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A panel discussion held within the conference programme of the Innoprom 2021 international industrial exhibition held from July 5 to 8 in Yekaterinburg was devoted to the development of a legal system for conventions and exhibitions as the basis for the formation of new regional competencies. 

The event was organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Investment and Development of the Sverdlovsk Region, the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs and EXPOCENTRE AO.

The moderator of the discussion, First Deputy Director General of EXPOCENTRE AO Sergey Selivanov noted in his introductory speech that there were over 2,800 organisations operating in the Russian event market. Of these, just over half of them are from Moscow and the Moscow region. At the same time, the volume of the capital's market in financial terms exceeds 108 billion roubles out of total 130 billion roubles in Russia, or more than 83%. 

The issue of correcting this imbalance has been discussed for a number of years, Sergey Selivanov stated. According to him, international exhibitions are one of the most effective, and often universal, mechanisms for promoting goods and services on the Russian and foreign markets. In this connection, he suggested to discuss the Strategy for the Convention and Exhibition Industry Development in the Russian Federation until 2030, elaboration and adoption of the Federal Law on Exhibition, Trade Fair and Convention Activities in the Russian Federation, foreign experience in legal regulation of the industry and some other topical issues. 

Dmitry Kurochkin, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, who spoke during the discussion, noted that congress and exhibition activities are traditional for most chambers of commerce and industry throughout Russia. Some 57 regional and 43 municipal chambers organise exhibitions and other events aimed at business development in the regions. 

The issue of drafting the Federal Law on Exhibition, Trade Fair and Convention Activities remains a priority, he said. A survey of regional chambers was conducted in order to make the development of the draft as open to discussion and constructive proposals as possible. 86% of the chambers surveyed said that the adoption of a relevant law would motivate the constituent entities to develop regional-level documents and create the conditions for government support for the development of exhibition, trade fair and congress activities in the regions. 

As Dmitry Kurochkin explained, the relevant regulatory document is not intended to regulate the industry. It is intended to help solve numerous industry problems and create a basis that can be used to subsidise new projects, legally enshrining the rights and obligations in the implementation of congress, exhibition and fair activities in the regions. 

The Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also dwelt on the issues of training of professional personnel for the exhibition industry. In his opinion, it will be advisable to create part-time training programmes for specialists, as well as new advanced training programmes based on the professional standard "Specialist in exhibition activities in the field of trade and industrial exhibitions", developed by the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs and the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

The Chambers also note the need for a unified strategy successive to the Concept for the Development of the Congress, Exhibition and Trade Fair Industry adopted in 2014. Active work is also being carried out on this issue. Since October 2020, the CCI RF has been assisting the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs in developing the provisions of the draft Strategy for the Convention and Exhibition Industry Development in the Russian Federation until 2030, relating to the regulatory framework, said Dmitry Kurochkin. 

Viktoria Kazakova, Minister of Investment and Development of the Sverdlovsk Region, spoke about her region's experience in developing convention and exhibition activities. She said that in parallel with the development of the region's convention and exhibition infrastructure, two strategic directions have been pursued. The first one is attracting one-time global events to the region. The second one is scaling up regional convention and exhibition projects. 

"We have learned from our own experience that major events are an impetus for development in several areas at once for any territory. The infrastructure has a huge effect, and not only on the congress and exhibition area, the investments are attracted in hotel, restaurant, transport, advertising business, the event and entertainment industry, retail trade," the minister said.

She stressed the importance of adopting the Strategy for the Convention and Exhibition Industry Development at the federal level and the relevant law to create the regional regulatory framework. "The regions will have an opportunity to identify a public authority responsible for implementing the unified state policy in the sphere of congress and exhibition activities on the territory of the Russian constituent entities, including the improvement of the system of support and promotion of this sphere: the so-called authorised body to support congress and exhibition activities in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation," said Viktoria Kazakova. 

According to her, each of the regions will build its own set of support measures. With the emergence of a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for the development of the congress and exhibition activities at the federal level, there will be effective tools to reduce the gap, when the volume of the capital's convention and exhibition services market is 83%, while all other constituent entities of the Russian Federation account for only 17%, summarised the regional minister. 

Darya Ostrovskaya, Director General of the R&C Research and Exhibition Centre, spoke about the legal regulation and state support measures in the event industry. She drew attention to the fact that international experience shows that the legal regulation of the event industry largely depends on subsidies, tax benefits for participants and organisers of exhibition and congress events. 

The position of the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs was presented by Elena Ublieva, Executive Director of RUEF. She told about the current stage of work on the draft Strategy for the Convention and Exhibition Industry Development in the Russian Federation until 2030, as well as about the position of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade in relation to the adoption of the federal law.

Elena Ublieva pointed out the need for a relevant legal act, as it will regulate the relations arising during the formation and implementation of policy in the field of exhibition, fair and congress activities, by defining the key concepts, goals and objectives of policy implementation in these activities, the powers of state, regional and municipal authorities of the Russian Federation.

She highlighted the work of the congress and exhibition professionals in ensuring epidemiological safety at events. During the period of restrictions, she stressed, the convention and exhibition centres were equipped in accordance with the current "Recommendations on preventive measures to avoid the spread of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) at the convention and exhibition events", adopted by the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing in 2020. 

The panel discussion was attended by more than 200 representatives of different regional organisations, including regional chambers of commerce and industry. 

Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO