Fairs and exhibitions

The first world industrial exhibition was held in London in 1851. It was a great success. It displayed exhibits of 40 countries and the number of visitors reaches over six million.

In the commercial world today, fairs and exhibitions play an important role. Every year many international, national, and specialized exhibitions and fairs are held in different countries of the world. The number of countries and companies taking part in them is growing from year to year and the scope¹ of fairs and exhibitions is becoming larger.

International trade fairs and exhibitions today are divided into two groups: specialized, concentrating on products of a particular industry, and general² covering many different fields.

Exhibits displayed during these exhibitions show the latest achievements in different fields of industry, science, and agriculture of many countries. They offer exporters an excellent opportunity³ to show what they have for sale, to make contacts and to learn about a market quickly and easily. They are also an ideal way of advertising and sales promotion. At many exhibitions, all kinds of goods and exhibits are sold to numerous visitors.

A fair or an exhibition is always visited by both serious businessmen and the general public. Every day halls are crowed with visitors, business talks are held, a lot of transactions⁴ are negotiated and contracts are signed.

Fairs and exhibitions are usually held under various mottoes: «People and Progress», «Peace and Progress Through Economic Cooperation» and so on.

Notes: ¹scope – масштаб, размах

²general – общего характера

³opportunity – возможность

⁴transaction – сделка

Mazda motor corporation

Mazda Motor Corporation, major manufacturer of automobiles is based in Hiroshima, Japan. It was founded by Jugiro Matsuda in 1920. At first, the company made corks and later, machine tools¹. In 1931, it began producing three-wheeled trucks for export to China. The company produced weapons during World War II. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, badly damaged the company’s plant and killed 400 of its workers. In several months after that blast, however, production of the trucks was resumed.

The company’s truck production increased steadily through the 1950s. In 1960, it introduced its first passenger car: two-seat Mazda R360 Coupe. A year later, company president Tsuneji Matsuda, son of Jugiro Matsuda, came to an agreement² with the West German company NSU-Wankel to design and produce a rotary engine³. This engine helped Mazda establish a reputation as an innovative car company and enter the world market.

In 1967, the company introduced its first car with a rotary engine and began exporting cars to the U.S. Ford Motor Company bought 25% of Mazda's shares⁴ in 1979. Three years later, the company began producing vehicles at a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.

Mazda expanded rapidly in the early 1990s. But, because of a worldwide economic recession⁵, the volume of sales greatly decreased. The company lost money in 1994 and had to lay off⁶ more than 3,000 employees. In 1996, Ford spent $481 million to increase its stake in⁷ Mazda Motor Corporation to 33% from 25%.

Notes: ¹machine tool – станок

²to come to an agreement – заключить договор

³rotary engine – роторный двигатель

⁴share – акция

⁵recession – спад, рецессия

⁶to lay off – увольнять

⁷to increase its stake in…– чтобы увеличить свою долю в капитале…