City is criticized

Opening of the trade fair: disputes on stage

There was a dispute about the planned event center. This is what it should look like at some point.(Bild: Moesslacher Julia Rebecca)

The official opening of the leisure fair in Klagenfurt started with a disagreement on stage. Trade fair president Harald Kogler was not sparing in his public criticism of the political representatives of the provincial capital.

Plans to build a new congress center on the exhibition grounds have been on the table for a year and a half. "An event center is indispensable for the future of the trade fair," Harald Kogler, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kärnten Messen, is certain. He had already expressed his displeasure to the "Krone" newspaper about the outstanding funding commitment from the provincial capital, and now he did the same during the opening of the leisure fair on Friday: "Actually, everyone has supported and agreed to the project. So far, however, we have only received a funding commitment from the state," said Kogler on stage.

The project costs 20 million; 10 million of this is being provided by the trade fair itself, 5 million has already been pledged by the state: "The state of Carinthia has supported the Carinthian trade fairs with 5 million from the KBV in order to bring about further development and dynamism," confirmed state governor Peter Kaiser.

Justifications on the stage
Klagenfurt's mayor Christian Scheider then had to justify himself on stage: "The event center has been discussed for far too long, we have to commit to it." However, he and his deputy Philipp Liesnig apparently put the blame on tourism: "In addition to the city, the economy and tourism must also make a corresponding contribution to the financing. The mayor and I have always communicated this clearly," Liesnig defends himself and refers to other important projects that the state capital has to finance. Meanwhile, Scheider regretted on stage: "It's a shame that tourism can't - or doesn't want to - contribute anything."

Kogler tries his luck again: "My appeal to the responsible city councillors: give us a funding commitment. Then we have a clear commitment!"