OREANDA-NEWS. Acting Governor of St.Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko has signed a directive on the establishment of a state-assisted Convention and Exhibition Bureau, which will help to attract major convention and exhibition events to the city.

The Bureau will be housed in the offices of the Committee for Tourism Development and will take responsibility for furthering St Petersburg's reputation as a centre for conventions and business. Its duties will include promoting the city on the international stage, attracting international exhibitions and conventions to St. Petersburg and developing the events industry infrastructure in Russia's second city.

According to Inna Shalyto, Chair of the Committee for Tourism Development, expansion of the convention tourism industry is a top priority for the city's government, and the new Convention and Exhibition Bureau will accelerate St.Petersburg's entry into Europe's top ten business capitals. “We hope to have around 180 major international events a year by 2020. This will allow us to increase the level of activity in our convention and exhibition industry fivefold”, she emphasised.

Sergey Voronkov, General Director of ExpoForum International, also expressed his support for the establishment of the new office: "This year marks a new stage in the development of the MICE industry in St Petersburg, with the creation of an agency for the sector, the Convention and Exhibition Bureau, as well as the opening of the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre. I am convinced that by joining forces and working together we will be able to secure our city's status as a top European business centre."