The General Assembly of members of the Association “Russian Convention Bureau” (RCB) traditionally took place at the site of the Eurasian Event Forum (EFEA) (St. Petersburg, Lodeynopolskaya str., 5, CC “PetroCongress”). The meeting participants were presented with the main indicators of the Association’s activities during 2024, a report on implemented projects and a work plan for the future.

Commenting on the activities of the Association, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov noted: “The congress and exhibition industry is one of the most effective tools for business development and recovery of economic sectors. Last year, the event industry showed confident growth, which is a reflection of the general economic agenda for accelerated development, the creation of new logistics chains and reorientation to new markets. The activities of the Russian Convention Bureau Association, aimed at developing the event industry, uniting leading companies and supporting regional initiatives for the development of territories through congress and exhibition activities, are an important contribution to the formation of a sustainable platform for the development of economic sectors, the scientific and industrial potential of the country.”

As part of the industry activities of the Association, work was noted as part of specialized committees, expert councils and working groups under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation on the formation of legislative initiatives and measures to support the industry. Together with representatives of leading industry associations and unions, as well as with the participation of the Roscongress Foundation, a lot of work was done on the draft Federal Law "On Exhibition and Congress Activities in the Russian Federation" and an action plan ("road map") for the implementation of support measures and strategic development of exhibition, fair and congress activities until 2030, approved by the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 869-r dated April 10, 2024.

During 2024, at leading business platforms and forums, the RCB signed agreements on strategic cooperation with regional representative offices and companies: the Government of the Republic of Mordovia, the Russian Tourism Forum "Travel!", the International Union "International Congress of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs", the Congress TV channel and the RESOF EXPO convention and exhibition center (Republic of Uzbekistan). The Director of the Russian Convention Bureau also joined the International Council for Sustainable Tourism Development.

Chairman of the Board of the Russian Convention Bureau and the Roscongress Foundation, Director of the Roscongress Foundation Alexander Stuglev noted in his speech at the General Assembly: "2024 was rich in events, congress and exhibition events were held on an increasing scale, the geography of arriving participants and guests expanded. And, of course, member companies of the Russian Convention Bureau - organizers, operators, service and technology companies, venues and developers, regional representative offices - contributed to their success. In terms of the quality of event organization, we are at the level of global companies."

Last year, the Russian Convention Bureau took part in the business program of 33 Russian industry and general business events, where it covered the problems and prospects of the industry. These included such major events as the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which was attended by a delegation of representatives of RCB member companies, the Russian Tourism Forum "Travel!", the Forum of Russian Regions "Development of Tourism Infrastructure", Meet Global MICE Congress: BRICS Edition and others. As a participant or partner of key industry events, the Russian Convention Bureau relies, among other things, on the expertise of representatives of the Association's member companies, thus forming current issues and covering advanced solutions "here and now".

The RCB has organized more than ten of its own events for industry representatives and members of the Association, both business and informal. One of the most significant events was the II Congress of Regional Convention Bureaux in Ekaterinburg, which was held in cooperation with the Investment Promotion Agency of the Sverdlovsk region, with the support of the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the ANO "Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects" (ASI), the Roscongress Foundation and the Business Center for Economic Development of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Also at the Congress venue, the results of the pilot project to assess the best practices in the event industry among companies - members of the Russian Convention Bureau, which the RCB conducted jointly with the R&C Market Research Company, were summed up for the first time. The assessment procedure will be carried out on an annual basis among members of the Russian Convention Bureau Association with the formation of a list of the top 10 companies implementing the best practices in the industry in the main areas of congress and exhibition activities.

In September 2024, with the support of the Russian Convention Bureau, the International Conference "Russian School of Colorectal Surgery" was held, attended by more than 1,500 practicing physicians, and presentations by 97 experts from 22 countries of the world took place.

The RCB participated in the business agenda of one of the most significant current projects - the All-Russian Exhibition and Forum "Russia", in particular in the strategic session "Strategy for the Integration of the Central Federal District: Tourism and Hospitality", and also acted as a co-organizer of the large-scale World Exhibition Day directly at the forum.

A special place in the work of the Association "Russian Convention Bureau" is occupied by the activities of the Congress Consulting consortium, created on the basis of the RCB, which acts as a center of competence in the event industry and business tourism, providing consulting services across the entire spectrum of congress and exhibition activities and territorial development. This year, the consortium began to work actively, and given the interest of the regions in integrating the event agenda into the overall strategy of their economic development, the services of Congress Consulting are in demand - from research and consultations on the construction of congress and exhibition complexes to industrial tourism and strategic sessions on the development of the event industry in the region.

The Russian Convention Bureau is also working to improve the qualifications of industry specialists and, taking into account the needs of the event industry for the training of qualified personnel, is implementing the educational project "RCB Academy". In 2024, the 5th season of the educational online project was held and for the first time it was implemented in cooperation with the St. Petersburg State University of Economics. Students from St. Petersburg State University who successfully passed the test received certificates of advanced training of the state standard. The project is being implemented jointly with the R&C Market Research Company with the support of the Roscongress Foundation.

Currently, 92 companies from 19 constituent entities of the Russian Federation are members of the RCB Association. At the General Assembly, the participants welcomed new companies that joined the Association in 2024. They were Art Media Bureau, SPN Communications, RK-Avangard, KST Group, MZKRS Suture Materials, Praktika Agency, Ecosystem Mountains of Russia, Bit-In Group, Rent Republic, Kazan Expo IEC, and Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

In his speech, Sagid Zaremukov, Director of the Russian Convention Bureau, noted: “The activities of the Association are based on the provisions of the strategy for the development of the congress and exhibition industry until 2030. This year, a lot of work has been done within the framework of the “road map” events, and next year we will make every effort to implement the planned steps for the effective development of the industry. Particular attention was paid to working with professional associations. In order to unite Russian scientific and industry organizations into a single community on the basis of the RCB, it is planned to develop a database of events of Russian scientific and industry associations, as well as a set of events aimed at comprehensive assistance and promotion of their activities. Professional associations are invited to participate on the basis of signing agreements and membership packages.”

The General Assembly also approved a decision to expand the Association's Board of Directors and include Andrey Barannikov, CEO of the SPN Communications agency, as a member of the Board. The Association members expressed confidence that strengthening the Board of Directors with the experience and expertise of the SPN Communications agency's management will make the work of the Russian Convention Bureau even more effective.

The annual report on the activities of the Russian Convention Bureau for 2024 is available on the Association's website.