PYROS
24.-27.5. 2023

A tandem of integrated rescue system fairs brought more than twenty-five thousand people interested in the most advanced defence, security and fire equipment from more than thirty countries to the Brno Exhibition Centre. In addition to presentations, business deals were also made and the Czech arms factory published a contract to supply 50,000 pistols worth several hundred million to Egypt.

IDET is one of the largest of its kind in Europe, was attended by 299 exhibitors from 25 countries. There is no missing the big players on the Czech market, for which the Brno show with a large foreign-owned export promotion great importance. On PYROS / ISET 100 exhibiting companies from 18 countries and offer interesting not only professionals but also volunteer fire fighters.

IDET which is one of the most significant events of its kind in Europe, was attended by 299 exhibitors from 25 countries. None of the big players on the Czech market were missing, the Brno show with a large foreign participation is of great export importance. PYROS / ISET had 100 exhibiting companies from 18 countries and their offer was interesting not only for professionals but also volunteer fire fighters.

In the course of three days, more than 25 000 visitors passed through the gates of the exhibition centre. Two thirds of them were registered professionals, but interest in the exhibits was also on the part of the public who could explore IDET for the first time in history. Traditionally, there was high interest among foreign partners, exhibitors’ stands were visited by more than a thousand foreign visitors. At the invitation of the Minister of Defence, the fair was visited by twenty-five official military delegations and other military and air attachés from twenty countries. The Slovak delegation was headed by the Minister of Defence, other delegations were led by Deputy Secretaries of Defence, state secretaries, chiefs of staff, National Armament Directors and other senior military leaders. Up to 150 journalists from 10 countries registered in the Press Centre during those three days.

Other VIP guests attended the supporting programme. The most significant event was the CATE International Conference (Community-Army-Technology-Environment) consisting of six sub-conferences on the following topics: Military Technology in 2013, Security and Protection of Information, Logistics and Ecology in the Armed Forces, Distance Learning, Simulation and Communication, Security and Risk Management, Army and Knowledge Society. These were attended by nearly a thousand specialists from the Czech Republic and abroad. IDET also included a two-day 30^th NATO Support Agency committee meeting and a seminar of the Association of Defence and Security Industry on How to sell to the U.S. Army with the participation of Pentagon representatives.

Very good participation was recorded at the ITTE 2013 International Conference on Defence Against Cyber Attacks on Critical State Infrastructure. It included workshops with illustrative examples of defence against external and internal attacks. Twelfth PYROMEETING International Conference focused on fire protection of historic monuments. Discussions of 150 experts provided information on the most advanced fire-fighting techniques as well as possible ways to further improve the prevention and better protect irreplaceable cultural heritage.

The visiting public was most interested in cross-section exhibition marking the twentieth anniversary of the Army of the Czech Republic and an extensive presentation of the Legion 100 project at the centennial of the Czechoslovak Legions. A traditional part of the fair highlighted the best exhibits which received the prestigious IDET NEWS 2013 award.

Quotes about the fair

Vlastimil Picek, Minister of Defence of the CR:
IDET 2013 is among the most important events of its kind in Europe, as evidenced by the presentation of 300 exhibitors from 25 countries. The stand of the Ministry of Defence and the Army of the Czech Republic are obviously dominant and our participation involved more than 400 members of the Army, soldiers and civilian employees. We have recently intensified cooperation with our long-standing partner, the Association of Defence and Security Industry, as well as with the entire defence industry, and I am very happy about that. There is a lot to see, there are interesting products, weapons and weapon systems produced in the Czech Republic. I am also pleased by the extensive presentation of exhibitors from Slovakia and Poland.

Petr Pavel, Chief of Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic:
We need to find new solutions, how to get more effect for less money and also how to enable the realization of business objectives of our domestic defence industry. At the same time, interoperability with our NATO partners is our goal. I saw a number of suggestions at the fair, which we will certainly consider and perceive them as very positive. From this perspective, IDET fulfilled its purpose for me, and I am pleased that this open platform for the exchange of ideas exists here. By presenting the army and its 20^th anniversary we want to bring the army closer to the public, but also to make clear that even with the current budgetary constraints, we want to achieve such quality so that we can ensure the country's defence fully and in line with our commitments.

Lukáš Novotný, marketing manager, EXCALIBUR ARMY spol. s r.o.:
The fair is an important part of the presentation of companies from the defence and security industry. Our company has presented itself with the largest exhibition of IDET this year. Our stand was the most visited by experts and the public. We are very pleased with the attendance, our presentation in Brno is an integral part of our company marketing.

Štefan Hlavatý, marketing manager, VOP Trenčín, a.s.:
The fair brought us new insights, we had the opportunity to establish contacts with customers. Many foreign customers came to us, and we were able to show them our modernized combat vehicle. This version of modernization meets all NATO requirements on combat vehicles, the "old vehicle" got all the modern technology. All countries of the Eastern bloc and also other countries are in fact equipped with BVP technology which get progressively older and pose the problem of what to do with them. This method is a good alternative for upgrading these vehicles. Therefore IDET completely met the objective with which we came to Brno.

Ilona Menclová, business representative, KARBOX s.r.o.:
The company is satisfied with our participation at the fair, it was beneficial for us. It is also important that we have met with representatives of collaborating companies here and could meet with peers who are also involved in the supply of military equipment.

Ján Lasab, dealer for ammunition, MSM s.r.o. Martin:
The company is satisfied with IDET. We have been exhibiting here for many years, we must not be missing in Brno. We meet with our business partners and pyrotechnician colleagues here, there are about a hundred of them in our countries. We went to school together and continue to meet in Brno.

Štěpán Černý, business manager, SVOS, spol. s r.o.:
The fair has met our expectations, we were visited by a dozen foreign delegations, we were satisfied already after the first day. IDET is realistic, and moreover, Brno has been a focal point for common discussions, partners from all industries are properly connected in one place.

Ladislav Vybíral, chief executive, Croy s.r.o, Mercedes-Benz:
Services of the Exhibition Centre are perfect, our company is satisfied even with the three-day duration of the fair. It seems to me that the exhibitors were much better this year, that is why we are actually here. We are satisfied with the trade fair in terms of attendance, there were things to talk about in Brno. We have established new contacts and from this perspective I see IDET as successful.

Milan Nedvěd, deputy director, Sellier & Bellot:
We have been participating in IDET throughout its history. It is smaller this year than it used to be but there was great interest in our exhibits from the military as well as the public. We had a number of business meetings, our foreign partners from Bahrain came, etc. There was no lack of interested parties.

Petr Wessely, salesman, KES – kabelové a elektrické systémy, spol. s r. o. :
We are exhibiting at PYROS / ISET for the first time, so I do not have the opportunity to compare. We have acquired some new contacts here and most importantly, we had the opportunity to showcase our novelties. Customers whom we expected and who are our target group really came. We talked with both small and large potential buyers, thus our participation fulfilled its purpose, although I would like to see bigger attendance.

Daniel Polák, project manager, Moravský výzkum, s. r. o.:
We are satisfied with our premiered participation in PYROS / ISET. Our expectations were fulfilled, a lot of visitors came to us in the first two days and people were interested in our news. Our exhibited multipurpose robotic transporter had great success with both large and small customers who wanted to sit inside, some even lied down and others did not even want to leave. Both exhibits were much liked both mechanically and in terms of the idea., Therefore we evaluate our participation positively and in our view it has fulfilled its main purpose - to promote the company and our products.

Luděk Štěpánek, chief executive, WISS CZECH, s. r. o.:
We returned to PYROS after about ten years and it is a little different fair now. The interest of visitors was greatest on Thursday, when we were meeting with clients we wanted to speak to here all day. As a Polish producer we entered the Czech market through direct representation last year and gained significant orders, therefore presentation at this fair was sort of a moral obligation for us. The aim was to show ourselves to other clients and to demonstrate that we are not only manufacturers of tank fire engines, but also other products. This goal was certainly accomplished, so the fair participation made sense to us.

Pavel Šulc, service technician, Pramacom Prague spol. s r. o.:
We regularly exhibit at both IDET and PYROS / ISET, where we present our offer for the police, fire fighters and rescue workers. The fair is somewhat reduced compared to the past and attendance was good only on Thursday. We invited customers who really arrived, and thanks to that we got what we expected. We supply to the integrated rescue system bodies, therefore large clients are interesting for us and we have met with them here.

Ludmila Celková, JaGa, spol. s r. o.:
We were pleasantly surprised by the trade fair in the end, despite its small size, visitor attendance is relatively good. We expected it to be worse, but compared to previous years it is still weak. We went into it with little expectations, but all the people with whom we are in contact came here, so in a way the fair has fulfilled its purpose for us even in this form.

The next IDET and PYROS/ISET fairs will take place in May 2015.