Bashkiria presentation in Barcelona became real discovery for foreigners: experts

UFA, 5 December 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Alim Faizov/. In Spain, in Barcelona, the largest international forum and exhibition on the organization of congress events IBTM World has completed in the Fira exhibition complex.

This year a stand of the Russian Federation with the concept of Russia Open to the World was presented at the exhibition for the first time. The regions-leaders of the Russian hosting industry were presented at the stand of the country: Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Tatarstan, Sverdlovsk, Tula and Kaliningrad Regions.

Following the results of three days of the exhibition, Bashkortostan held five interactive presentations on the congress and business potential of the region, as well as a series of master classes that revealed the identity and cultural characteristics of the republic. A partner of the cultural component of the republican presentation was the Kapyl Tui event agency.

Participants of the Bashkortostan delegation held more than 50 negotiations and meetings with representatives of leading MICE-agencies, corporate customers of Russia, CIS countries, Europe, Asia and America. Agreements have been reached on cooperation with the congress-bureau of Vienna, Zurich, Barcelona, the press service of the Congress Bureau of Bashkortostan reported.

The Congress Bureau of Bashkortostan, together with the magazine MICE&moor, conducted a round table on the problems and trends in the development of the congress and MICE industry in Russia within the framework of the business program of the National stand. It announced holding of a new industry forum in Ufa in 2018: International MICE Business Week Ufa-2018. The Week of Congress Tourism will be held at the Ufa Congress Hall in early June next year.

In the final day of IBTM World a cooperation agreement was signed between the Congress Bureau of Bashkortostan and the R&C Exhibition and Research Center. It is the only organization in Russia that carries out a full range of market research in the event industry. The portfolio of the research center includes projects on regional marketing, organization and holding of events for the hosting industry, government agencies, congress bureaus and industry associations.

According to the visitors of the National stand of Russia, presentations, business and cultural programs of Bashkortostan became one of the key events at the stand. Experts noted that Ufa and the region as a whole were a real discovery for many participants of IBTM.

The Managing Director of MICE Knowledge, specializing in research and consulting in the field of business events, Rob Davidson admitted that the presentation of Bashkortostan was a real surprise for him.

"It's amazing that the region is so diverse, with a vast infrastructure. The region offers a lot for the organizers and participants of the conference. Honestly, I just wanted to go there and see everything firsthand", said Marina Knittel, representative of the Vienna Congress Bureau.

Commenting on the results of the Russian stand operation, the adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton Kobyakov stressed the importance of using such tools to promote Russian regions at the international level.