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An Interview with the Moscow Convention Bureau

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The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) business in Moscow is expanding rapidly. It is becoming highly professional, with a number of companies specialising only in the sector. A vibrant metropolis with centuries of history, Moscow is a magnet for resources and talent. Host city for thousands of events, the former epicentre of Communism is the now a place for effective meetings of all kinds. Here, Maria Dobroserdova of the Moscow Convention Bureau describes what the city has to offer and how the Bureau can act as a one-stop-shop for meeting organisers.

The MICE business in Russia has expanded rapidly in recent years, to what do you attribute this development?
The organisation of congresses and exhibitions at international level has become an integral element of any city that aims to be a global centre of science and business. Moscow welcomes and supports large-scale Russian and international events that aim to develop scientific and business cooperation. The city’s government believes that such events provide a huge opportunity for the development of the city. Moscow has all of the necessary resources for the successful organisation of business meetings of any scale. Each year, hotel-room capacity increases, the number of congress venues and professional service providers grows, and the city improves its transport options.

In 2013, the Moscow Convention Bureau was established to coordinate convention and exhibition activities. The Bureau is an official and independent source of information on the capital and its opportunities for international meeting planners. Thanks to the activity of municipal authorities, national representatives and the city’s exhibitions industry, there has been rapid growth in the number and quality of business events held in Moscow.

Moscow has a worldwide reputation as a city of culture at the heart of world history, but what makes it a good place for a meeting of business delegates?
Modern Moscow is a dynamic, developing metropolis and one of the world’s major business centres. Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, it is a perfect destination for business and leisure tourism. More than 500 major forums, exhibitions, conventions and conferences are held annually in Moscow, while several thousand small business events take place.RUSSIA3

In addition to congress centres, transformable exhibition spaces and hotel conference rooms, Moscow offers palaces, museums, theatres and sports venues. The most popular venues in Moscow are the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre (9,172 sqm, 5,500 seats), the Central Exhibition Complex Expocentre (871 sqm, 500 seats), the World Trade Centre Moscow (5,500 sqm, multi-purpose, convertible congress hall for up to 1,500 people, 24 conference halls and meeting rooms, modern conference equipment as well as 2,600 sqm of exhibition space). No less than 10 other venues in Moscow have the facilities to arrange large-scale conventions of 1,000 delegates or more. There are already more than 30 professional congress organisers in Moscow.

MICE events are not just about business. What incentives does Moscow offer in order to create a truly memorable experience?
Moscow is an ideal destination for incentive trips because of its unique cultural heritage, abundance of sights and world-class museums, excellent choice of hotels, numerous extraordinary event locations, gastronomic restaurants, variety of activities and legendary nightlife. Russia has always been infamous for the KGB, and today guests can participate in “KGB Training” and become spies. Each team must complete its mission by identifying an agent waiting at certain locations and by passing over information without arousing the suspicions of the ever-watchful secret police. You must be very careful not to be caught!

Meetings delegates can visit the unique Cosmonaut Training Centre, located a one-hour drive from Moscow in the totally self-contained Space City. This is where cosmonauts from Russia and all over the world are trained for manned space flights. As it is a high-security complex, only the museum is usually open to the public and by special permit only, but special groups are allowed access for tours and programs. These groups can try the Zero G Program, which is carried out in the flying laboratory using the wide fuselage Aerobus IL-76 MDK, where you can experience zero gravity. You, like cosmonauts, will acquire the most important skills required for complete weightlessness.

Miracle City (or Chudo Grad) in Izmaylovo is a Russian handicraft centre famous for its open-air souvenir market. It is located in one of the oldest parts of Moscow, where the second Romanov Tzar Alexey Mikhailovich had his summer residence. Nowadays, the complex includes traditional crafts workshops where you can witness the creation of handicraft items. At the entrance, guests are met with bread and salt offered by a Russian girl in traditional costume. Enjoy the feeling of creating with a Matryoshka (the famous Russian nestling dolls) doll painting class! Other activities include wooden spoon playing and bell ringing master classes, the special activity program Red Summer, a visit to vodka museum, vodka tasting, and many others.RUSSUA3

As the city’s official representative in the international meetings’ industry, what role does the Moscow Convention Bureau play in facilitating the MICE industry?
The Moscow Convention Bureau serves as the city’s representative in international business and academic communities, a mediator between conference organisers and the city. Acting as an objective, neutral and independent consultant and industry expert, we are a one-stop-shop for Russian and international meeting planners. Moscow really is a great place to meet, and it is our pleasure to help industry professionals from all around the world to see it for themselves.

Thirty years ago, Moscow was an epicentre of Communism that was rarely visited by outsiders. How do you see the city developing over the next 30 years?
We live in a new Russia that is only 20 years old. The government had changed, the new generation has grown up, and the infrastructure of the city has been renewed. And all those things will improve. The image of Moscow has changed. Many think of Moscow in terms of old stereotypes. But now we have business-class hotels, with services and accommodation on the same level as in any European capital, all built during the past 20 years. In 1991, when the USSR disintegrated, there were just three four-star hotels in downtown Moscow. Now there are at least 17, most of them run by international networks. And many more are on the way as Moscow prepares for a serious increase in tourism coinciding with several events that will draw global attention, including the FIFA World Cup in 2018. According to the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), the number of tourists in Russia will reach about 20 million by 2025, and business tourism is also expected to rise rapidly.