07 June 2021

The Russian Convention Bureau, with support of the Roscongress Foundation, took part in St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

The key theme of RCB's participation at SPIEF'21, presented in various formats was, “Convention and Exhibition Industry. A secure channel of communication and an effective tool for economic development.”

“As part of the implementation of the national project “Tourism and the hospitality industry”, a significant increase in the industry's indicators is planned,” said Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation. - The event industry, as one of the effective generators of business tourism, pursues goals aimed at development of infrastructure and social initiatives, as well as achieving economic benefits for budgets of various levels. This year the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has acted not only as the country's leading discussion platform, but also as an example of the effective implementation of all standards for holding business events in the new reality”.

Before the Forum the Russian Convention Bureau, with support of the Saint Petersburg Convention Bureau, held a business brunch on the topic “Focus on Russia: a new vector of business tourism and creation of growth points in the regions”. The event brought together leading experts in the event industry from several regions of the country, who, in a lively discussion format, shared their view on the main industry trends, problems and challenges, successes and points of growth, business in a new reality and opportunities for cooperation within the industry. Among the ideas and practices voiced, one can note the vector for industry integration, trends for safety and sustainable development in the event industry, sectoral concentration of events by region, cost optimization and new formats for holding events, the increase of recognition of Russian regions in the international market.

The speakers at the business brunch included CEO of the R&C Market Research Company, member of the Board of Directors of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), member of the Board of the Russian Convention Bureau Daria Ostrovskaya; Head of the Convention Bureau of the Republic of Tatarstan appointed to the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency Guzal Burnaeva; CEO of the St. Petersburg Convention Bureau Ekaterina Volkhonskaya; Acting Director of the Russian Convention Bureau Sagid Zaremukov; Deputy CEO of the St. Petersburg Convention Bureau Maria Lagun; commercial director of GRADI Expo, member of the expert council of the All-Russian public organization “Delovaya Rossiya” Pavel Muzychenko; Plenipotentiary Representative of the National Union of the Hospitality Industry (OSIG) in the Northwestern Federal District Elizaveta Nefedova; executive director of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs Elena Ubliyeva 


The theme of holding events in a new reality was continued within the framework of the special session of the Russian Convention Bureau The age of pioneers: global events as a safe and effective communication channel in the new reality”, which took place on the final day of the forum, June 5.
 
Russian and foreign speakers discussed the importance of offline communications for the effective work of the business community at the local and international level, as well as for the functioning and development of a number of industries. At the same time, an assessment was given to the new requirements and formats that the new reality offers, and promising points of growth were identified, which have already formed in practice in a number of regions. According to the experts of the session, offline events can be safe from the point of view of the epidemiological situation, and there are all the necessary technologies and regulations. After a period of forced restrictions, the effectiveness of offline communications has increased, and taking into account hybrid format, there is a potential for reaching new audiences. The general conclusion made by speakers and experts: don’t be afraid to be the first, it’s time to hold events - exhibitions and congresses, and return to effective business communication.
 
The speakers included Prorector for Science of the University of Applied Sciences (Berlin, Germany) Volker Wittberg; CEO of ExpoForum International, President of the Russian Union of Exhibitions & Fairs Sergey Voronkov; Acting Director of the Russian Convention Bureau Sagid Zaremukov; Head of the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency Taliya Minullina; CEO of the National Exhibition Operator (Expo 2020 Dubai) Dmitry Mikhailov; Minister of Tourism of Kamchatka Territory Vladimir Rusanov. The session was moderated by the Head of Conferences Department of TASS Larisa Belousova,
 
As part of its regional agenda, the Russian Convention Bureau entered into agreement on strategic cooperation with the Government of the Stavropol Territory. Realizing the main goal of the agreement, the parties plan to develop the event potential of the region, which contributes to the promotion of territories and attracting investments. Taking into account the infrastructure and resources available in the region, the parties see potential in cooperation aimed at attracting congress and exhibition events to the region and developing business tourism. The next step of cooperation will be the development of a "road map" of the project, containing specific steps and initiatives for the implementation of the agreement.
 
The Acting Director of the Russian Convention Bureau Sagid Zaremukov, commenting on the results of the Association's participation in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, noted: “Congresses and exhibitions are not only a platform for business communications, but also one of the fastest and most effective ways to restore and develop the economies of countries, especially in times of crisis. And such events as the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum set trends for the events of the future and act as locomotives for the introduction of new formats and standards for holding events. Our work at the forum was aimed at highlighting the importance of returning to offline communication, taking into account the new requirements for safety and sustainable development put forward in the framework of the new reality”.

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