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BalticBuild - St. Petersburg - September 2008
BalticBuild took place on 10-13 September 2008 in St. Petersburg. The event featured 706 companies from 19 countries and registered an attendance of over 26,000.
Mr. Shikalov, Deputy Minister for Building, Architecture and Housing of the Udmurt Republic, explained the significance of the event, “The forum has enabled us to discover the latest developments in global and Russian architecture, to share regional experiences with regard to development of territorial budgeting and discuss issues concerned with the development of Russian cities”.
A number of events were held during the exhibition, including conferences, round tables, seminars, presentations, competitions and a job fair.
The Innovation Contest, organised in association with the St. Petersburg Construction Centre, featured 100 new products, divided into ten categories. The winners were: Plastex ZAO (insulation materials), TD Kuehnel OOO (doors, windows and partitions), Atoll (flooring), Soyuzslavprom OOO (building machinery and equipment), Totik Industries OOO (interiors and finishing materials), RNV OOO (ventilation and heating), PO TOPOL ECO OOO (sanitary ware, water supply and water disposal), NPP Interpribor OOO (power supply, automation systems and measuring instruments), PSB Norveststroy ZAO (building structures) and Kraspan OOO (façade materials and structures).
Exhibitor feedback has been extremely positive. Ms. Korotiy from SPb Hout (Netherlands) commented, “This is our first entrance to the market and it is a very successful step. We established a lot of business contacts and our product was a great success. We would like to thank the exhibition organisers for the good business programme and we look forward to further co-operation”. •
BalticBuild is divided into the following sections: building materials & equipment, hardware & tools, metal, conmac, mining machinery & equipment, interiors, decotex, ceramic & stone, paints & coatings, windows & doors, bathroom, flooring, heat*vent and Adialog (Town planning and architecture forum).
BalticBuild is officially supported by the St. Petersburg Government, the Russian Builders Union, the St. Petersburg Union of Building Companies and Organisations and the St. Petersburg Union of Building Companies ‘Souzpetrostroy’.
ITE has been organising international exhibitions and conferences for more than 15 years and is a leader in the Russian exhibition business. ITE’s portfolio of build exhibition covers Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Georgia, China and Africa.
10-13 September 2008 - St.Petersburg, Russia
End of show report: BalticBuild took place on 12-15 September 2007 in Lenexpo, St.Petersburg.
The 11th edition of the international BalticBuild trade exhibition was a major event for the building industry in Russia and abroad. Stands representing over 750 participants covered on a floor space of 23,790 sqm. The exhibition drew 169 foreign exhibitors (29.5%) from 21 different countries and featured national group stands from Germany, Finland, Italy, Czech Republic, Turkey and China. BalticBuild is officially audited to certify the accuracy of its statistics. The Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs accredit the independent auditor, RussCom IT Systems.
The programme of co-located events has become a regular visitor attraction and, it traditionally included about 15 conferences, presentations and master classes held by participating companies. All those involved in the exhibition agreed that it had been a huge success, particularly in terms of meeting experts in the industry, including builders, designers, dealers and consumers.
The exhibition also confirmed its role in setting trends for the construction industry in North West Russia.
For the sake of novelties of branch, last achievements and high technologies, according to statistics come more than 80 % of BalticBuild visitors.
On 11 September (the day before the official opening) in the Astoria Hotel, prizes were awarded to the winners of the Innovation Contest, just a few of the new and updated products to be unveiled over the course of the exhibition (read the special report in page 8). Innovation is both a key aspect of the exhibition and a measure of the industry’s development.
The Innovation Contest enables visitors to find out about new products and offers and opportunity for companies to demonstrate their latest achievements. The visitors saw in the exposition new product lines and freshened assortment of the participating companies.
Visitors to the exhibition were kept entertained by a number of inventive initiatives designed to attract them to particular stands. Company representatives were distributing promotional materials and inviting visitors to their stands. Meanwhile, the main event was happening outside, where a range of machinery and equipment was demonstrated, including boring holes, sawing beams and bending metal. The ‘Hot Spring’ stand featured bikini-clad girls relaxing in hot baths in defiance of the cool air. At the ‘Capricon’ stand, visitors were invited to crash-test their products by attempting to open a window with a crowbar!
Over the years, BalticBuild has become a recognised forum in which to create business opportunities and promote companies and brands. Exhibitors have learned to maximise their promotional impact by presenting a well-designed stand, preparing promotional/informative materials in advance, advertising their participation in the trade media before the event and participating in the business programme.
The official press conference took place on the first day of the exhibition (12 September 2007) under the theme: “St. Petersburg: the innovation capital of Russia”. Journalists representing the major media in the region took part in the conference, including trade newspapers and journals, national television channels and the press.
Annually the organisers of BalticBuild conduct a VIP tour for the honorary guests. The VIP tour of BalticBuild 2007 kicked of with a visit to the largest stand: Alutech. The VIPs were then guided around the national group stands of Finland and Germany, before seeing displays by Russian participants and those who had won the previous day’s Innovation Contest. The tour ended in the pavilion for architecture, design and interior decor.
After lunch, the VIPs and organisers discussed a series of general issues before the events in the comprehensive business programme commenced.
The forum’s comprehensive business programme attracted large numbers of specialists. The programme included two conferences entitled “Dry mortar compaunds for the XXI century: technology and business” and “Ventilation, heating, gas, water supply and water draining for residential, industrial and public buildings”. A third conference dedicated to Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organisation was added to the programme this year, entitled “Legal aspects of architectural activity”. Other highlights included a workshop for small businesses, round tables discussing “Design issues for the building industry” and “The current state of budget building in St. Petersburg”, consultations with architects, presentations and master classes.
The awards for the innovation contest 2007, which were presented on 11 September at the Astoria hotel, set the tone for the exhibition. It was the second year that the contest had been held and it was co-organised by the St.Petersburg construction centre.
Mr. Evgeny Khazanov, General Director of Alutech, sponsor of the event, explained that the quality of entrants increased for 2007: “This year, around 100 application forms were accepted and standards have risen, which is good to see. The opinion expressed by participants and the jury, that a new level of quality had been reached, was true”.
However, as in 2006, only a third of the one hundred products submitted would receive an award. In total, 29 companies received prizes, 11 of whom (one from each category) won a grand prize. Each nominee hoped for victory and looked to generate, interest in their products and an opportunity to promote them to a valuable audience.
The winning products included floor coatings made of tyres and paints with new properties, as well as an innovative underfloor heating system, a dome window, an automated warehouse system and even a mobile concrete factory. Only products that appeared in the domestic construction market over the last year and represented a new product or idea could be nominated for the Innovation Contest. However, products already introduced in the previous contest were permitted to enter.
The awards ceremony was followed by a buffet, where visitors, exhibitors and organisers of the Innovation Contest could network in an informal atmosphere, enjoying a variety of drinks, hors d’oeuvres and classical jazz music.
The impartial, expert council judging the contest was made up of the Head of the Department for Control and Information of the Construction Committee of the St.Petersburg Government, the top specialist from the Department of Social Development of the Committee for Town Planning and Architecture, the top specialist from the State Construction Supervision and Expertise Department and the Director of the St.Petersburg Construction Centre, amongst others.
One of the main strengths of BalticBuild is its ability to attract foreign exhibitors and keep them by offering a high level of service. International exhibitors are a good selling point for any exhibition and often convince other companies to take part. They also attract large numbers of visitors; crowds always gather around national group stands.
BalticBuild is truly international, with over 750 companies from 21 different countries. The exhibition was twice awarded the prestigious title of ‘the best international project’ and was described as “the best exhibition in St.Petersburg, with the most effective international participation”. In 2007, 169 foreign manufacturers participated in the exhibition, 90% of whom did not have established partners or representation in Russia and were entering the Russian market for the first time. Most foreign participants agree that they have found new business partners at the event, which means that BalticBuild has succeeded in its aim!
During the exhibition, they were able to observe the behaviour of visitors, assess demand for their products and monitor the competition. A physical presence in the region enabled them to get a real feel for the market and select partners who can represent them in Russia. The organisers provide every opportunity for participants to meet with domestic and foreign producers. This year organisers offer a new service – targeted meetings. According to the Exhibition Director, Elena Kuptsevich, “We must help professionals find each other and are ready to assist by organising meetings, etc”. Statistics show that this kind of service is appreciated by BalticBuild participants: 55% of visitors claim their main aim in visiting BalticBuild is to sign agreements. Information about this service will be available closer to the show.
Contacts:
Cantabria infinita
Cueva de El Soplao • Año Santo Lebaniego • Turismo y gastronomía
Propuestas en Brasil
Cabo Frío: paraíso a 200 km de Río • Niterói: playas, arquitectura y agenda cultural • El camino de Niemeyer: recorrido arquitectónico
Propuestas en Argentina
Ruta Nacional 40: Recorrido de la parte Norte • Recorrido del Centro (Cuyo) • Recorrido de la parte Sur (Patagonia)
Propuestas de turismo
en la Comunidad Valenciana
Ibi, Onil, Foia de Castalla • Belén de Tirisiti - Patrimonio cultural en Alcoi • Los Baños del Almirante (Valencia del s.XIV) • Mundo Naval en el museo Príncipe Felipe • Arte rupestre valenciano (Museo de la Valltorta)
Noticias sobre
transporte aéreo
Air Nostrum • Ryanair • Spanair • Vueling
