OREANDA-NEWS. On 31 January 2008 All-Russia Exhibition Center announced, that the events of 2007 played a critical role in establishing the image of a leading exhibition site in the country, pursuant to the new development concept. It was the expiring year that laid a solid foundation for the new VVC vision.

The extraordinary general meeting of OAO “GAO VVC” shareholders once again unanimously elected Mr. Mohamed Musayev as Managing Director.

Mr. M.Kh. Musayev is the Chairman of the Exhibition Committee of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, a member of the Presidium of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs, the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Council for exhibition and trade fair activities of the Commonwealth of Independent States. In November 2004, Mohamed Musayev was nominated to the Board of Directors of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI).

The International Exhibition Complex is under construction in the VVC territory. The overall exhibition area of the Complex will amount to 193 600 sq. m allowing as much as 10 major events to be simultaneously held and up to five million visitors to be annually received.

The new Complex is multipurpose, it enables conducting diverse exhibitions, congresses, cultural and sporting events including EXPO world exhibitions.

The project corresponds to the scope of exhibition and congress activities in Moscow thus enabling the Complex to rank high among the world leaders of exhibition industry.

In September 2008, the first pavilion of the Complex with a total area of 53 thousand sq. m will be commissioned. The International Investment Forum held in Sochi in September 2007 highlighted the prospects of the new center. Mr. Johann Vitte, President of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), presented a scale model of the International Exhibition Complex to Mr. V.V. Putin, President of the Russian Federation.

In Paris, in conjunction of the 74th General Assembly of UFI, the management of the All-Russia Exhibition Center and Mr. Johann Vitte signed a cooperation agreement whereunder Mr. Vitte would assist with managing the International Exhibition Complex by providing consulting services. Such cooperation would allow the All-Russia Exhibition Center to build the up-to-date complex and offer services of European quality.

Active actions are being taken to establish a standing interactive exposition “City of Science, Education and Innovations” conceptually based on national priority projects, primarily in the area of high-quality education.

There are quite a few scientific centers in the world introducing the general public and primarily youth to scientific achievements, technological advancements, industrial fundamentals of production. Such centers make use of the most efficient current model of demonstration: “entertainment + education”, which will be presently implemented in Russia as well – in the territory of the All-Russia Exhibition Center. “The park of scientific discoveries” as the first stage of this project will be inaugurated in December 2008.

In 2007, VVC hosted 157 exhibitions attended by some 22 thousand exhibitors. The exhibitions were visited by over 2 million people. Such major exhibitions as “Flowers”, “Golden Autumn”, “Day of Russian Field” in Russian regions, show of innovations and investments, “Educational Environment”, All-Russian Exhibition of scientific and technological work of youth, International Book Fair and others are becoming more popular year by year, while attracting a great deal of exhibitors and visitors.

VVC has been traditionally functioning as operator of Russian national exhibitions as well as Russian and Moscow displays presented at major international exhibitions abroad. In 2007, such exhibitions were successfully held in Slovakia and Uzbekistan; Russian displays were arranged at international exhibitions in Germany and France and at the Mongolian-Russian business forum.

In the life of VVC the year 2007 was also marked by a planned implementation of the Program “VVC as a focal point of cooperation between regions of Russia and CIS countries” primarily targeted at promoting interregional and international cooperation between Russia and CIS countries, encouraging their integration processes. The Program provides for permanent exhibitions and exhibition-and-commercial centers of CIS member-countries and constituent entities of the Russian Federation to be arranged at VVC, while enabling them to present the technological, economic and cultural potential of their nations and regions of Russia. Exhibition-and-commercial centers built around Armenia and Kyrgyzstan pavilions are already functioning. They accommodate subject-related events, national festivities.

In December, the VVC administration initiated renovation of Pavilion # 18 (“Belarus”). The renovated pavilion will be used to conduct exhibitions, various social events, gatherings on the occasion of special dates and events. The office center with an area of 1000 sq. m will house agencies of leading Belarus companies. According to the schedule, the renovated pavilion will be opened in summer 2008.

The 2007 results show how intensive and productive the previous year was for the development of the All-Russia Exhibition Center. The year laid the foundation for effective and promising projects ready for demonstration in the year 2008, which will become a period of new achievements.