Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of Austrians stuck in loveless marriages may lie about their whereabouts this weekend. Instead of pursuing trysts, they'll be attending a ``divorce fair'' to plan their return to single life.

At the two-day event in Vienna, fed-up spouses can contract private detectives to spy on philandering mates, hire real estate agents to find a new homes and book vacation packages designed for the newly separated. They can even hire a DNA sampling lab to see if it will really be necessary to pay child support.

``New Beginnings'' is the world's first divorce fair, according to Anton Barz, 37, a wedding organizer who came up with the idea after realizing that half of all unions were doomed.

``Austria's divorce statistics are shocking,'' Barz said in a café near Sigmund Freud's former home in the Austrian capital. ``People get a wedding certificate more easily than a driver's license and have no idea of the consequences when they crash.''

Around 500 people are expected to attend the fair at the Vienna Marriott Hotel, where 20 vendors -- including a local law firm hunting for new clients -- will ply them with advice about how to settle their partnership problems.

Austria's divorce rate rose to 49 percent in 2006 from 29 percent in 1987, according to government statistics released in June. In Vienna, newlyweds face the gloomy prospect that two- thirds of all marriages will end in divorce.

Church Counseling

``Social and economic pressures are increasing at the same time that people's tolerance to handle frustration is decreasing,'' said Peter Battistich, a couple's therapist and University of Vienna psychology professor who has a stand at the fair. ``I help couples to separate fairly, without the high cost of divorce lawyers, through mediation.''

Divorce candidates will be able to talk with exhibitors in private rooms near the exhibition booths, Barz said.

Barz is holding a second divorce fair in Linz, Austria, on Nov. 17 and 18 and plans to roll out the concept in Berlin, Munich and possibly London next year.

Not everyone at the fair accepts that marriages are destined to fail. Battistich said he will try talking couples out of divorce by urging them to attend therapy. The Roman Catholic Church, which doesn't condone divorce, will be represented by a stand offering marriage-saving advice from Vienna's archdiocese.

``We're all marriage fans and we're all conscious about how beautiful matrimony and family are,'' said Margarete Schmidt, a spokeswoman for Austria's Equips Notre-Dame, a church group that helps ``couples discover their sacrament of marriage and live it to the full.''

Late-Night Punchline

While there are 20 to 30 annual fairs catering to Austria's 250 million-euro ($355 million) wedding industry, the Vienna event is the first to instruct couples how to undo matrimony.

``I never expected the concept to receive so much attention,'' said Barz, who's been married for four years and got his start as an event organizer by arranging teddy-bear displays for shop windows. ``I knew something special was happening when Jay Leno mentioned the fair.''

In his Oct. 17 opening monologue on NBC television's ``Tonight Show'' in the U.S., Leno suggested Republican presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani and former Beatle Paul McCartney would be good candidates to deliver keynote speeches at the Vienna conference. Giuliani has divorced twice and had one marriage annulled. McCartney is currently divorcing Heather Mills in a London courtroom.

``If I can help a single person start a new and better life, then it will be worth it,'' said Barz. Conference organizers in New York and Los Angeles have expressed interest in the concept, he said, underscoring its potential to be a big business someday.

``There are a lot of people who make money from divorce,'' said Battistich, adding that the average divorce costs at least as much as the 7,000 euros Austrian couples typically spend for a wedding.

``It's hard imagining taking something so personal into the public,'' said Elisabeth Sutter, 47, who amicably separated from her husband last year. ``At the same time, it's good to know there's so much support.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Tirone in Vienna at jtirone@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 25, 2007 18:13 EDT