Within the framework of the 58th Congress of the International Congress & Convention Association ICCA which is taking place these days in Houston (the USA) Alexey Kalachev, Director of the Russian Convention Bureau, joined the Board of Directors of ICCA and became the co-chairperson of the Destination Marketing sector.

For the first time in more than half a century of ICCA history, the representative of Russia joined the Board of Directors of one of the most reputable organizations in the world congress industry. This fact takes to a new level the progress of Russia at the international arena and plays the important role in the development of the congress market and business tourism in the country.

Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, noted: “Election of the Russian candidate to the Board of Directors of the largest international industry structure proves that the Russian Convention Bureau has become a full-fledged participant in the meetings industry market not only in our country but throughout the whole world. Now our country will have the opportunity to formulate a sectoral agenda at the international level and actively participate in the congress industry development including the business tourism segment. The work of the Russian Convention Bureau within the governing bodies of the International Congress & Convention Association ICCA will give the opportunity to make an effective contribution to strengthening the country's position in the international arena and will be an additional tool for developing the domestic market of business events.”

Alexey Kalachev, Director of the Russian Convention Bureau, commented: “It is a great honor for me personally and for the Russian Convention Bureau to be elected to the ICCA Board of Directors. This is the opportunity to propose and implement the important initiatives for the event industry in Russia and in the world. One of our initiatives will be creation on the basis of ICCA of the competence center – a marketing hub – based on the best practices and industry standards. At the same time, it is important to create a Russian version of the ICCA website so that more members including companies from Russia and the CIS countries have access to valuable expert knowledge on the meeting industry in their native language. Currently, out of 7,000 Russian companies only 22 are members of ICCA and enjoy all the benefits of working with the International Association. Therefore, one of my tasks will be to increase the number of the Russian companies – the ICCA members.”

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Russian Convention Bureau was established in November 2017 with support of the Government of the Russian Federation for the effective development of the country event industry, integration into the global meeting industry.

The founders of the Bureau are: Roscongress Foundation which is socially oriented non-financial development institute, the largest organizer of international, congress, exhibition and public events; Russian Export Center JSC which is the state institute for the non-resource export supports; International Foundation of Technology and Investment, IFTI which is a non-profit, non-governmental organization created to support the development of science, culture, education and social activities in Russia; R&C Exhibition and Research Center which is the only company in Russia providing a full range of marketing and consulting services in the event industry. Details on the official website of the Russian Convention Bureau: www.russiacb.com

ICCA, International Congress & Convention Association, was founded in 1963 by the group of travel agents. Its first and the most important goal was to evaluate the practical ways of involving the tourism industry in the fast-growing market of the international conferences and to ensure the exchange of relevant information related to the operations in this market. Today, ICCA is one of the most respected organizations in the field of international conferences. Uniting more than 1,100 members in 100 countries around the world, this Association has global industry coverage. ICCA headquarter is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ICCA also has offices in South Africa, Malaysia, Dubai, the USA and Uruguay. The main goal of ICCA is to promote development of the congress industry and business tourism. Membership in the organization provides maximum business opportunities for the Association members. www.iccaworld.org