11/08/2019 16:59

Decrease in noted

[IMG=18061-3459] Exhibitors’ number at international INWETEX travel exhibition (Saint-Petersburg, October 12–14) has decreased considerably this year, as participants and guests at the event told BANKO reporter. In 2004 there were about 400 of them, now there are less than 300 in the list on the website. Saint-Petersburg tour companies give several reasons for that. Dmitry Smirnov, general director of ‘Atlas’ company, says exhibitions are less important now, for there are other communication channels, electronic for instance. Besides, there is competition between exhibitions. In that context, specialists mention April ‘Rest without borders’ (Saint-Petersburg), MITT (Moscow), and others. ‘There are mainly winter programs on INWETEX, and there are no Western companies,’ explains Marina Maslenok, director of SPb ‘Aval’ company. And one more reason: Saint-Petersburg tour companies do not view the event as an opportunity to find new partners. ‘This exhibition is for maintaining company’s image on the market, and all the contracts we need are already signed’, gives her point of view Tamara Khaletskaya, director of ‘Solvex-Tourne’. Besides, experts mark one more change this year: number of exhibition pavilions decreased from 3 to 1. Operators also connect that to decreased number of exhibitors. Meanwhile, Victoria Shalneva, project manager at ‘Saint-Petersburg Express’ (exhibition organizer) claims that exhibition space has not decreased: the event takes place in a newly built pavilion that equals three old ones in space. And according to Ms. Shalneva, the list of exhibitors is incomplete.