subscribe to news Maxim Fateev: it is necessary to stimulate participation of SMEs in trade shows

Anton Alikhanov, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, had a meeting with representatives of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry as part of the Meetings on Ilyinka series. Opening the event, Sergey Katyrin, President of the Chamber, spoke about the high level of cooperation between the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The meeting with the minister was attended by heads of regional chambers of commerce and industry and heads of the largest industry associations, which are members of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and representatives of the real sector of the economy.

Maxim Fateev, Director General of EXPOCENTRE and Chair of the Committee on Exhibition, Fair and Congress Activities of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also attended the event.

Speaking on behalf of the professional community, Maxim Fateev outlined key challenges faced by the convention and exhibition industry and proposed specific measures to overcome them. He stressed that about 2,500 businesses receive government support every year. A half of them participate in exhibitions held in Russia. However, since 2021, the amount of funding for these purposes has been decreasing, which affects the number of group stands, their floor space, and the number of regional exhibitors.

“We are recording a decrease of 25-30% compared to 2023, both in terms of the number of regional shows, and in terms of floor space and the number of participants. This directly affects the access of small and medium-sized businesses to the exhibition platform. We ask you to consider the possibility of increasing financing for the participation of Russian manufacturers in international trade shows held in Russia,” said Maxim Fateev.

The second important proposal was infrastructure development. According to professional associations, there are about one million square metres of exhibition space in Russia today, with 65% of them in the Moscow region. According to Maxim Fateev, the existing capacities are no longer sufficient for holding trade shows, especially those that require demonstration of large-sized machinery and equipment.

“Together with our community, we propose to develop a comprehensive programme to support the construction and upgrade of exhibition venues. It is important to take into account all current requirements such as engineering communications, capabilities to show heavy equipment in operation, etc.,” stressed Mr. Fateev.

“The Committee on Exhibition, Fair and Congress Activities of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is ready to continue participating in the development of solutions that strengthen industrial cooperation and promote the products of Russian companies in domestic and foreign markets,” said Maxim Fateev.

Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO