Meetings & Conventions

The meetings industry in Ekaterinburg has been quite dynamic and has been given priority in the development policy for inbound tourism to our city.

According to research conducted by the Committee for External Relations of the Administration of Ekateriburg, convention tourism (visitors who arrive to participate in conventions) accounts for around 13% of the total volume of inbound business tourism to the city.

Even though Moscow and Saint Petersburg are leading the market because of their historic value and a relatively well-developed business infrastructure, congress industry has been actively developing in regional centres in Russia. Taking into consideration current trends in development of the meetings industry in the city, Ekaterinburg has all prerequisites to become a national and international congress hub.

To encourage organisation of meetings of all scales and types, facilities that meet the international standards are being developed in the city.

This concerns conference venues above all. The total estimated capacity of halls currently suitable for conventions is 14,500 seats. Today the city provides facilities to hold both large-scale (over 1000 participants) and middle-and small-scale events on a high level. Another 8,550 seats of B class and over 1,500 seats of C class and lower (without excluding those obtained by transforming exhibition spaces into convention halls) will be introduced by 2010.

The hospitality sector has been actively developing. Currently there are 42 hotels in Ekaterinburg. Congress hotels in the city provide perfect conditions for interregional and international meetings and house participants of meetings directly where conventions are taking place. Currently, over 10 congress hotels with conference halls seating 40 to 350 participants operate in the city.

Several sites in Ekaterinburg offer facilities to hold fairs. Indoor spaces of each of these sites can house expositions of up to 2000 square meters. In 2009, congress and exhibition facilities were considerably expanded by placing the first phase of the International Exhibition Centre in service.
Meeting facilities in the country are adapted to hold sessions, including incentive programs, where combined business and recreation events can be held.

It is important that Ekaterinburg has already successfully hosted large-scale conventions. For example, the high-level VII Party Congress of “United Russia” took place in Ekaterinburg. It attracted around 3,000 guests representing all 89 Russian regions as well as foreign countries. The annual Ural Economic Forum (over 1,000 participants) has been continuously gathering momentum as one of the most important economic events in the country. In 2009, the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Ekaterinburg.

In 2007, the number of small- and large-scale corporate events on the meetings industry market more than doubled. Some companies hold up to 50 conferences, presentations and seminars a year. The tendency towards larger corporate events remains. Middle-scale corporate events organized by large international companies for their employees and regional representatives became more frequent.

While congress facilities and services required for high quality fairs and conferences develop actively, Ekaterinburg already offers numerous opportunities for arranging meetings and serving fair and congress tourism. Having chosen Ekaterinburg as a place to have your meetings at, you will surely find solutions to all your needs.