Russia
Kazan
From Moscow, it is a short internal
flight (there are 18 a day) down the
Volga to the Tatarstan capital, Kazan.
Tatarstan is a republic that prides itself
on free enterprise zones and is an oil
and gas citadel. It is one of 14 net
contributors to the national budget out
of the 85 regions in Russia.
Kazan Expo is the shiny new
convention and exhibition jewel in the
city’s venue crown and it boasts
75,000sqm of event space right next to
the airport. This year it hosted the
largest WorldSkills Conference to date.
Other events include the A.I World
Summit, Russia and the Islamic World
and the venue’s largest annual event,
EduRussia.
Tatarstan boasts a US$19.26bn trade
turnover and has 65% of the country’s
crude oil. Large corporations include
Tatneft and large tyre and helicopter
producers.
Kazan boasts hosting the biggest
hackathon in the world for start-ups,
with 3,000 of them meeting to solve
industrial problems.
The older Kazan Fair is the city’s
traditional venue for big events and
now fast diversifying its fairground
space.
Kazan is a centre where Christian
and Muslim cultures exist peacefully
side by side and the monuments,
churches and mosques provide a rich
tapestry of heritage to drape around
your event. Meanwhile, Turkish
investment has produced the beautiful
Kazan Palace by Tasigo hotel, full of
5-star opulence.
The Tatarstan Investment and
Development Agency (TIDA) is
coordinating the push for investment
and innovation in the republic and its
chief executive, Taliya Minullina, told
CMW: “We have priority markets and
MICE is a priority. Kazan may not be
well known outside our country, but
we are strong in sporting events and
hosting 2018 FIFA World Cup matches
was also a major step for us.” The
Kazan Arena can host over 42,000
people and boasts the largest media
façade and screen in Europe.
“Modern tourists are also looking
for something unique and we are
trying to emphasise the cultural
heritage,” tourism chief Aygul
Balahonceva added.
Guzal Burnaeva, who heads the
Tatarstan CVB claimed Kazan is “the
best place in Russia to organise events.
Here you can work with local experts
and the CVB will help you connect to
them.”
The bureau is currently awaiting the
outcome of a recent bid in Madrid for a
major lung disease conference.
Any delegates visiting Kazan can
also take advantage of cruises on the
Volga River in their downtime.
Ufa
Another energy centre is Ufa, capital of
Bashkortostan, which also has its own
VDNH venue as well as the more
modern Congress Hall Toratau, venue
for the 7th BRICS Summit and
Shanghai Co-operation Organisation
meeting in 2015. It even has a built-in
yurt for that special intimate
face-to-face.
Ufa has a Hippodrome, an opera
house and a vast State Petroleum
Technical University that works
closely with leading companies such as
Lukoil, Gazprom and Rosneft. Any
energy-related conference would find
fertile ground for academic and
corporate support.
Ufa is also a specialist centre for
beekeeping and honey and will hold
international congress Apimondi and
its ApiEXPO in 2021. The world
Philosophy Congress is also due in
2023.
The city’s new brand is ‘Soul of the
Urals. Heart of Eurasia’.
With some recent moves to relax visa
procedures, and with St Petersburg now
offering a three-day visa free travel
option and an e-visa application system
promised by 2021, Russia is becoming
less of an event enigma wrapped in a
mystery, but a unique incentives and
conference destination with a wide
variety of cultures in its 85 constituent
regions.
Above: The new
Kazan Expo
adjacent to the
city’s new airport
Left: Rocket
science at VDNH
Moscow
Below: At the
Salavat Yulaev
statue in Ufa
ISSUE 103
/
CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
/
57