General news

On January 23, at the 14th Eurasian Event Forum 2025, the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF) organized the Panel Discussion «Strategy Ahead of Time. How Does the Relationship Between Economy and Exhibitions Work?».

The Session participants discussed the global mission of exhibitions today, what values and meanings they should create and convey, whether it is possible to measure a country’s exhibition potential, where to look for promising niches for development, whether Russia can launch world-class industry exhibitions, and other issues.

The discussion was moderated by Sergey Voronkov, President of the RUEF.

«The convention and exhibition industry produces an independent product that is not purely a service one, but a self-sufficient value. This product is live communication that develops into contracts and positive impressions. Therefore, the industry is a driver of the economy and a new institution of socialization. The power of events is in the fact that they have become a powerful tool for developing and solving specific problems for countries, regions and industries. Many exhibitions and congresses on subjects where there are no line ministries serve their function. They gather knowledge, experience, and competencies, and coordinate all the industry participants», said Voronkov.

He also noted the importance of developing the convention and exhibition industry in the regions.

«Each region has unique competencies that are unparalleled within the country. And some of them – on a global scale. Therefore, each region should have key federal and international events related to their main specializations», believes the speaker.

Voronkov also noted the need for developing an all-Russian calendar of events based on integration with the Atlas of Economic Specialization of Russian Regions, to be presented by Sergey Artemov, Deputy Director of the Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge at the National Research University «Higher School of Economics».

Anna Manvelova, CEO of ITEMF Expo, spoke about the MIMS Automotive Moscow Exhibition.

«The exhibition is a mirror and a driver of the industry. It cannot develop despite the negative dynamics of the industry. MIMS Automotive Moscow began as a car dealership, and eventually transformed into the exhibition of spare parts, car kits and equipment, responding to the growth and needs of the market. Today, the exhibition itself has already been shaping the market. Since 2022, the membership has changed by 70%. European manufacturers are gone. Asian companies have taken their place, but what particularly encourages is that Russian manufacturers have participated in filling the vacuum», said Manvelova.

Aleksander Ulyanov, CEO of NEVA International LLC, spoke about creating network projects in the regions, using the example of the International Shipbuilding Exhibition and Conference «NEVA».

«We started entering the regions by asking if they had something useful for the entire industry nationwide. And if the answer is yes, it means that an international congress project can be implemented in the region, which would thematically complement our main exhibition project «NEVA». We conducted the industry expertise, selected regions of interest to us, talked with their leaders, and thus projects were born in Moscow, Vladivostok, and Arkhangelsk. Kaliningrad, Murmansk, and Nizhny Novgorod are among the promising destinations.

Vladivostok’s situation was unique: the region had been waiting for a project that could bring together the entire shipbuilding industry. Given the new geography of cooperation with Asian countries, additional opportunities opened up for us. But there were also difficulties in terms of the fact that in China people did not understand what a congress project was. It’s much easier to sell an exhibition to them», said Ulyanov.

Anton Atrashkin, Program Director of the Exhibition «INNOPROM», Anna Dycheva-Smirnova, Managing Director of ExpoVisionRus LLC, Andrey Zhukovsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of RussCom IT Systems LLC, and Aleksandra Sakayeva, Vice President of SOYUZLEGPROM LLC, also took part in the discussion.

On January 22, in St. Petersburg, at the Multimedia Park «Russia – My History», the Plenary Session of the 11th MICE Networking Forum and the General Meeting of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF) «Convention and Exhibition Industry as the Driver of Regional Development» took place.

The session was moderated by Sergey Voronkov, the RUEF President and CEO of ExpoForum International LLC.

«The global geopolitical upheavals of recent years have shown the unique role of the convention and exhibition industry in the development of the country and its regions. In Russia, 55 million meetings are held at 1.5 thousand exhibitions, where contracts worth 17 trillion rubles are signed, which is 10% of the country’s GDP. Our industry has also become a new institution for socialization and civil society formation. The Exhibition «Russia» at VDNH, the Exhibition «My Petersburg» and other projects have proven that major events can not only ensure the conclusion of contracts, but also boost civic consciousness, patriotism, and foster love for the motherland», said Voronkov.

He also added that one of the cornerstones of the Industry’s Strategy until 2030 is the development of convention and exhibition activities and specialized infrastructure in the regions. Because now 80% of the market fall at Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Irina Potekhina, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg, agreed with the RUEF President about the Exhibition «Russia» to show that there is a demand in society not only for economic, but also for social development.

«The convention and exhibition industry is a unique tool. Nothing allows achieving the same effect that live communication provides», believes Potekhina.

The Vice Governor also spoke about the implementation of two key for St. Petersburg projects in the convention and exhibition sector – the Exhibition «My Petersburg» to have been visited by over 750,000 people in six months, and the Finale of the Professional Skills Championship «Professionals».

Potekhina noted that the Championship «Professionals» has been held at the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre, and presented the certificate of gratitude from the Government of St. Petersburg to Sergey Voronkov, CEO of ExpoForum International LLC, for his assistance in organizing and conducting the project.

Vladislav Barmichev, Director of the Department for Regulation of Foreign Trade and Development of the Trade Representation System of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, noted that the adoption of the Strategy for the Convention and Exhibition Industry’s Development in Russia until 2030 by the country’s Government means official recognition of the industry.

«The position of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is clear: there is an industry, which means that government support measures are needed for its development», stated Barmichev.

He also informed about 5,000 companies to be engaged in the industry, with their annual turnover to exceed 150 billion rubles. In 2025, Rosstat will begin statistical observations of the convention and exhibition industry, for the purpose of bringing disparate data to a single format.

The representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade also called Russia the country that most deserved to host the Global Expo.

Evgeny Pankevich, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Tourism Development Committee, said that in 2024, 693 convention and exhibition events were held in the city, which is 10% more than in the previous year. According to him, the average check of a business tourist in the city reaches 150 thousand rubles.

Pankevich also spoke about measures to support the convention and exhibition industry in the city.

«The unique product in the world is subsidizing convention and exhibition events. In 2019, we also launched the institute of ambassadors. It now covers over 60 destinations. Due to this program, several major projects have been carried out in the field of medicine, space, etc. Another important support tool is the personnel education, the introduction of innovative educational programs, therefore, the International Competence Centre is being created in the city», said the head of the St. Petersburg Tourism Development Committee.

Ilya Zubkov, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI of the Russian Federation), noted that 60 regional chambers of commerce and industry provide support to the business community in the event sector. The chambers have held over 400 exhibition and fair events. The collective expositions were organized by over 70 regional chambers.

According to Zubkov, 25 out of 89 regions of Russia have the professional convention and exhibition infrastructure for holding high-level international events.

Aleksey Valkov, Deputy Director of the Roscongress Foundation, Director of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, said that, besides Moscow and St. Petersburg, in 2024, Roscongress held events in Kazan, Vladivostok, Sochi, Grozny, Khabarovsk Krai, Altai Republic, Mineralnye Vody, Murmansk and other regions.

«The region hosting an event must have a venue ready to host a major project. It should also offer the participants a product outside the venue: what to see, what impressions to get, etc. It is important that after the event, the participant wants to return to the region as a tourist, an event organizer or an investor», believes Valkov.

Marat Mukhametshin, Vice President of Gazprombank, presented the project for the construction of a standard regional convention and exhibition centre (ECC) based on the model of concessional public-private partnership.

The main features of the project include versatility of the pavilions possible to be rapidly transformed, presence of a hotel complex in the territory, availability of the conference centre and specialized halls for negotiations and business meetings.

According to Mukhametshin, it is important to correctly locate the ECC regarding tourist sites and transport infrastructure facilities. The complex should contribute to the development of the region, and the project team should include an expert company with practical experience in convention and exhibition activities, as well as an operating company to achieve economic efficiency and return on investment.

On January 23, at the 14th Eurasian Event Forum 2025, the Open Meeting of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI of the Russian Federation) on Exhibition, Fair and Congress activities «Event Infrastructure as the Factor of Regional Competitiveness» took place.

One of the speakers was Sergey Voronkov, President of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF) and CEO of ExpoForum International LLC.

«According to the world experience, the strategic development of the territory begins with the construction of the convention and exhibition infrastructure. For a long time, in the event market, Germany was Country № 1, which formed its transport and communication hubs around convention and exhibition complexes since the middle of the last century. The development of Dubai began with the Forum «Davos in the Desert», Singapore solved its problem of freshwater scarcity with the help of the specialized international congress. The accumulated competencies have turned the country into an exporter of fresh water. China, the current leader of the convention and exhibition market, is building new complexes not only in Beijing or Shanghai. Its largest convention and exhibition centre is located in Shenzhen. In general, there are now over 12 million m² of convention and exhibition areas in China. In Russia, it is several times less», said Voronkov.

Sergey Georgievich noted that in Russia, there are examples of convention and exhibition centres to have become a driver of the territory’s development.

EXPOFORUM was built in an open field. And now the road and transport infrastructure has been forming around the complex, housing is being actively built, and the scientific and educational cluster is being designed», recalled the CEO of ExpoForum International LLC.

The RUEF President believes that the regions need to adopt the experience of integrated territorial development and increase business activity through constructing specialized convention and exhibition infrastructure.

«All cities with the population of over 500,000 residents should have a convention and exhibition centre. So far, not even all cities-millionaires can boast of this, out of 16 of them, 15 have specialized infrastructure, and out of 14 cities with the population of over half a million, only 4 have it. 80% of all economic activity is concentrated in Moscow. The capital does not have such a dominant role anywhere else. We need to create 5 or even 6 independent economic centres.

This will be a real breakthrough and fundamentally new opportunities for the economic and social growth of the country and its regions. Today, development management through an event is recognized as the most efficient even at the company level», continued Voronkov.

He also named key indicators for evaluating efficiency of convention and exhibition centres.

«Nowhere in the world are the activities of convention and exhibition centres considered in terms of profit and payback. In Germany, 40 out of 44 complexes are subsidized by the authorities of the federal constituent states. In China, all the centres are state-owned. And there are no financial KPIs. The key metrics are the number of events and visitors. Nowhere in the world are as many private convention and exhibition centres as in Russia. It’s good when the complex pays off, no doubt about it. But you can’t put this in charge, and build centres only where they will immediately make a profit», stated Voronkov.

The speaker also noted that the National Project «Tourism and the Hospitality Industry» requires adjustments to the tools, as well.

«Mostly hotels receive support and subsidies. But the accommodation facilities themselves do not generate tourist traffic. It is provided by convention and exhibition centres and the events that take place in them. You cannot put the cart before the horse», summarized Voronkov.

Vladislav Barmichev, Director of the Department for Regulation of Foreign Trade and Development of the Trade Representation System of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Ilya Zubkov, Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergey Baran, Director of Belexpo, Sagid Zaremukov, Director of the National Congress Bureau, Daria Ostrovskaya, CEO of the Exhibition and Research Centre (VNIC) «R&C», and Marat Mukhametshin, Vice President of Gazprombank, also addressed the session.

Sergey Voronkov, General Director of EXPOFORUM International, President of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs, has won the International Expert of the Year Award in the Tourism, Service and HoReCa category.

During a ceremony held on October 30 in Moscow, the winners of the XIII International Expert of the Year Award were announced, where Sergey Voronkov’s work was recognized with an important award.

«I am very pleased to receive this award in the year of the 10th anniversary of the Expoforum. This is recognition not only of my efforts, but also of the entire team that works every day to ensure that our center remains a significant player in the development of tourism and the hospitality industry. We are proud to contribute to strengthening the city’s position on the world stage and continue to develop innovative approaches in organizing events. This achievement inspires us to new achievements and confirms that we are moving in the right direction», commented the award winner.

The International Expert of the Year Award annually recognizes outstanding professionals whose achievements contribute to strengthening the position of the city on the Neva River as a center of innovation, culture and business. This year, the award has received more than 2,000 applications.