Zhao Wei Celion Su

Introduction： Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Center， established in 1959， is one of the oldest event sites in Russia and one of the most popular exhibition venues in Moscow. At present， the venue holds 377 events a year， enjoying a booming business soaring like a falcon， as the venue name suggests.

A venue in a historical royal site

Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Center（Sokolniki ECC） is one of the oldest sites in Russia for holding various types of events and activities and one of the most popular exhibition venues in Moscow. As introduced by Alexey Shaburov， President of Sokolniki ECC， since its foundation 60 years ago， the Center has seen an increase in the number of exhibition halls， which have all been improved and modernized， but the one thing that has not changed is the location， which retains the advantages of the surrounding ecological beauty. The Center is located in the northeastern part of Moscow， just a few stations away from the city center in the heart of Sokolniki Park， which is spread over more than 500 hectares of woodland. In ancient times， the park has been a treasured place for tsars to train domesticated hunting falcons. Today， when visitors and participants come to an exhibition， they can observe mooses， hares， and some rare animals living in their natural surroundings in this old royal resort. In addition， there is also a well-developed transportation infrastructure as well as many hotels nearby， which also encourages the organizers to have their events here.

Sokolniki Park was named for the falcon hunt formerly conducted there （“sokol” is the Russian word for falcon）. The performance of Sokolniki ECC is also in full swing， like the soaring falcon with the wings in full swing. According to Mr Shaburov， the main advantage of the venue is that it helps new projects get off to a great start. The Center has a total area of almost 30，000 indoor square meters in 10 halls and another 17，000 square meters of additional open area outside， which is more than adequate for a good beginning. “We have seen it many times— the birth of new exhibitions. How they appear， strive for success， and then become successful，” he says proudly.

In the past few years， the number of exhibitions and events held at Sokolniki ECC has steadily increased and the business is very busy. At present， the venue holds 377 exhibitions and conferences a year. This is a substantial increase from just a couple of years ago. Among them， in 2016-2017， the exhibitions， including some long-term ones， increased by 5.9%. Other types of events rose by 11.6%. These exhibitions cover automotive， industrial， chemical analysis， welding and other fields. Every year， about 10 million people go to visit Sokolniki Park， which also creates favorable conditions for the exhibition center to hold various activities， especially B2C events.

Each year， there are a large number of Chinese visitors to the Center. Mr Shaburov points out that the most popular sectors for Chinese exhibitors are those of chemical analysis and welding equipment， with the Chinese ration sometime reaching 40%. The exhibition center also undertakes activities organized by some Chinese institutions， such as the Fujian Cultural Industries Fair（in Russia） organized by Fujian Strong Commerce & Exhibition Co. and held in September on an area of 2，000 square meters（about 100 companies took part in the exhibition）. In addition， as a renowned venue in Moscow， Sokolniki ECC has also received many high-ranking Chinese and Russian officials， which testifies the high level of its facilities and services.

Physical exhibitions will never disappear

Mr Shaburov has extensive experience in the field of exhibitions and has hosted exhibitions since the 1990s. His exhibition company was one of the most successful at the time， and organized more than 70 exhibitions during the peak period， especially in the industrial sector. In 2010， he sold the International Exhibition Company with exhibition projects which he owned to the internationally renowned organizer ITE for 33 million euros and began to enter the field of venue operation. Now， Mr Shaburov says that Sokolniki ECC has its own exhibition business， but this is carried out without competing with the existing clients. These exhibitions involve horse industry， agricultural products， childrens toys and other fields.

As a successful exhibition organizer， Mr Shaburov thinks that a quality exhibition is when the right exhibitor and the right visitor are brought together at one venue， both of them professionals. “We are not only interested in the interaction between professional manufacturers and professional consumers but also in the interaction between business professionals. They are the drivers of success； through this interaction they are able to offer truly innovative solutions and supply the market with new quality products.，” he remarks.

He also firmly believes that real exhibitions will never be replaced with virtual ones because “the latter lack an emotional aspect to them， and people want to interact directly， need to connect on an emotional level and have this physical presence”. Regarding the sustainable development of an exhibition， he thinks that the organizer must always have their finger on the pulse of the industry.“Organizers and managers must have a ‘gut instinct for emerging trends， ‘feel the market， and be good at forecasting its demands，”he comments. In addition， exhibitions need continuous promotion to create a good publicity for the success.

The mutual promotion of culture and trade

Mr Shaburov is very fascinated by Chinese culture. He set up an office in China in his early years and has traveled throughout China to appreciate the local culture of each district. He said with a smile， “Delicacies are in Guangzhou， and to drink to your hearts content is in Northeast China.” He admires the hard work of the Chinese people and encourages all his staff at Sokolniki ECC to learn such a Chinese spirit and requests his son to learn Chinese from elementary school. He believes that Chinas take-off has direct and inextricable links with the Chinese peoples diligence， and that the Russian peoples ingenuity is not worse than that of other countries， but if the Russian nation is to rise， the people must have such a spirit of hard work.

Under the management of Mr Shaburov， Sokolniki ECCs official website has three languages， which fully reflects his respect and attention to the Chinese market. He believes that good infrastructure can greatly promote the development of the MICE industry. The reason why Chinas convention and exhibition industry has advanced by leaps and bounds is inseparable from the blooming of professional venues. He revealed that in the future， he will further introduce Chinese culture to Russia through high-end boutique exhibitions such as the “One Belt One Road Chinese” Tea Trade Fair， he also hopes that in return， cultural exchanges will help promote economic and trade cooperation. Next year， Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Center is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

The year 2019 also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia， and Alexey Shaburov， who is also head of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy（https：//www.calligraphy-museum.com/ en）， is holding an exhibition called “The Great Chinese Calligraphy and Painting”（https：//www.calligraphy-museum.com/en/ exhibitions/great-chinese-calligraphy-onebelt-one-road-exhibition） to celebrate the occasion.

Looking to the future， for the overall business plan of Sokolniki ECC， the venue has already found its niche： established exhibitions that do not require large space. “We have 30 thousand square meters of indoor exhibition space and 17，000 square meters of open area available for the installation of mobile halls and organizing outdoor events. But we are well-suited for new projects too. We also hold regional and federal exhibitions， as well as international ones. I could say that we are some sort of an ‘incubator for growing new projects，” says Mr Shaburov.