OREANDA-NEWS.  On 18 February 2008 MVK announced the speech of Andrei Lapshin, MVK International Exhibition Company President, at the 5th Session of Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry:

“Exhibition activity is very important for promotion of services and goods. MVK organizes exhibitions and the largest industrial shows in Russia. As an exhibitions’ organizer I would like to speak about future development and prospects of exhibition business.  It is a brief analysis of the present state of exhibition business and some recommendations for participators.

At present time exhibition market in Moscow is completely formed. About 80-90% of all large industrial exhibitions are held in Moscow. The capital is very attractive for exhibition entrepreneurs because of well-developed infrastructure, entertainment and money turnover. Consequently a lot of foreign companies choose Moscow as the exhibition venue not considering any other cities.
Practically every industry sector organizers its exhibitions. Some of them have been held for 16-18 years. Such exhibitions have become popular both in the Russian and international markets.
It is important to mention here the role of Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Guild of Exhibitions and Trade Shows Organizations for organization of exhibitions and shows in Moscow.
For recent 10 years a number of Russian exhibitions which accepted UFI trophies has increased considerably. It is a kind of a quality standard for exhibition activity.

I make a simple conclusion: I advise that those who have just started up business participated in Moscow exhibitions. However, choosing the exhibition it is important bear in mind some simple rules:
Study the subjects.
Ask the organizer for how long the exhibition has been organized, how many exhibitors and visitors it attracts.
Check the exhibition statistics provided by the organizer at the Guild of Exhibition and Trade Show Organizations; it is necessary to verify the figures (thus you will protect yourself from cheating).

The tendency for the exhibitions development in recent years lies in exhibitions enlargement. For instance, specialized exhibitions organized at the Crocus Expo, Expocentre, All-Russian Exhibition Centre and Sokolniki Exhibition Centre are held simultaneously at one venue. We call such joined specialized exhibitions Forums. It is even more profitable to organize such specialized Forums when they unite expositions of related industry branches. This increases the probability of finding the customers.

There is no exhibition area crisis in Moscow now. It is a long-forgotten past. As for the cost of exhibiting, price violations depend on inflation. Annually the prices for exhibition areas grow by 10-15%.

But as for industrial brand exhibitions, the cost of exhibition areas will grow by no more than 5% or will not grow at all, for the prices have already attained their maximum. As the organizers, we must be guided by the international prices, the prices of suchlike exhibitions in Europe that is, for the costs of exhibiting are equal in all the countries.

Internet is very important for successful business. Internet is another  characteristic feature of exhibition business. It is necessary not for the competitors of the exhibition, but for those who try to attract attention to the exhibition and exhibits.

According to the visitors’ questionnaires, over 30 % of them find out about the exhibition and products on Internet. It means Internet is significant for the exhibitions. That is why before you participate in the exhibition and expect positive results, please, check if your sites are alright. This will increase the number of visitors at your booths.

Thus, exhibition and Internet are to be two complementary links in your business activity. The site of your exhibition is an effective marketing tool and your “authoritative” Internet presence will improve the interest for your company. Consult the exhibition organizers on how to attract attention to your company through exhibition site.

Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its role in Moscow exhibition business.
The main responsibility of Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry is to teach potential exponents how to optimize their participation in the exhibition. A lot of companies are members of the Chamber; mostly, they are representatives of small and middle business; however they are 90% of the exhibitions’ participants. Thus, creation of Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry special training school teaching how to make exhibiting more efficient would be a positive tendency.

I would like to ask potential exhibitors to plan their participation in the exhibitions in advance, in terms of budget, exposition preparation and attention to people organizing the exhibitions. Effectiveness of exhibitions depends on a number of factors, not the number of visitors only. A lot depends on the work of all the exhibition staff, your booth in particular and other employees”.