Just inside the Warsaw Holiday Inn conference room, Marcin Jaworek and Malgorzata Zemla sit behind a crowded table, idly chatting. In front of the two women, on the table, lie pamphlets promoting the wizardry behind their DNA testing agency.
"Need to establish paternity?" the pamphlets ask in Polish. "It's easy!" Below the text, a man and his now-confirmed son smile together.
It is hardly standard fare at most sales expositions, but here at Warsaw's first divorce fair there are not one but two DNA testing companies hawking their services. They are joined by a selection of lawyers, counsellors and private investigators.
The only thing missing here, on this cold winter's day, are divorcees.
This divorce fair, the first to be held in Poland's capital, is the latest in a trend that has spread across the European Union, where more than 800,000 marriages end each year.
In November, 2007, Vienna hosted the world's first divorce fair, the brainchild of Austrian wedding fair organizer Anton Barz. Mr. Barz has since held another fair in Vienna, as well as one in Linz, Austria, and others have followed suit in Utrecht, Netherlands, Strasbourg, France, and Wroclaw, Poland. A large event is planned for Brighton, England, while the organizers in Austria and the Netherlands have more shows in the works.
Yet while many divorce fair organizers are familiar with the long tradition of wedding shows, where gushing brides meet with enthusiastic vendors, marrying commerce with divorce is proving trickier.
At the first divorce exposition, participants ranged from education-oriented non-profits, such as churches and local government, to private businesses, such as makeover studios and detective agencies. But while Vienna seemed the perfect location - two-thirds of marriages there end in divorce - journalists ended up outnumbering visitors. Last year, Mr. Barz organized two more shows, with a combined attendance of more than 4,000.
Mr. Barz said his divorce fairs are non-profit events intended to educate and inform. "For me it's important that this type of fair is not a fair to make money," he said, arguing that divorce fairs should not charge admission. He said private businesses pay for the cost of the rental space and allow him to invite non-profit organizations at no charge.
A range of people attend the fairs, Mr. Barz said, including the parents of potential divorcees. He also said the atmosphere is much more emotional than, say, wedding events. "We need a lot of handkerchiefs there."
Indeed, organizing an event around an intrinsically sad event can prove challenging.
Suzy Miller, a mother of three whose partner walked out on her, intended to bring the concept to the United Kingdom last fall. But while the ex-television producer originally envisioned a conference-type trade show, the event was rescheduled after Ms. Miller decided a wedding fair template would not work.
The reimagined fair will be held this March in Brighton, complete with storytelling, life coaching and a workshop by a well-known relationship expert.
"It is more of a helping and healing environment, more than people talking at you," said spokeswoman Suzi Christie.
The Brighton event organizers are likely hoping to avoid the type of reaction expressed by two visitors at the Warsaw fair.
Anna, who is in the midst of a divorce, and Lydia, who is considering one, were quickly set upon by an eager radio reporter when they entered a room at the fair. Later, after skirting the room, they took refuge in a small seating area at the far end. Asked why they had come to the fair, Anna clutched a brochure for a detective agency and said she hoped to find legal help and a private investigator. While the pair had achieved their objective, they were less than thrilled with the event itself.
"I thought it would be bigger and that it would be more interactive," said Lydia, through an interpreter.
According to her, the people behind the various tables were as much a problem as the setup itself. "The atmosphere is glum, it's very conference-like. The people who are here don't seem like they want to talk to you. There's no real openness."
The organizer of the Warsaw event admitted that turnout was low. But Mariusz Trzebniak is confident that divorce fairs will be embraced by a European population desperate for more information about divorce.
"I'm optimistic because people have certain problems, and you can't escape that."
