subscribe to news Sergey Bednov: trade shows shape up export potential of regions

A visiting expanded meeting of the Russia's CCI Committee on Exhibition, Fair, and Congress Activities took place at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Samara Region. It was organised jointly with the Association of CCIs of the Samara Region. The meeting, which addressed The Role of the Exhibition Industry in Broadening Regional Industrial Exports, was chaired by Sergey Bednov, the Committee head and Expocentre Director General.

He underlined the importance of the exhibition industry in accomplishing the far-reaching task set by the national administration: to increase the value of non-resource, non-energy exports to $250 billion by 2024. Trade shows play an important role at the initial stage of formation of the regional export potential when the competitive edge, advantages and strength of products are evaluated. Later on, exhibitions help maximise the amount of goods and services to be competitive on global markets with due account of the available regional industrial infrastructure, he said.

In the light of the government course towards enlarging exports of Russian products, Expocentre stepped up cooperation with regional manufacturers and developed a new program of cooperation with regional chambers last year, he added. The purpose of the program is to stimulate staging of trade shows of regional manufacturers and promote their products via Expocentre's exhibitions. Thirty-six group stands of regions opened at seven major exhibitions: Prodexpo, Agroprodmash, Mebel, Zdravookhraneniye, MedTravelExpo, Mir Detstva, and CJF Child and Junior Fashion.

The Committee chairman mentioned enterprises of the Vladimir, Oryol, Novosibirsk, Pskov, and Volgograd regions among the most active exhibitors. In all, companies and enterprises from 78 Russian regions took part in Expocentre's own shows last year.

According to Sergey Bednov, Expocentre organised 17 group stands of Russian companies in Germany, India, Iran, China, Mongolia, the UAE, and France between January 2018 and May 2019. Products of the furniture industry, information and communications technologies, railroad transport, photonics, woodworking and oil refining industries, and children’s goods, which domestic enterprises offer to global markets, were put on display. Participation in trade shows has a special meaning for those who are just arriving at foreign markets, Sergey Bednov said.

Valery Fomichev, the President of the Association of CCIs of the Samara Region, said at the meeting that the regional chamber's mission was to popularise exports, gather and spread information about export capacities and relevant investment needs of small and medium businesses in the Samara region, and to organise and hold trade shows and business missions.

In collaboration with the regional government, the CCI of the Samara region regularly estimates the needs of the business community, sets primary and potential areas of exports, and gives comprehensive support to export activity in the region, he said.

Sergey Selivanov, the Director of the CCI of Russia's Department for Exhibition, Fair and Congress Activities, told the audience about government measures encouraging Russian companies to participate in exhibitions, fairs, and conventions inside and outside Russia.

The discussion involved Samara Regional Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments Alexey Ilmetov, President of the CCI of the Vladimir Region Ivan Aksyonov, head of Convention and Exhibition Division of Foreign Relations Department in the Administration of the Samara regional governor Sergey Zakharov, Expo Volga exhibition company Director General Andrei Levitan, Rossiya National Congress Bureau Deputy Director Darya Ostrovskaya, head of the Russian Export Center's autonomous branch in the city of Samara Yelena Plotnova, head of ExpoForum International's Exhibition Directorate Natalia Serebrovskaya, head of Commercial Analysis Group in the Department for International Business Cooperation and Public Relations of the World Trade Center Moscow Alexey Savrasov, Russian Folk Arts and Crafts Association Board Chairman Gennady Drozhzhin, and some other participants.

Press Service, Expocentre AO