Mr. Davorin Spevec, the General Manager of the Zagreb Fair was the first to take the floor in the Congress Hall of the Zagreb Fair. He emphasized the significance of this year's group of fairs and outlined the plan of events. He said that this year 270 exhibitors from 19 countries are present at the Fair and that some 50000 visitors are expected.

Nadan Vidošević, the Chairman of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce stressed the role of fairs in the education of visitors and the significance the knowledge has in the Croatian society.

The next speaker was Dr. Dragan Primorac, the Minister of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia. He stated in his speech that Croatia had opted for the society of knowledge and named many facts to substantiate this claim, starting with the Croatian participation in European scientific projects up to the introduction and implementation of the information technology in schools and e-mail addresses available to every single schoolchild. The Minister pointed out the significance of know-how and of opportunities for profitable operations originating in the knowledge created by Croatian companies. Then the Minister declared the exhibitions INFO, Interliber and Educa-Plus open. Among the guests was also the great Croatian poet, Dragutin Tadijanović, who cordially greeted the guests. The opening ceremony featured a vocal performance of Natali Dizdar accompanied by guitar.

ETK exhibition area was visited by Minister Primorac, delegation of Zagreb Fair and many guests, business partners and representatives of industrial, municipal and governmental organizations visited the ETK exhibition area. This year Ericsson Nikola Tesla based its presentation on MX-ONE, an IP based PBX system that offers numerous multimedia services and user mobility.