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“Exhibitions will become the most profitable marketing tool”
The head of ExpoForum International said that with the approval by the Government of the Russian Federation of the strategy for the development of the convention and exhibition industry, it received a birth certificate.
“Today the demand for large convention and exhibition projects is growing. Many of them have already reached pre-pandemic levels. This suggests that the industry is responding to the challenges facing the country’s economy and providing effective tools for solving these issues,” says Voronkov.
According to Voronkov, convention and exhibition activities are the most effective tool for the development and promotion of territories.
“If you don’t have an event, you don’t have the competencies. Any territory’s competence must be supported by an event at the federal or even international level,” Voronkov believes.
He noted that the development of the industry in the regions should follow the principle of a supply-side economy, which will create demand. The more venues and organizers, the more events.
“In the coming years, exhibitions will become the most profitable marketing tool in terms of cost. At the same time, our product should be more diverse. New formats are needed, and convention and exhibition venues should become a new institution for socialization and the formation of civil society. And we can already see this, including in the example of the “Russia” exhibition, which will run for 6 months at VDNKh. First of all, it is aimed at the population to give an idea of how the country is developing,” Voronkov continues.
Sergey Voronkov believes that the convention and exhibition industry not only withstands competition from electronic trading platforms and marketplaces, but also brings back their audience. There is a need to verify a product or service, which is impossible on the Internet.
Among the main problems of the industry, the RUEF president named a low marketing culture.
“No more than 15% of all companies on the market participate in exhibitions; in Germany their number exceeds 70%. Introducing into the minds of managers and marketers an understanding of the effectiveness of convention and exhibition events is our most important task,” Voronkov said.
The XIII International Forum of the Exhibition Industry 5pEXPO 2023 is taking place in Moscow from October 24 to 26.
