Businesspeople have gathered in Sandton, Johannesburg, to prepare for a major gathering of companies and institutions in St Petersburg, Russia, from 5-8 June.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has been described as one of the biggest and most important business events in the world.
Over the past 26 years, the Forum has cemented its status as a leading international event focusing on key issues on the global economic agenda.
It provides a platform for participants to exchange best practices and expertise in the interests of sustainable development.
SPIEF has been held annually since 1997 and since 2005, it has been held under the auspices of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, who has also attended each event.
In 2021, SPIEF was the first business event of such magnitude to be held offline since the break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
SPIEF provides an opportunity to find partners with the aim of securing business growth in Russia and abroad – especially between BRICS+ countries.
Participants are also afforded the ability to expand their circle of customers and suppliers, and to meet key decision makers. There are also ample opportunities to attract the attention of potential investors.
More than 17,000 participants from 130 countries took part in the SPIEF 2023 event in both offline and online formats.
More than 900 agreements worth billions were signed at the Forum last year.
This included 43 agreements with representatives of foreign companies.
Therefore, the Forum this year is being seen as a major way to build on the partnerships agreed to last year.
In the meantime, a special field exercise has been held in Sandton under the theme: “SPIEF 2024: Developing Business Cooperation between Russia and South Africa”.
“This was to enable face-to-face discussions about the advantages of the SPIEF platform,” said Alexey Valkov, Deputy CEO of the Roscongress Foundation and Director of SPIEF.
The Foundation describes itself as a socially orientated non-financial development institution.
It’s a major organiser of national and international conventions with 195 economic partners.
It says the Forum in St. Petersburg will be a major drawcard for industrialists and entrepreneurs.
From cars, to manufacturing and technology to agriculture, the SPIEF 2024 promises to boost business for all attending.
