The session started with an opening speech by Sergey Voronkov, Chairman of the Committee for Strategic Planning of RUEF Activity and Director General of EXPOFORUM International. According to Voronkov, the goal of the industry is to launch a law to regulate congress and exhibition activities. Currently there is GOST (government standard) that defines what an exhibition is, but there’s no such subject in law. It is necessary to define the industry, a form of event support and procedure at a legal level. RUEF members expressed their doubts concerning formalization of the market in the event that the law is adopted. In addition, exhibitors are anxious about a large number of people opposed to the law, since it will affect all bodies taking the most active part in managing this industry, such as federal and regional regulatory bodies that curate these issues.

Members of the session also discussed international practices. For example, in Germany it is not possible to hold two exhibitions with the same theme at the same time. In Russia, exhibitions compete amongst themselves and, therefore, mitigate the demand for their projects. The Federal Antimonopoly Service doesn’t see any violations, since with respect to the law, there are different trademarks between exhibitions.

The problem of formulating proposals for federal facility tax exemptions used for holding exhibitions, coding exhibition activity in OKVED, as well as the problem of storage and display of alcoholic product samples at exhibitions has not yet been solved. However, progress is being made: on October 17 the session of the Interdepartmental Commission for Exhibition and Trade Fair Activities took place in the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. Following the results of the session, the expert group refines the project of the Federal Law on Exhibition, Trade Fair and Congress Activities.