kielce is becoming Expo Kielce, and the change is accompanied by the introduction of a new logo. The company is not, however, giving up the red sphere familiar from the previous logotype, which symbolises the brand’s global reach as well as its power of attraction – the Kielce centre welcomes more than 330,000 people every year, many of them from outside Poland. The message of the Targi Kielce logo symbol is still valid, and the word “Expo” complements it.
They will come back to Expo
The leading slogan of Targi Kielce in recent years was “Zawsze jest pora na targi” (“It is always the right season for trade fairs”). This idea has guided the company since the pandemic, and the message suggested that trade fairs are a valuable business tool in all circumstances. The slogan was reflected in a visual identity based on the symbolism of the seasons. The centre has decided not to abandon it altogether, but merely to refresh it so that it matches the new slogan:
Targi, w których byłeś nie raz, Expo, do którego wrócisz. (The Targi you have visited more than once, the Expo you will come back to.)
“For us, rebranding does not mean abandoning the values we have held so far, but – like any change – it will probably go down in the company’s history as the start of a new chapter. Especially as it took place in the year in which our new exhibition hall was completed,” notes President Andrzej Mochoń.
The new beginning is reflected in the refreshed identity which, this time, is based on the elements rather than the seasons. Each of them plays an important role in the process of renewal: fire removes the traces of what is old and no longer fitting, water brings cleansing and regeneration, earth provides the ground in which the new can take root, while air offers a fresh perspective. This symbolism refers to the new stage in the development of Targi Kielce, which – as Expo Kielce – is broadening its horizons and discovering new directions of activity.
Not forgetting their roots
Expo Kielce is a company with an established market position that enjoys positive opinions from exhibitors and guests. The new brand is intended to help it reach a growing group of foreign guests and partners while preserving the values that have guided the company for years. Targi Kielce will not remain a mere memory in this strategy – the formal name stays unchanged, while Expo Kielce begins its term as the symbol of a global brand.