OREANDA-NEWS. June 7, 2012. ExpoForum officially announced the launch of its new congress and exhibition project – “Russian International Energy Forum”. The first forum shall take place already in 2013 at Lenexpro and unite the leading industry events held in Saint Petersburg in its structure.

The “Russian International Energy Forum” consolidates International Exhibition “Energetika&electrotechnika” and a number of other industry exhibitions, conferences and regional industry meetings in Saint Petersburg.

The first event will take place in May 2013 in Lenexpo, and in 2014 it will take place at the premises of the ExpoForum exhibition complex located near Pulkovo Airport. The possibility of transferring “Russia Power & HydroVision Russia” – the largest electric power and hydropower event in Russia held in Moscow by PennWell Corporation – to the Forum’s premises is discussed.

The Russian International Energy Forum is a part of the congress and exhibition business development strategy implemented by ExpoForum JSC.  “We plan to increase by two times the general area of the exhibitions held in the city,” announced Executive Director of ExpoForum JSC Sergey Voronkov during the ceremonial presentation of the project held as part of the “Energetika&electrotechnika” exhibition. “To achieve the target we need to untie the recourses of the organizers and shape large and important at the international level projects. Now, the local congress and exhibition market looks like a patchwork quilt: different events competing with each other and belonging to the same branch take place at different sites at different time.”

Aleksey Yakovlev, Head of the Administration for Media Relations, Marketing and Congress and Exhibition Activities of the Committee for Economic Development Industrial Policy and Trade of the Government of Saint Petersburg disclosed the disadvantages of the above market conjuncture. “The city’s economy needs such large scale events as the “Russian International Energy Forum”. These are more stable, as the crisis has shown: Small-sized and isolated projects closed while the large ones only suffered minor losses and even managed to increase the number of exhibitors.”

Igor Kirsanov, Director General of Restec Exhibition Company, approved the project and laid a special emphasis on the prospects of its development within the new Congress and Exhibition Complex which will grow to one of the largest and technologically perfect complexes in the Europe. “The new and modern site will further the success of the forum”.

According to Aleksey Tregubov, Chairman of the Soviet of the Union of Power Engineers of the North-West, organization of events of this subject-matter in Saint Petersburg is very special: along with the largest Scandinavian industrial centers, Saint Petersburg is one of the key players of the European electric power market. South-Western Thermal Power Plant ensuring power reliability for the whole North-Western region of the country was commissioned here in 2006. Apart from the above, Saint Petersburg houses the North-Western Thermal Power Plant – the first in Russia power plant with a highly economical and clean power production technology based on the gas-steam cycle.

Roman Komissarov, Assistant Director General for Media and State Authorities Relations of JSC Energy Service North-West, approves of the new project as well. “Russia currently has many forums on energy, power conservation and modernization of the fuel and energy complex. But the number of these does not affect the result: problems are only discussed. I believe that it is better to organize only one global event annually where all those interested can gather and come to a sole and certain solution. The “Russian International Energy Forum” will be just the required event.”