International Fair Plovdiv International Fair Plovdiv International Fair Plovdiv (), held in Plovdiv, is Bulgaria's largest and oldest international trade fair. It was established in August 1892 as an industrial and agricultural show. During its first year, the Plovdiv Fair had an exhibition area of 90,000 m², participants from 24 countries and 162,000 visitors during its two and a half months. A National Industrial Exhibition was organized in 1933 that had 424 exhibitors and 120,000 visitors, being the first sample fair in Plovdiv. A second followed in 1934, when the Plovdiv Fair was proclaimed permanent and the only in Bulgaria on 16 May.
Plovdiv was inaugurated in the city. In the beginning of the 20th century, Plovdiv grew as a significant industrial and commercial center with well-developed light and food industry. In 1927 the electrification of Plovdiv has started. German, French, and Belgian capital was invested in the city in development of modern trade, banking, and industry. In 1939 there were 16,000 craftsmen and 17,000 workers in manufacturing factories, mainly for food and tobacco processing. During the Second World War, the tobacco industry expanded as well as the export of fruit and vegetables. In 1943, 1,500 Jews were saved from deportation in concentration camps