Roscongress Foundation

In 2018, the number of projects held by the Roscongress Foundation increased.

From 22 to 26 January 2018, Russia House served as the official Russian residence in Davos during the World Economic Forum. Russia House welcomed more than 1,000 guests from 60 foreign countries. Over 50 business events and panel sessions took place within the walls of the Russia House and were attended by prominent entrepreneurs, experts, and media representatives.

The Russian Investment Forum took place from 14 to 16 February 2018. The Forum has become a traditional platform for presenting Russia’s investment and economic potential.

In 2018, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum reached new heights, both in terms of scale and results.

President of France Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe were the Forum’s guests of honour. The country with the largest delegation was the USA with over 550 participants. Japan and France had the next-largest delegations. There were also a number of major business missions from the UK, China, Germany, and Switzerland. More than 200 heads of major international corporations and 700 heads of Russian companies visited the Forum.

SPIEF saw the signing of 593 agreements worth a total of 2.625 trillion roubles*.

In 2018, the Information and Analytical System of the Roscongress Foundation was launched. As of today, this platform is actively developing with the help of the Foundation’s partners and features an interactive library and a navigation system for 862 sessions, 3,685 speakers and moderators, 231 analysis pieces, and 153 topics on Russia’s development agenda that were discussed during Roscongress Foundation events.

An important innovation at SPIEF 2018 was the inclusion of a social agenda in the Forum programme and the launch of the Roscongress Foundation’s social platform. The social platform is a Roscongress Foundation strategic initiative that seeks to establish and maintain a stable dialogue between business, government, and civil society.

* Amounts of signed, non-classified agreements shown at the exchange rate in effect on the day of signing.

As it upholds high quality standards, the Roscongress Foundation is increasing the number of annual projects dedicated to different subjects both in Russia and abroad.

The Russian Investment Forum (formerly the International Investment Forum) took place in February 2017 at the Main Media Centre of Sochi’s Olympic Park. Even though only half a year had passed since the previous event, the number of participants increased 8% and the value of agreements signed there exceeded RUB 200 billion*.

The ‘Arctic, Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum took place on 29–30 March in Arkhangelsk. It was launched in 2010 as a major venue for engaging discussion and detailed analysis of urgent issues and the outlook for development of the Arctic area. Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö and President of Iceland Guðni Jóhannesson attended the Forum, in addition to nine foreign ministers, 31 international delegations and more than 2,400 participants.

The 2017 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was attended by a record number of participants — more than 14,000 businesspeople, heads of international organizations, officials, experts, academics and journalists from more than 143 countries, including chief executives of 700 Russian and 400 international companies. Companies from the United States, Germany, China, Italy, Japan and elsewhere were widely represented. More than 3,000 journalists representing 800 news organizations from 45 countries covered the Forum.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Federal Chancellor of Austria Christian Kern, and Moldova’s President Igor Dodon attended the plenary session. The SPIEF 2017 plenary session was broadcast live by 83 TV channels that, as European Broadcasting Union (ЕВU) members, cover the whole of Europe and African countries.

The 2017 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum saw the signing of 475 investment agreements, memoranda and letters of intent to a total of RUB 1,817.9 billion*.

The 26^th International Financial Congress took place on 12–14 July in St. Petersburg. The event was characterized by a new branding style. The IFC logo now sports the Northern Capital’s drawbridges symbolizing development and dialogue, as well as the search for common ground between business and regulators and among different financial market sectors. Some 1,300 participants from 35 countries, including EEU members, China, the United States, Japan, the UK, Germany, Italy and elsewhere gathered to discuss the financial system’s contribution to the nation’s economic development. The participants included representatives of banks, insurers, pension funds and other financial market players, central banks and international financial institutions, in addition to journalists.

The Eastern Economic Forum 2017 was held on 6–7 September 2017 in Vladivostok. The Forum had over 6,000 participants from over 60 countries, including 1,094 media representatives. 217 agreements worth RUB 2,496 billion were signed at the Forum*.

A plenary session featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in, President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga, and Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe entitled ‘The Russian Far East: Creating a New Reality’ was the Forum’s main event.

The first ‘Russian Energy Week’ Energy Efficiency and Energy Development International Forum was held in 2017, becoming the most important energy efficiency event in Russia and abroad. The REW 2017 business programme consisted of a total of 45 events in Moscow, featuring 279 speakers and moderators. The REW 2017 events in Moscow were attended by people from 94 different countries.

*Amounts of signed, non-classified agreements shown at the exchange rate in effect on the day of signing.

The number of events organized by the Roscongress Foundation has increased. The Roscongress Foundation’s projects in 2016 included: the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Eastern Economic Forum, International Financial Congress, Russia—ASEAN Business Forum, and the International Investment Forum.

The Russia—ASEAN Business Forum took place in the spring of 2016 as part of the third summit between the Russian Federation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) held in Sochi. The Business Forum has become a convenient platform for discussing integration processes in Asia-Pacific and made possible a discussion of potential expansion of cooperation between the EEU and ASEAN.

The 20^th Anniversary St. Petersburg International Economic Forum took place on 16–18 June; it gathered more than 12,000 participants from 133 countries, including more than 600 Russian and 300 foreign company chief executives. In a first, the Forum was held at a new venue — Expoforum, a large, modern congress and exhibition centre in central St. Petersburg.

A unique programme in terms of scope and the range of topics took place on the Forum margins, including more than 300 events. The central event of the Forum was the plenary session entitled «Capitalizing on the New Global Economic Reality», carried live by 86 international TV channels, including SPIEF Information Partners CNBC, Bloomberg, CCTV and CNN.A total of 356 agreements worth RUB 1.046 trillion* was signed.

As part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum events, field sessions took place in China, India, Italy, Uruguay, Kazakhstan and in a number of Russian cities: Tula, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Novgorod and Moscow.

Also in the summer of 2016, St. Petersburg hosted the International Financial Congress (formerly the International Banking Congress), a major annual financial conference that traditionally gathers renowned experts, central and commercial bankers, and financial executives.

The Second Eastern Economic Forum took place on 2–3 September 2016 in Vladivostok under the motto «Opening up the Russian Far East». 3,500 participants and 1,100 journalists attended. Foreign participants represented 56 countries. The biggest delegations came from Japan (246 members), China (227) and Republic of Korea (128).

214 agreements worth more than RUB 1.85 trillion were signed at EEF 2016 *.

In the autumn of 2016, the Roscongress Foundation organized the International Investment Forum in Sochi. This has become a platform for discussing development of the global economy and its latest trends, presenting Russia’s investment and economic potential, collaborating and strengthening ties between international and Russian business leaders, politicians, experts and media community representatives.

SPIEF 2015 hosted the SCO and BRICS Business Forums, the B20 Regional Consultation Forum, the Global Energy Prize and Development Award ceremonies, and other events.

The 2015 Forum welcomed over 10,000 guests, including members of the media and accompanying persons. Participants hailed from 120 countries, including Russia, with high-level delegations from China, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, and Nicaragua.

The 205 agreements signed at the Forum were worth a total of RUB 293.4 billion and included RUB 44.2 billion in credit agreements.

On December 4, 2015, the SPIEF Foundation changed its name to the Roscongress Foundation.

The 2014 Forum welcomed over 7,500 participants, including 248 heads of major international companies and 445 heads of Russian companies. Among these business leaders were 40 foreign and 24 Russian executives listed in the Forbes and Fortune rankings. The largest SPIEF 2014 participants included the Telenor Group, Royal Dutch Shell, Philips, Glencore, BP, Total, Eni, Schlumberger, Alstom, Fortum Corporation, Danone, Kinross Gold, and ABB.

Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the Forum’s plenary meeting, the Energy Summit, and the Global CEO Summit, and held meetings with heads of global energy companies, members of the Russian Direct Investment Fund’s International Advisory Board, and investors from around the world, as well as a number of bilateral meetings.

The 2013 Forum welcomed over 7,000 participants, including members of the media. SPIEF 2013 brought together representatives from 772 Russian and international companies, officials from international organizations, and more than 600 members of official foreign delegations.

The 100 countries represented at the Forum included such key global players as BRICS member states, the US, EU countries, Japan, and the UAE. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also attended the Forum.

The 2012 Forum welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and four foreign heads of state: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, Kyrgyzstani President Almazbek Atambayev, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga. Between June 21 and 23, 2012, 5,348 participants visited the Forum venue, including 1,018 Russian entrepreneurs and 942 members of the international business community. Among those taking part in the official Forum programme were 158 heads of major international companies and 447 heads of Russian companies (including 55 directors of international companies and 23 directors of Russian companies listed in the Forbes and Fortune rankings), as well as 291 representatives of official delegations from 77 countries.

Dmitry Medvedev awarded the 2011 Global Energy Prize to Russian electrophysicist and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Philipp Rutberg and to American physicist Professor Arthur Rosenfeld.

By 2010, the number of SPIEF participants nearly doubled, leading media outlets to dub the Forum «the Russian Davos».

The chairs and CEOs of 114 major foreign corporations met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, as well as First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina. The Forum hosted the signing of 23 agreements and memoranda, with 15 of them totalling USD 14.69 billion.

At the suggestion of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, a decision was made to create the non-profit St. Petersburg International Economic Forum Foundation in 2006. Since 2006, the Forum has been held under the auspices of the President of the Russian Federation. The SPIEF Foundation officially began work in 2007, propelling the event to a qualitatively new level.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin made his first appearance at the Forum, giving it the informal status of a ‘presidential’ event.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree green-lighting the economic forum in St. Petersburg, and recommended that the St. Petersburg Economic Forum International Foundation be allocated the required funding and support to organize the event. The Russian government was also asked to provide possible financing and organizational support to the Council of the Federation and the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS.

There is no further publically available information regarding the St. Petersburg Economic Forum International Foundation’s role in organizing and running the forum in St. Petersburg. Until 2004, SPIEF was organized mainly by the Council of the Federation and the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS.

The St. Petersburg Economic Forum International Foundation was established in St. Petersburg. Herman Gref, then the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg and Chair of the city’s Municipal Property Management Committee, was put in charge of its activities. Leningrad Region also contributed to the Foundation’s budget.

The 1st St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was held on 18–20 June 1997 under the auspices of the Federation Council, the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS and with the support from the Government of the Russian Federation. It attracted over 1,500 people from 50 countries of the world. The Forum hosted signing ceremonies for loan agreements between the Governments of Russia and Belarus amounting to 500 billion roubles.