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The Russian Convention Bureau (RCB) has taken part in the business program of the Russian Investment Forum’2019

19 February 2019

The Russian Convention Bureau took part in the Russian Investment Forum on February 14-15, 2019. 

During the Forum the Russian Convention Bureau signed strategic cooperation agreements with representative offices of Russian regions. The signing of cooperation agreement with the Government of Saratov Region took place on the first day of the Russian Investment Forum in Sochi. An agreement with the Ministry of Economic Development of Novosibirsk Region was signed on February 15, 2019. The main purpose of the agreement signed by the RCB with regional bodies of authority is to develop the potential of Russian regions as territories with favorable conditions for investments, as centers of business and event tourism and expanded foreign economic ties. 

Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, said: “The cooperation of the Russian Convention Bureau with the regions is the starting point in the process of working-out and implementation of the concept of developing and promoting the meetings industry and, as a result, attracting events in leading industries with due regard for the regional specialization. Joint work aimed at the development of a national event industry will also undoubtedly help to increase the investment attractiveness of the country”.

A key event on the agenda of the Russian Convention Bureau at the Russian Investment Forum was the special case zone event, “Good Morning, My Country” jam session. The special session presented by RCB, entitled “Presentation of Regional Event Potential’2018,” an informal meeting of representatives of top 10 rating, was held in a new format, with sweet jam for guests and a prize lottery. Darya Ostrovskaya, member of the Board of the Russian Convention Bureau, and General Director of R&C Research and Exhibition Center, presented the results of the rating and the assessment criteria. Several speakers shared their know-how and life hacks of achieving high results. They included Pavel Mayorov, Director of IJSC Krasnodar Region Development Corporation, Victoria Kazakova, Minister of Investments and Development of Sverdlovsk Region, Andrey Tolmachyov, General Director of JSC Kaliningrad Region Development Corporation, and Anton Fedorov, Director General of JSC Murmansk Region Development Corporation. The jam session was moderated by Alexander Eliseev, partner of Accord Management Group.

The top three regions in the rating of regional event potential in 2018 remained the same. The top position has been occupied by St. Petersburg. In 2018, the city hosted a global event of the industry, the UFI’s 85th Global Congress, which brought together more than 500 delegates from 50 countries of the world. Ekaterinburg came in second. Although the city will not host EXPO-2025, the campaign to promote the application had a positive influence on the international event image of Ekaterinburg and favorably affected its investment attractiveness. Sochi, the city that successfully combined its convention potential and tourism opportunities, was ranked third. Kazan improved its rating, having risen to the fourth position, and Nizhny Novgorod entered the top five cities in the rating for the first time this year. 

Ufa ranked sixth, due to the events of the Congress Bureau of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Kaliningrad and Murmansk entered the top 10 of the rating for the first time this year. It must be noted that all the cities in the top 10 rating of 2018 have been working actively on promoting themselves on the Russian and international markets. Representatives of regional administrations as well as companies of the event and tourism sector have been representing their regions at major specialized Russian and international events. Development of a recognizable brand of the territory is necessary for comprehensive promotion. Territorial marketing has been especially successful in Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Rostov Region, Samara Region and Yaroslavl Region, which presented the new brands of their regions in 2018. 

The City of Moscow and Moscow Region have traditionally not participated in the rating because of their exceptionally well-developed event infrastructure and high indicators in this area. 

There were only very few changes in the top five regions in 2014-2018. It was only in 2018 that Nizhny Novgorod replaced Krasnodar as No. 5 in the rating. Highest growth was demonstrated by Kaliningrad, which rose from No. 20 to No. 8. This development was facilitated by the city hosting the FIFA World Cup 2018 and the active promotion program of the city’s potential in Russia and abroad. Vladivostok lost several points in the rating due to the city having fewer material and technical base venues as compared to the above cities. 

“The investment of the state into development of tourism will undoubtedly affect the event industry as well. The development of special infrastructure, hotel facilities and transport accessibility, which are among the key issues on the convention market, along with regional promotion programs and a balanced policy adopted for the event industry, will allow various Russian regions to improve their position in the rating and their event appeal,” said Alexey Kalachev, CEO of the Russian Convention Bureau. “In this paradigm, the RCB serves as a reference point that allows you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of various regions that should work on their potential.”

The full version of the rating has been published on the website of the Russian Convention Bureau at www.russiacb.com.

Participation of the RCB in the business program of the Forum included expert presentations at the sessions entitled “Economics of Hospitality: Today and Tomorrow” and “Science and Society: Strategies for Future Generations.” 

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