„New“ Europe and Its Possibilities – Back from
Košice in East Slovakia
JOHANNA
on 18. May 2016 at 16:23
Do you ever think of which way to spread, enlarge or change your business? Actually, I would have a couple of ideas for you... I have just
returned from East Slovakia and even though not all experiences are „processed“, I would love to share with you some of the most important
ones.
Neither is the Slovak Republic known as a possible destination in the area of the so-called MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, events),
nor in the area of business possibilities about which not much has been written so far.
Let me start: Košice has an airport and with different airlines (Austrian, Czech, LOT etc.) the city is easily accessible. Moreover, the Turkish
Airlines is launching a direct flight from Istanbul in June. The city itself is not very big (250,000 inhabitants) but it has a high number of
branches of German companies.
You might be asking yourself – why do German companies go to East Slovakia? Well, before I started getting more interested in the
relations, I had asked myself the very question. Let´s see – there is a link to Germany and German culture – don´t worry, I am not going to
take you on an excursion into the past or recent history. What I want to say is – the so-called Carpathian Germans live here and many towns
and villages were built by them. Therefore, almost everything has not only its Slovak but also its German name. This makes it easier for one
to memorize and remember the names. There are many magnificent historical buildings, wooden churches (I have never seen anything like
that and they are marvelous!), rich Jewish tradition with many buildings and stories, great food, nice and beautiful hotels, wonderful nature
and perfect people. What is worth mentioning is the fact that men are real gentlemen and very helpful to women.
The region is interesting for and to investors: a very helpful and active agency, the East Slovakia Investment Agency – VIA looks after the
needs and for the first time it organized VIA FORUM 2016. I was invited to Košice by the Slovak Convention Bureau in order to talk at the
event and give speech on the importance of international congresses for the development of the city. The event was organized with the
support of German Embassy in Bratislava as well as in cooperation with the Government of the Slovak Republic and Honorary Consul of
Germany in Košice.
The agency serves as the first contact for those interested and it provides contacts and advice. Salaries are more advantageous in
comparison to ours, there is a high number of young work force (it is a university city) and help from the neighboring countries: Ukraine,
Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Thanks to the hard-working and disciplined people in the region, the production sphere is very
profitable here. On a small place you can find all types of services offered (tax counselors speaking more languages, banks, creative
companies, IT companies, etc.) Tax conditions are advantageous and the nature is very nice.
The authors introduced the brand new East Slovakia Investment Guide 2016 where you can find, besides other, information on “Innovation
Potential“, industries, investment aid, real estates and, of course, general information about the region and its people.
If you are interested in the East Slovakia Investment Guide, you can contact either us or directly the East Slovakia Investment Agency
www.agenturavia.sk or write to info@agenturavia.sk
Johanna
Managing Director tmf dialogmarketing
Fischer