The Flora Exhibition Centre has completed the renovation of Pavilion A

Olomouc - The Flora Olomouc Exhibition Center has completed the renovation of Main Pavilion A, which lasted about a year and cost 270 million crowns. The renovated pavilion will be opened on Friday, when the first exhibition of the year, Tourism Expo, is set to begin in its spaces. It will also serve for hosting cultural and sports events, said Jiří Uhlíř, director of the Flora Exhibition Center, to journalists today.
    The reconstruction of Pavilion A, which was opened in 1967, began last January. The Flora Exhibition Center then had to change the organization of its exhibition events. For example, the international flower exhibition Flora, which is its flagship event, was temporarily moved to pavilions G and H, and the gardening markets were fully held in the outdoor areas of the exhibition center. Some exhibitions saw a decrease in exhibitors and visitors due to the closure of Pavilion A.
    Thanks to the modernization of the main pavilion, Flora Exhibition Center has, according to Uhlíř, increased comfort and expanded the range of services for exhibitors and visitors. The exhibition area of the renovated Pavilion A totals 3500 m² and can be increased by up to 1000 m².
    "Thanks to modernization and the expansion of space, the complex will be able to offer additional services that were previously unavailable due to unsuitable facilities. This primarily concerns holding social events, concerts, conferences, or smaller-scale sports events," said Uhlíř, who believes that exhibition attendance should return to its usual level this year.
    Initial estimates suggested that the reconstruction of Pavilion A would cost up to 420 million crowns, but it ultimately came to 270 million crowns. Part of the costs were covered by grants from European funds. "The savings from the tender process were indeed dramatic, but the quality of work corresponds to the original expectations, so it is not about building as cheaply as possible at the expense of quality," said deputy mayor Martin Major (ODS). Trial operations of the administrative section adjacent to Pavilion A will begin at the turn of March and April.
    According to Mayor Martin Novotný (ODS), the dilapidated Main Pavilion A had not been a pride of the exhibition center for many years. "We managed to sensitively preserve the aesthetics of the 1960s, which, in my opinion, was among the better ones in Czech architecture. At the same time, we were able to build the facilities that Flora has needed for many years and did not have," evaluated Novotný the reconstruction.
    The Flora Olomouc Exhibition Company was founded in 2000 by the Olomouc City Hall, which is the sole owner of the company. The history of the exhibition center dates back to 1966 when the budget organization Olomouc Exhibition Gardens was established.