September is the month of new beginnings, therefore it is an ideal moment to create a network of professionals, investors and clients. After three fruitful B2B (Business to business) events, the magazines Arhitekta, Inženjer, Materiali and Koncept organized a whole working week of business meetings to keep visitors up to date with innovative materials, products and solutions.
The five-day event was held from September 5 to 9 and brought together 19 companies, leaders in the field of architecture, construction, design and interior furnishing. This time, a limited number of guests found themselves in the premises of Impact Hub, in Makedonska street no. 21 in Belgrade. The programs started at 4 p.m., and after the lectures there was time for networking and refreshments. The media partner of the meeting is Daibau Serbia, part of the global Daibau group whose digital platform connects individuals, companies and institutions with construction firms.
Creating a network of professionals
As every time before, the organizer and founder of the magazines, Vuk Dimitrijević, officially opened the event by addressing all those present, which was followed by a series of lectures. Company representatives were given space to present their products and services to professionals from the fields of architecture, construction and interior design, as well as the opportunities that their products provide for business improvement in one of the aforementioned areas.
The first day dedicated to construction
On September 5, the event was opened by experts from the companies Lafarge, Xella, Fragmat and Belmont gathered around topics in the field of construction and civil engineering.
Lafarge Serbia is part of the Holcim Group, formed in July 2021 by the transformation of the Lafarge Holcim Group, which in 2015 united two world leaders in the field of building materials: the French company Lafarge and the Swiss Holcim. Lafarge’s activities in Serbia are carried out in a cement factory in the city of Beočin and several concrete factories on the territory of Serbia, and from July 2022, through the acquisition of Teko Mining and the Podbukovi quarry, they added aggregates, asphalt and filler production to their integrated offer. which will be a great support for infrastructure development in Serbia.
Xella Serbia is part of the international German company Xella Group, which started its operations in Serbia in 2005 after the successful privatization of Kolubara Gasbeton company. With 95 plants in 20 countries and organized sales in more than 25 countries, Xella is one of the world leaders in the construction industry. Since 2006, Xella Serbia Ltd. has been producing and selling the highest quality wall construction material under the name YTONG, and a little later it completed its range of products with the Multipor and Silka brands.
Fragmat Šid Ltd., a company for the production of hydro and thermal insulation materials, has been part of the FRAGMAT system from Ljubljana since 2005. Favorable geographical location, as well as the knowledge and experience of the FRAGMAT system in the field of thermal and hydro insulation, contributed to FRAGMAT S becoming a leading factory in the production of waterproofing materials based on modified bitumen, bitumen emulsions, polymer bitumen for roads and waterproofing of bridge buildings, as well as thermal insulation materials based on expanded polystyrene (EPS).
Belmont Engineering Ltd. from Slovenia presented their mission – finding suitable solutions for their clients. In the initial phase of the project, they provide effective planning in the use of geotextiles, geosynthetics and georeinforcement. The products they offer are made exclusively from high-quality and quality-controlled raw materials, produced on the basis of many years of experience and references. Based on the acquired experience, they design the most suitable solutions for their clients.
Day two – architecture in focus
The second day of the event, September 6, was occupied by topics from the field of architecture presented by experts from the companies Radin AG, Somfy, Premier parquet and Manufaktura style.
Radin AG deals with engineering geodesy and offers geodetic surveying and legalization services, photogrammetry and 3D modeling. The company emphasizes that the principles of its business are based on trust, reliability and precision. Accordingly, the expert team has the most modern geodetic equipment, which further improves the quality of services. Their main asset is the experience they have gained for more than 30 years.
Somfy – from the first motor for blinds to Smart Home solutions, this company has spent the past 50 years helping and making life easier for millions of users around the world. By introducing silent and connected motors, mobile apps for easy home management and smart solutions that can securely communicate with each other, their teams of experts are building the homes of the future. The Center for Research and Development has already approved over 2,000 patents, so Somfi can guarantee efficient and long-lasting products.
Premier Parquet consists of a team of passionate interior designers and engineers with over 15 years of experience. They have declared themselves as a company dedicated to offering handmade unique products with a special focus on designer floors. The professional staff is fully dedicated to creating unique design floors that inspire. Their main goal is to offer a unique interior with designed floors inspired by clients, and even the most demanding ones offer floors with a completely unique personalized design.
Manufaktura stil from Niš deals with the production and construction of pools, both concrete skimmer pools and beach pools. In addition, this company provides support and deals with everything related to swimming pools, including the distribution of additional equipment, but also the provision of maintenance services. Their offer includes a wide variety of shapes, types and colors of finishing coatings, as well as the possibility of installing accessories in the form of massagers and systems that enable swimming in place, making relatively small pools an ideal place for recreation. Everything according to the wishes and will of the clients.
Third day – innovations in the interior
The third day of the event, September 7, is focused on innovations in the field of interior design, which were discussed this time by the companies Blum, Tis Ivanjica as a distributor of the Abet Laminati brand, Linea Čačak and hiCAD.
Julius Blum GmbH offers furniture fittings for a better living quality. Blum offer complete systems of folding fronts, hinges, pull-out elements and pocket systems for furniture, as well as appropriate services and auxiliary elements for processing. Thanks to the diverse offer, it is possible to realize the most creative ideas. They offer everything for opening and closing folding fronts, pull-out elements and doors. Appropriate movement technologies make these elements even more comfortable and support customers in their daily work with customized services and auxiliary processing elements.
The Abet Laminati brand was founded in the late 1950s, and today it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of decorative laminates. For years, Abet Laminati has collaborated with top designers. Thanks to that cooperation, the company made a great contribution to the development of design. The best examples are Alchimia and Memphis, from the late seventies and early eighties of the twentieth century. These cultural phenomena deeply marked international design and became a very important instrument for the promotion of the “Made in Italy” slogan throughout the world. The distributor of this brand is the renowned company TIS Ivanjica Ltd.
Linea from Čačak is a family business with a long-standing tradition aimed at meeting the needs of consumers for quality and functional products related to the interior. It was founded in 1989. The founders of the business gradually increased their presence on the local market with a planned and responsible business policy. Today, Linea offers its clients more than 10,000 items – fittings and haberdashery for furniture, from well-known world manufacturers. Today, they are the leader on the regional market in this area.
hiCAD presented its mission – dealing with software distribution, training, publishing, implementation and software development. The creator of the idea, Ivan Hejzer, after excelling in the popularization and introduction of modern design tools, published a large number of manuals and organized numerous trainings, decided to start the hiCAD company. The focus is on the introduction of legal software into the architectural and construction profession, as the basis of long-term development and prosperity. Their vision is to be the leading provider of BIM information technology for the region.
The fourth day – a story about materials
The fourth day (September 8) was about materials, and novelties in this field of industry were presented to us by JAF Ltd., Lunos, Enroll and Decor Foil.
JAF Ltd. – In 1948 the company of Josef and Antonija Frischeis was founded in Stockerau. With consistency, closeness to the market and great personal commitment, they laid the foundation stone on which the company developed from a local wood distributor into an international JAF group: today it is present in 59 locations in 18 countries of Central Europe and is a leading wholesaler for wood and wood materials.
Lunos Ltd. deals exclusively with controlled ventilation. It offers innovative, efficient and proven ventilation systems, which ensure a safe, economical and healthy living culture, and are also a permanent solution to all problems with the appearance of excess moisture and mold. They are the exclusive representative of the German manufacturer of decentralized systems for controlled ventilation LUNOS Luftungstechnik GmbH.
Enroll is an authorized distributor for 3M Commercial Graphics, SloanLED, G.O.Q. LED and OLFA in Serbia. They specialize in the sale of commercial graphics products such as press films, car wrap films, sunlight control films; materials for making illuminated advertisements – aluminum profiles and LED lighting. Their most representative products are 3M foils: foils for architectural design, foils for vehicles, foils for sun protection and window and glass decoration, and foils for printing.
Decor Foil Ltd. is engaged in the sale of high-quality 3D PVC foils as well as 2D CLPL foils, which are widely used in the furniture industry, are used for coating plywood and making kitchen elements, bathroom elements, living rooms, doors and much more. All foils have “metal free” certificates, which can be used in tenders if there are conditions for it.
The fifth day – reserved for interior
The last day (September 9) was filled with innovations in the field of interior furnishing, which were presented by the companies Mara Home, Intra Lighting and DremCo.
Mara Home offers a handful of exclusive brands for furnishing both residential and business spaces, as well as a special program for furnishing hotels. A wide range of curtains, floor coverings, carpets, wallpapers, furniture fabrics… all with the signature of the most famous designers and architects is presented in detail.
Intra Lighting is guided by the concept of “Light where you need it, when you need it, and as much as you need it”. Their focus is on the daily search for new, aesthetically and functionally improved lighting solutions in order to use the best lighting instruments to help designers create unforgettable spaces.
DremCo is a family company that recognized the value of rest and healthy sleep more than 15 years ago. Guided by the mission to provide the best way to regenerate during the night, they recognized the top quality of the premium Tempur mattress brand and became its importers in the territory of Serbia and Montenegro. Their slogan “Don’t give up on your dreams” ended the September B2B event.
Community is essential for good projects
At the end of each day, the participants of the event had the opportunity to, together with the lecturers, exchange personal views and ask questions, and summarize everything that was said. The initiated discussion continued spontaneously in an informal atmosphere at the cocktail party. Everyone gathered once again proved that a strong community of professionals is necessary for good projects, therefore we are looking forward to every future event, and the new three-day B2B gathering has already been scheduled and will be held in the period from October 31 to November 2, 2022.
