This year's Expat Expo will draw 110 companies

A newcomer to Prague twisted in the occasionally Kafkaesque elements of daily life can take some solace Saturday at the annual Expat Expo.

The exposition, at the Výstaviště Holešovice exhibition grounds, features companies, services and products that may help limit culture shock for newcomers, and provide some useful information for even the most seasoned of expat veterans.

The event is organized by ReloCare, a company dedicated to helping individuals and companies relocate to the Czech Republic. But the expo won't be all business, with stage performances, a playground for children, a market for handcrafted goods and a food court.

"We want to keep the children involved," said Dana Pick, the founder of ReloCare. "Things like this don't exist in the Czech Republic very much, events that are very child- and family-friendly in a fair-like atmosphere."

There will be 110 companies, and about a dozen will put on free seminars throughout the day, including wine-tasting, yoga and pilates, even a tutorial on how to properly cut and light a cigar. Seminars for adults are first come, first served, and those catering to children - like gymnastics - can be registered for at the information desk.

Pick said she expects about 5,000 visitors this year, and that ReloCare has doubled the size of the venue because of last year's positive response. Organizers sought to create a more interactive and festive atmosphere this time.

"We want people to stay around and listen, because a leaflet is not enough to deliver the message to your customers as well as it can be if you were to discuss with them in person," Pick said. "If you want to show your babysitting business, a seminar shows how good your service actually is."

Stage performances will include a balloon show, a magician and a number of concerts given by youth choirs and musicians from international schools in Prague. In addition, there will be a fashion show to promote the Tereza Maxová Foundation, an organization that works to improve conditions for children in institutional care, with children and mothers from the International School of Prague modeling clothing from the French company Au Pays des Mimis.

Pick said her own experience as an expat parent and businesswoman in the Czech Republic led to the creation of the event. Pick, who moved to the country from Israel 11 years ago, founded ReloCare in 2008 and soon realized the potential for companies to target advertising at the abundant expat community.

"I always was the center of information for my friends; they were always asking me where to go and what to do because I had been in the country for 11 years," Pick said. "If a Czech person shows property to a foreigner, they will not understand the way [foreigners] see it. ... It's culture shock, and we try to make it easier for them."

Cat Contiguglia can be reached at
ccontiguglia@praguepost.com