The organisers of Expo 2027 Belgrade have taken their search for local suppliers on the road. Over the past week, the Expo business caravan stopped at regional chambers of commerce in Leskovac, Sombor and Subotica, with one consistent message for Serbian companies: international participants will need local partners to build, equip and run their pavilions, and the way in is a free registration on the Expo business platform.
The timing matters. Pavilion shells on the Surčin site are being handed over to participating countries from this autumn, which opens a fit-out window of roughly five months before the exhibition starts on 15 May 2027. That is when most of the work for decorators, joiners, AV crews and logistics firms will happen.
What the organisers are asking for
Speaking at the Sombor and Subotica events on 20 October, Luka Živković, who handles sponsorship acquisition for Expo 2027, described the scheme as an open invitation to companies of every size and sector. The services named at the meetings were practical ones: accounting and bookkeeping, IT, transport and logistics, interior design and the equipping of pavilions.
According to B92's report from Sombor, Živković said it had been agreed that international exhibitors would look to Serbian firms for work at the Expo rather than bringing all of their own contractors. The precise terms of that arrangement have not been published, so companies should treat it as an intention rather than a guarantee.
The caravan is run together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, the strategic partner for the Expo business programme. Its cultural sibling, the Expo caravan, has visited 34 towns and municipalities since the summer.
How registration works
The process is the same one Finance Minister Siniša Mali announced in Niš in September, when the Expo business portal was launched:
- A company enters its details, a contact person and the products or services it offers.
- That listing is made available to all participating countries.
- Participants contact the firms they need directly and hire them on their own terms.
- Registration is free, and the link is on the official Expo 2027 website.
Organisers stress that Expo and the platform act only as intermediaries. They do not award these contracts. Deals are struck between the Serbian supplier and each national section.
Two routes to Expo work
It helps to separate the two channels open to contractors.
The first is work for national pavilions, which runs through the business platform and direct contact with each country's commissioner or appointed general contractor. Many countries have already chosen lead design and build firms, so the realistic opportunity for smaller Serbian companies is often as a subcontractor: local installation crews, furniture, graphics, signage, electrical and plumbing work, cleaning and transport.
The second is work commissioned by the Serbian side, which goes through public tenders. In a TV Nova S debate on 16 October, Mali said there had been 130 Expo procurements so far and that every one is published on the national Public Procurement Portal (Portal javnih nabavki). The claim came during a heated political exchange and was not independently verified in the report, but the portal is the place to monitor for new Expo-related notices.
What this means for event professionals
For exhibition contractors and decorators in Serbia, the next few months are the practical deadline. Countries that receive their shells this autumn will be lining up local suppliers now, not in April. A complete, specific listing on the platform, with references from previous fairs or events, is likely to count for more than a generic company profile.
Firms that have worked at the Belgrade Fair or on large congresses already have the right experience. What foreign teams will probably want to see is capacity: crews available over a compressed schedule, English-speaking project managers and a clear grasp of local permitting and site rules. Venue owners and caterers outside the Expo site should register too, since participants will need spaces for receptions, rehearsals and side events across the city.
Sources
- www.b92.net
- www.b92.net
- www.b92.net
- n1info.rs
- www.b92.net
