ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre

There are now two companies operating under the ExpoForum brand - ExpoForum and ExpoForum International. ExpoForum is the developer for the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre, in the Pulkovo district of St. Petersburg. ExpoForum International organises exhibitions, business, and other major cultural events, and also manages the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex. It will operate the new convention and exhibition centre from 2014. History ExpoForum was founded on 18 January 2008 to oversee the construction of a new international convention and exhibition centre in St. Petersburg, near Pulkovo International Airport. The new convention and exhibition centre, which is due to open in 2014, will be one of the largest in Northwest Russia and one of the most modern in Europe. The project is being implemented through a collaborative agreement, signed on 9 February 2007, between the Government of St. Petersburg and Gazprom Group. On 1 November 2011, ExpoForum signed a set of contracts with Lenexpo, making it the largest exhibition organiser in St. Petersburg and the operator of the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex. ExpoForum acquired Lenexpo's entire exhibition portfolio as well as the trademarks and exhibition project databases. Since 2012, all of these exhibitions have been curated by the new organiser - ExpoForum. ExpoForum also took out a lease on the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex. On 1 October 2013, ExpoForum completed the restructuring of its business and its construction and exhibition activities will now be carried out by separate legal entities. ExpoForum will take charge of all construction work on 1 October 2013. ExpoForum International will be responsible for organising exhibitions, business events, and all other major cultural events, and for managing the exhibition venues. ExpoForum International today ExpoForum International is one of Russia’s leading convention and exhibition organisers, with more than 40% of the market in the Northwest region. ExpoForum International operates the Lenexpo Exhibition Complex, the only specialised exhibition complex in St. Petersburg, which hosts around 60 exhibitions and 450 conventions every year, as well as more than 40 other events, including congresses, corporate functions, shows, and sporting events. Each year, around 10,000 exhibitors from 65 countries display their products at the complex, which has an annual footfall of around 1 million. The company will also take on the management of the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre when it opens in Pulkovo in 2014. ExpoForum International successfully organises Russian exhibitions and business programmes at specialist overseas conventions and global forums, including Expo 2012 (South Korea), IMEX (Germany), and Manufacturing Indonesia. The company has also organised events of global significance, including the SportAccord International Convention and the Russia-ASEAN Business Forum. ExpoForum International works with some of the leading exhibition organisers around the world, including ITE Group, Reed Exhibitions, Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Essen, and Dolphin Exhibitions, as well as major exhibition organisers in Russia, such as RESTEC Exhibition Company, FarExpo, Kino Expo, and Imperia. The quality of ExpoForum International’s work is confirmed by the fact that it is a member of several prestigious international associations: the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association), the AIPC (International Association of Congress Centres) and the UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry). ExpoForum today ExpoForum is the developer for the convention and exhibition centre currently under construction in St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo District. Construction is due to be completed in December 2013 and the centre will open for business in autumn 2014. A team of highly qualified specialist civil engineers and designers are employed on the project. They have worked on the construction of some of the most complex buildings all over Russia. ExpoForum and ExpoForum International are actively involved in the development of St. Petersburg, supporting the government’s economic and cultural programmes. Specifically, the company designed the transport infrastructure on a 500-hectare site adjacent to the future convention and exhibition centre, at its own expense. ExpoForum is also one of the founders of the Foundation for the Restoration of Christian Cultural Monuments, a charity which is restoring an orthodox church designed by the famous Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi and destroyed during the Second World War. Another of the charity’s projects, involving the restoration of the Meridian Line at the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Pulkovo, has already been completed. The opening ceremony for this newly-restored piece of historical and cultural history, which was also destroyed during the Second World War, was held on 16 August 2013.