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. Such events are also an important step in the development of "people's diplomacy", when acquaintance and formation of an opinion about the country and the city - as an open, modern and hospitable space - takes place on the basis of one's own experience.

“We will use all our experience in hosting major international events both in the political and sports spheres in order to hold this event at the highest level,” President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said about the International Congress of Mathematicians, which will be held in St. Petersburg in July 2022 /TASS, 01/25/2022/. The President noted that, if the schedule allows, he would like to take part in the opening of the congress and greet Russian and foreign participants. “Therefore, our goal, when we supported this idea of ​​holding the International Mathematical Congress in Russia, was to attract young, talented people to this field of activity,” President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin added.

The Russian Convention Bureau (RCB), acting as an integrator of the Russian event industry, is working to attract international business events to the country. Working in the form of an association, the RCB prepares and submits bids jointly with partners and members of the association, including those from Russian regions with significant event potential.

Attracting significant international business events is one of the priorities of the RCB, which results in an increase in the flow of business tourists to Russia and an increase in export earnings for Russian companies engaged in the meeting industry.

With the support of the Russian Convention Bureau in 2021, five bids were submitted to host international events. Taking into account the potential participation of more than 7,000 people, the additional economic effect may exceed 1 billion rubles. It was also decided to hold the annual congress of the European Association for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (EABCT) in Russia. The event will take place in Moscow in 2023, and 1,500 people are expected to attend. The bid for the congress was previously submitted by the RCB.

During the period of work of the RCB, 46 bids were submitted and 11 won. The total effect of the events won by the RCB is about 10 billion rubles. Currently, 9 additional events are under development. Among the largest events, bids for which were submitted with the support of the Russian Convention Bureau, are the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS), which took place in Ekaterinburg in 2019, and the 25th World Energy Congress, which is scheduled for October 24-27 2022 in St. Petersburg. It should be noted that for a number of events that were planned for the period 2020-2022, due to the pandemic, issues of postponing to a later date are being resolved. So the International Planning History Conference (IPHS) from July 2020 was postponed to July 2022, and the International Congress of the European Biochemical Society (FEBS) and the European Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Congress (EABCT) have been postponed to 2023.

“The Russian Convention Bureau makes a great contribution to the development of the country’s event industry, promoting Russia and its regions as significant international business centers, attracting international events to the country in priority sectors of the economy, assisting organizers in effective interaction with service providers,” comments the Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov. “All these actions contribute to increasing the event potential of Russia, attracting international events to Russia, and deepening integration between countries”.

Events have always been one of the key communication tools for the business community. On the margins of major events, contacts are established, agreements are signed, important decisions are made for entire industries, etc. Experts note that the forced mass withdrawal of businesses online in 2020 has increased the value of offline communications. Today, for the organizers of such events, safety has become a top priority. The event industry was the first to adapt to the new reality. A conscious approach and the involvement of all stakeholders allows you to create an event ecosystem that takes into account all the requirements for organizing a safe and effective event.

Alexander Stuglev, Chairman of the Board, Director of the Roscongress Foundation, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Convention Bureau, noted: “An important aspect of the event industry - business events - lies in its export potential. And the fact that at present, in pursuance of the relevant order of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, work is underway on a draft Plan for the implementation of measures for additional support and strategic development of exhibition, fair and congress activities, shows that the country's top leadership pays due attention to the importance of the congress and exhibition industry for the Russian economy”.