Feedback from the exhibitors and visitors of the Russian week of high technologies 2020
Vladimir Kononov, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly, Chairman of the Organising Committee of NTI Expo:
It has never been so difficult to prepare Russian Week of High Technologies. I am very grateful to the management of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sergey Katyrin and EXPOCENTRE’s management. The fact that we held one of the first powerful convention and exhibition events not online, but offline is great. At the same time, all the rules prescribed for such events by Rospotrebnadzor were observed. I am very grateful to the Mayor of Moscow that he did not close EXPOCENTRE and that we have the opportunity to network with the observance of all safety measures.
Russian Week of High Technologies was more constructive than ever, despite the difficulties related to the coronavirus pandemic. There were very specific and substantive presentations.
It was a great exhibition, very interesting stands. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that, for the first time in Russian Week of High Technologies, the Ministry of Defence represented by the Main Directorate for Innovative Research took part.
Personally, as Chairman of the Organising Committee of NTI Expo, I am very pleased with Russian Week of High Technologies. In next June we will continue this work.
Vladimir Zvantsev, Director General of RADIOVOLNA NGO:
I would like to thank the exhibition organisers for the opportunity to exhibit this year. We thought that the exhibition would be cancelled due to the pandemic, but the world is moving forward, so we decided to take part and showcase modern products. Not to stop and not to throw this year out of our lives.
The pandemic helped those who are specifically interested in our products to come to the stand. All the contacts that took place at the exhibition were concrete, business. People who came were particularly interested in our products. Therefore, we assess the potential after the exhibition as high. Our stand is an opportunity to demonstrate and test the specific model of the products we manufacture. That's why we relied on the audience that constantly asks us questions about what the products look like and whether we can come somewhere to see them, whether there is a demonstration stand. Of course, the capabilities of the site allow us to assemble a particular model, and at the same time we can sit down and discuss products, demonstrate and watch a video presentation.
Location at an exhibition determines attention. Sometimes visitors can’t find a stand without a special guide or assistant, so our stand in the centre of the exhibition offers many advantages at once. All those who wanted to see us could immediately notice our stand and approach it.
We will continue to exhibit at Sviaz 2021.
Ivan Yeremin, Director of Eltex Communications:
Our company has been participating in the exhibition since 2014. You should schedule all meetings in advance to make your participation efficient. So this year, despite the restrictions, we have planned and held meetings anyway. This is more than 20 meetings. We do not count on random visitors. This year, we demonstrate equipment in operation. We have not just a showcase that is off, but a working stand. For us, an exhibition is one more opportunity to meet a customer. We will take part in the exhibition to maintain relations. We showcase equipment, talk about new products. Consequently, we are visited by our current customers. It was partly difficult to invite them here, but the driver was the demonstration of equipment, video invitations, prizes and gifts. All this works and people come to us.
Of course, we stayed home and haven’t seen our customers for almost a year, so the exhibition is a good opportunity to see our key customers. I think that by the next exhibition, we will keep the same approach to equipment demonstrations. In February-March we will look at the epidemiological situation and maybe we will also hold a conference, which has traditionally been held from year to year.
Roman Smirnov, Commercial Director of INFINET OOO:
We have been exhibiting at Sviaz for about 10 years. This is a landmark event for us. We consider it a promising event for communications professionals. After the quarantine, we would like to communicate live, meet our partners and customers in person. People from different regions of Russia and the former Soviet Union come to the exhibition.
If you speak, it should be significant. If you do something, it should be good. We pay a lot of attention to the design and development of the stand concept. Our stand carries a double meaning load. On the one hand, there are solutions for operators, and on the other hand, there are solutions for customers who require communication in motion.
Holding this year's exhibition was unexpectedly pleasing to us. Only professionals come to the stand: communication operators, partners, customers, many of them are interested in mobile solutions. They are interested in novelties and technical solutions.
We have not yet decided to participate in the exhibition next summer. If the situation allows, we will have something to surprise you. We haven't brought everything by now. We hope that in summer, if we are welcome, we will show solutions for operators which are not represented at this exhibition. We are always happy to see visitors.
Elena Ushakova, Director of the Moscow Office of Micran Research and Production Company:
We have been participating in the exhibition since 2003. The decision to participate this year was made before the coronavirus spread. We would like to reassure our customers and partners that our company is working rhythmically.
We met with our potential customers at the exhibition. We are planning to participate next year and will be happy to present our new developments. Many of our customers, whom we invited, could not come due to the circumstances. But we are very grateful to those who have come to our stand.
It is important for us that our products are known. Micran is the industry leader in Russia. We work with major customers, so nothing will replace live communication. We are always happy to participate in the exhibition and meet with our customers.
Our company develops systems based on the 5G station and creates 5G ecosystems. We have several areas. We produce measuring equipment and electronic component base. At the next exhibition, we want to offer our customers not only means of communication, but also our new developments.
Sergey Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry:
– The very fact that the exhibition took place is our main achievement. Of course, the exhibition has been cut. Sviaz was a very large exhibition. The number of exhibitors and exhibition space were reduced about 5-6 times. But we are grateful to the city that we were able to hold exhibitions in this format. It is very important for us to show the city and country that life continues.
Of course, the exhibition is held in compliance with all Rospotrebnadzor regulations. Naturally, this is the first and most important thing for us - taking care of people's lives and health. But it is very important to show that exhibition life is going on. People work and come. Professionals have the opportunity to discuss problems.
Russian Week of High Technologies is a theme that permeates all industries and all areas of activity today. In terms of impact and intellectual richness, Russian Week of High Technologies will be even higher than the previous Week. It is a concentrated gathering of professionals, people who not only understand the topic and would like to share something, but also people who are ready to discuss industry issues.
Digital technologies permeate all industries, and each has different possibilities to apply various technologies. Sometimes this is due to regulatory activities, existing regulations and legislation.
We have a very large discussion programme here. This also includes work with the parliamentary corps, regulatory work and legislation. This is working with the leading ministries and agencies that are present here today. It is important for us that we speak the same language with them and understand what we need to do in the near future. This is an opportunity for them to get feedback directly from entrepreneurs, from the managers of the companies that have come here to hear first-hand what is working, what is not working and what needs to be done to ensure that everything is working at the appropriate level.
Andrey Kantsurov, Director of the Department of Radio Frequencies and Communication Networks Regulation of the Russian Ministry of Digital Developments, Communications and Mass Media:
– Most importantly, the organisers of the Forum managed to bring together producers, businesses and regulators. Everyone has learned to work remotely and communicate with the help of various online services, but all these remote methods will never replace live communication. Such an opportunity at this difficult moment is expensive and shows the desire of people to network, to look for common ways, to negotiate, to make decisions. This is great, and I think that the main success of the Forum is the opportunity to communicate live despite the difficult epidemiological situation.
Discussion of any problems is immediately reflected in the exhibits as those who participate in the exhibition also participate in the discussions. And it is certain that these discussions give birth to some innovations, models for their business. It is very important that the exhibition is not isolated from the Forum itself.
Historically, EXPOCENTRE has always been a powerful organisation, including when it comes to holding the Sviaz exhibition. For many years now EXPOCENTRE has been showing how such exhibitions and events should be held, gathering a very large number of participants, always causing very great interest. And a simultaneous holding of Forums only adds weight to any exposition.
Konstantin Lukin, Director General of SUPERTEL OAO:
– We take part in the exhibition as long as the company exists. For us, Sviaz is a traditional exhibition, the exhibition that we recognize as the only industry exhibition in the telecom.
We are apologists of digital technologies, but we believe that nothing can replace live communication. Offline is necessary, and a number of contractors who come to us admit the same thing - no matter how we talk on the phone or via videoconference, live communication is better and more valuable.
An exhibition is not only about communication at the stand, it is also a professional club where professionals exchange their opinions, those who may not meet during the year. Russia is also a big country, we do not know everyone, and not everyone knows us. That is why we consider participation in the programme of supporting events to be essential. To get out of the fog and uncertainty of 2020, we need some methodologies, some ideas that will carry us forward against all the odds. And the digital sovereignty programme, which I talked about within the accompanying programme, is moving us far, far ahead.
The attendance at our stand in the first two days was more than good. Although the number of people has been reduced, the specialists’ quality has improved. Not everyone is coming to the exhibition now, but those professionals who really need to come. And this is very good, because the efficiency of interaction is improving. I think we will get quite good efficiency in the next few days, the schedule of meetings has already been set.
From a historical perspective, we see the exhibition expanding, shrinking, expanding again, it is an ongoing process. It is clear that the number of exhibitors has now decreased, but those who have come now show several things - stability, ability, new solutions and certain courage - despite the circumstances, they did not take the easy way. These companies see not only the current outlook, but also the future.
For us, participation in the exhibition is a way of working with a whole range of customers. We cannot come, showcase products, network in a business atmosphere, including with experts from other companies, and listen to the business programme anywhere else but at this exhibition.
Sviaz is a balanced exhibition in terms of both industry and meaning. For the telecom that is currently undergoing some kind of transformation, there should be a professional platform, the one where specialists can speak gobbledygook without trying to explain any words to officials, heads of economic blocks, etc., where specialists work. This is very important because such a dialogue speeds up interaction and ultimately improves the quality of human capital and, as a result, the quality of technology in the Russian Federation.