Markets

Trade Fair Market Russia

The modern Russian exhibition market shows a considerable dynamic potential. Its development began in the early nineties with the Russian transition to the market economy. Within about 15 years, the Russian exhibition industry became an independent and fast-growing branch of industry.

In 2007, more than 2,500 exhibitions took place in Russia, about 700 of them in the leading exhibition site Moscow, almost 200 in St. Petersburg and about 1,600 in other Russian regions.

EXHIBITION INFRASTRUCTURS

Of all hall capacities in Russia, amounting to about 500,000 square metres, already more than 300,000 square metres are located in Moscow and about 45,000 square metres in St. Petersburg, being the second significant Russian exhibition site.

However, state of repair and equipment of the individual centres greatly vary.

Status: 11/2007

Leading Moscow
For instance the “VCC All Russian Exhibition Centre” altogether offers the largest covered exhibition space, however spread on more than 70 pavilions and a great number of other buildings. On that area, mainly smaller long-term exhibitions take place.

VVC All Russian Exhibition Centre

Being way ahead, the exhibition centre “ExpoCentr Krasnaja Presnja” is one of the most important exhibition sites in Moscow. Situated in the city centre, it offers a covered exhibition space of more than 85,000 square metres in 8 halls and an open-air space of ca. 35,000 square metres.

Expocentr Krasnaja Presnja

With the completion of the exhibition centre “Crocus Expo” in the beginning of 2004, a new site has entered into competition. Located on the outskirts of the city at Moscow’s motorway ring road (MKAD), the Crocus’ entire area includes, apart from an exhibition space amounting to 86,750 square metres, a shopping centre, as well as hotels and amusement parks under the name of “Crocus City”. The opening of a new, third hall is planned for August 2007, considerably increasing the hall capacity of “Crocus Expo”.

Crocus Expo

The “Sokolniki Culture & Exhibition Centre” was built in 1990 and is run by MVK International Company. There, more than 40 exhibitions are organized every year.

St. Petersburg is second best
The largest exhibition centre in the north-west of Russia is run by the private public limited company Lenexpo. At this site, annually more than 60 trade fairs and exhibitions take place. These events are organized by Lenexpo itself and a number of additional guest trade fair companies. The most important of them is the Restec Exhibition Company.

Lenexpo

Russian regions – clearly on the advance
Today Nishny Novgorod is a modern exhibition site where more than 60 exhibitions take place every year. The “Nishegorodskaya Yarmarka’s” history is exceptional – it is almost 400 years old and reaches back to the “Makaryevskaya Fair” in the 17th century.

The new exhibition centre “VertolExpo” in Rostov-on-Don was opened 10 years ago. In the current year, a hotel will be opened on the exhibition area. In 2007, 30 trade fairs and exhibitions are planned on the exhibition area of the “VertolExpo”.

In the city of Perm, situated in the southern Urals, more than 25 exhibitions are offered each year. The “Permskaya Yarmarka’s” topics are directly related to the region’s economic basis: oil and gas industry, metallurgy, engineering industry and forestry.

Kazan, being capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, is of great importance for the Volga-Ural region in Russia. On the exhibition area “Kazanskaya Yarmarka”, more than 35 exhibitions take place every year.

The “SibExpoCentre”, situated in Irkutsk, is an important exhibition site in East Siberia. There, about 30 exhibitions take place every year.

Furthermore, the regional exhibition centres “Uzhuralexpo" in Cheljabinsk, and the “Expo-Volga” in Samara have to be mentioned.

SPECIALIST TRADE FAIRS ACCORDING TO BRANCHES OF INDUSTRY

Number of specialist trade fairs in Russia according to branch of industry:

SIGNIFICANT TRENDS

The number of specialist trade fairs and exhibitions increases permanently. There are actually two important trends: One is the continuing distance from exhibitions exclusively offering consumer goods. A second trend goes towards exhibitions aiming at the creation of long-term economic relations between the different branches of industry and the stages of the value added cycle on a national and international basis.

Although the Russian exhibition industry is still faced with problems regarding qualified exhibition services and centres, considerable quality improvements with respect to services and public safety can be noticed.

The Russian exhibition market still misses the necessary transparency, complicating participations in trade fairs and exhibitions from abroad. One important contribution to create transparency is made by the Russian trade fair association “RUEF” (“Russian Union of Exhibition and Fairs”), member of the “UFI” (“Union of International Fairs”). Analogous with the UFI, the RUEF labels trade fairs and exhibition of a high standard with its mark of quality. Up to now, 209 trade fairs and exhibitions were labelled with the RUEF mark of quality.
The UFI examines Russian exhibitions as well. Until now, 60 Russian exhibitions are recognized and recommended by this organisation.

Furthermore, the Russian trade fair association started operating a checking system with regard to exhibition statistics in 2005, adapting to the regulations of the “FKM” (German Association for the voluntary control of fair and exhibition figures).

The European statistics of 2005 drawn up by the FKM show examined indexes for 47 trade fairs and exhibitions in Russia, already 34 of them in Moscow.

INDIVITUAL EXHIBITIONS ORGANIZED BY GERMAN TRADE FAIR COMPANIES

Altogether 32 exhibitions of German trade fair and exhibition organizing companies take place in Russia in the current year 2007; thereof 27 in Moscow, 2 in St. Petersburg and 3 in the Russian regions. Following Shanghai, Moscow is the exhibition site with the highest number of trade fairs performed German organisers abroad.

With respect to this, Germany’s leading trade fair and exhibition organizing company is the “Messe Düsseldorf” with altogether 13 individual exhibitions, followed by the “Messe Frankfurt” with 8 individual events.

Status: 03/2007