Ulyanovsk roundtable discusses exhibitions as a channel for regional brands

RUEF reports that on 10 September 2026 Ulyanovsk hosted the roundtable "Exhibitions - an effective channel for promoting regional brands", an expanded meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation's committee on exhibition, fair and congress activities, organised by the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, the Chamber, Expocentre and the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators (VOIR). Ulyanovsk Region Governor Alexey Russkikh welcomed participants. Chamber Vice President Ilya Zubkov said its system unites 130 regional and municipal chambers, that about 80% of members are SMEs, and that regional financial support for collective stands should be kept even under limited budgets. Committee chairman and Expocentre CEO Maxim Fateev noted that Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade approved methodological recommendations on developing congress and exhibition activity in the regions in 2025, and that some 100 Ulyanovsk Region companies have exhibited at 11 Expocentre shows since 2023. The Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF), represented by Executive Director Elena Ublieva, proposed regional expert councils for the sector, a territorial-sectoral matrix and provision for congress and exhibition spending in state export and tourism programmes. Expocentre signed two cooperation agreements with the Ulyanovsk Region's Center of Competencies for Industrial Development and Agency for Innovative Development to promote local companies through its international exhibitions.