The Russian MICE services industry: MTUCI’s Congress Center's view

How would you briefly assess the Russian conference services market and the impacts of the global economic crisis on the industry?

Of course, during and after the economic crisis, companies became more economical in their MICE expenditures. Before the crisis, the demand for MICE events was so great that Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI) decided to open a Congress Center, but during and after the crisis, we experienced a serious decline in the demand for conference services. The only thing we could do was to bet on quality of our services. Today, the situation has changed for the better, as the market is currently experiencing a rebirth. This is because most companies have exited the crisis and returned to their pre-crisis levels of business activities. This is seen, at least, by the increased occupancy in our Congress Center.

What would you say is unique about the Russian market that differentiates it from other European countries’ MICE markets?

The most important differentiating factor is the critical shortage of premises for conferences in Russia, compared with other European markets. For instance, to find a suitable place for hosting business events in Russia is much more difficult than in other European countries. To start with, there are lots of old hotels, palaces and houses of culture, etc., in Russia that offer premises at reduced prices, while the quality of their services is poor. They constitute serious competitors even to five-star hotels. Because of the crisis, many companies, unfortunately, now prefer to economize resources. But in Europe, the conference services markets have been developing for ages, while in Russia, the industry is just at the early development stage. The number of really good conference halls in Moscow can be counted on the fingers on one hand. Many of them are in hotels. And, of course, it is very difficult to compete with five-star hotels that have both restaurants and accommodation facilities. But we are trying to learn from the positive experiences of our competitors so as to continue to grow. For example, we have organized Internet cafes, where people without laptops, can quickly go online free-of-charge.

“When we host an event for a client, we always closely communicate with him/her to know every detail — starting from background music to clients’ culinary preferences for the final reception.”

What, in your opinion, should clients planning business activities pay special attention to?

The first most important thing is for clients to define their needs — the objectives of such events, their subjects, the expected number guests and, of course, the amount of budget available. After all, any conference can be conducted at completely different quality levels. For instance, when we are preparing to host an event for a client, we always closely communicate with him/her to know every detail of the event’s plans — starting from background music in the lobby during the conference to clients’ culinary preferences for the final event’s reception. We cooperate with different restaurants and catering companies that provide the highest quality meal services. However, if clients want to use a catering company that they have long-standing cooperation agreements with it, we usually allow them to do so. 

What are the advantages of your Congress Center over those of the other MICE services providers in the Russian capital?  

First of all, our Congress Center is located close to the Metro with its own parking lot. At our clients’ disposal are six conference rooms, a business center, multiple computers, free Wi-Fi access service. The second floor of our Center can be used for hosting receptions and exhibitions. We have a convenient power supply, with sockets installed at every 6 sqm to enable clients to organize and hold small exhibitions or negotiations. The upper and lower lobbies are equipped with independent sound producing systems. It is possible to broadcast reports from halls or put on background music. The ‘best scientific brains’ from MTUCI’s famous Acoustics Department designed our conference rooms, using a special coating to attain maximum acoustic effect. This enables speakers to talk at one end of the hall without a microphone, and be perfectly heard by everyone. Also at clients’ disposal are a unique system of video projections, sound reinforcement and distribution as well as two booths for interpreters, equipped with special cameras that allow them to clearly see the speakers, whose speeches they are translating. And, of course, we pay special attention to our employees. They are very friendly, so clients will never see sullen faces among our staff because our top priority is to be good-natured and attentive to each client.