History
2019 – Sergey G . Voronkov , Director General of EF-International elected President of RUEF . 2020 – Anti-crisis activities during the Covid-19 pandemic :
• Thanks to the activities of the exhibition community , the industry was recognised as affected and received additional support
• Rospotrebnadzor approved the Guidelines on Measures to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus Infection during Congress and Exhibition Activities , developed by RUEF in co-operation with the CCI and business community
• Industry standards were developed
• The development of a draft Development Strategy of the Congress and Exhibition Industry in Russia until 2030 launched
• RUEF became omnichannel
• The study Covd-19 : Threats and Challenges for the Event Industry in Russia was published jointly with R & C .
• A territorial-sectoral matrix – a platform for collecting information about exhibition events in Russia – was introduced
• Online and hybrid format of events widely shared and adopted .
2021 – Thanks to the efforts of RUEF , other organisations and the industry community , the exhibition industry has resumed its activities and is successfully recovering from the crisis .
The decision to found the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs was taken in January 1991 , with the documents signed and sealed on 11 December that same year . Vice-president of EF International and vice-president of the RUEF and honorary UFI president , Sergey Alexeev , takes a brief look at the proud history of the trade fair industry in Russia :
Sergey Alexeev says the decision to found the Union back in 1991 was taken , firstly , out of “ historical necessity ”.
“ Trade fairs in Russia had started in May 1829 , when the First All-Russian Manufacturing Fair opened in St Petersburg . That gave a powerful impulse to the advancement of Russian goods on both the internal and external markets and also to the development of industrial production in the country ,” he says , adding that exhibitions allowed Russia to become one of the leading industrial powers in the world .
“ That First Manufacturing Fair was held at a new centre built at The Spit on Vasilievsky Island ,” Alexeev continues .
“ After the Revolution the exhibition business continued to grow with Nizhegorodsky Fair being a founder of the international association UFI .
The forerunner to the VDNK complex was built in 1939 and in 1959 the first international exhibition took place in the pavilions of Moscow ’ s Sokolniki Park , run by the Expocentr company set up under the USSR Chamber of Commerce for the purpose .”
As well as demonstrating the best of Soviet producers , exhibitions also showcased foreign products and affiliates of VDNK also sprang up in other regions of the country .
Alexeev notes that , at the end of the 1980s the economy transitioned from a planned to a market economy and all sorts of trading companies and exhibitions sprang up , including many dubious operators .
This prompted discussions on how to put the industry back on the right track . In 1991 the new Union was born with the support of the then Mayor of St Petersburg Alexander Sobchak and the then chairman of the Committee for Foreign Relations , Vladimir Putin .
Alexeev points out the importance of the director of Germany ’ s AUMA taking part in that founding meeting . The RUEF ’ s first director , L . S . Smorodova went on to serve the RUEF for 26 years .
“ The main goals of the Union were to develop the exhibition-congress industry , regional exhibition companies and coordinate the calendar of events , while working to improve technology and develop international ties ,” Alexeev says .
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The Indian Exhibition Industry Association ( IEIA ) is pleased to extend its warmest wishes on the 30th anniversary of RUEF being a progressive industry body representing the trade fairs sector in Russia . IEIA is also keen in taking ahead its collaboration with the RUEF for the growth of members of both our associations through co-operation and mutual support .” With best wishes for a bright future ahead . Sonia Prashar , President ; the Executive Committee & Secretariat , IEIA
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