Paul Colston steppes out in Kazakhstan and finds a land fast developing as an exhibition and events destination
Despite it being the world’s ninth largest country, many might struggle to place Kazakhstan on a map. Is it in Europe or Asia? Well, the identity has certainly been through periods of crises, with the capital changing from Alma-Ata to Almaty, then moving to Astana (which changed its name to Nur-Sultan and back again to Astana in recent years, with a few other variations along its more ancient historical journey).
What is not in doubt is that a new heady mix for meetings and events has emerged of late as this new Eurasian identity has formed.
With an economy strong on natural resources, it is a fast-emerging trade fair destination that is much more than the classic Borat phrase ‘Very Nice!’.
The country may be huge but is also hugely accessible. I took the direct route into Almaty from London with Air Astana, which has been winning awards for best start-up airline and expanding rapidly through a 49% shareholding with British Aerospace Systems, although Turkish airlines has also opened several routes into the country. At time of writing there are over 100 routes with 27 countries served by three local and 26 international airlines.
Almaty is a vibrant city offering a fusion of cuisines and cultures. The so-called home of the apple, the city has survived earthquakes, flooding and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since independence in 1991, the city has grown quickly but also fast reached its limits as it is rather hemmed in by geography, preventing the kind of opportunities for future growth that the capital Astana has a plenty.
While Almaty has many chain hotels established – such as the Rixos, Ritz-Carlton, Rahat Palace, InterContinental, Grand Mildom, Novotel and DoubleTree – all suitable for that big corporate event, nearby mountain resorts offer spectacular add-ons for delegates wishing to mix some pleasure with their business, including skiing and falconry centres, as well as ethno villages where traditional lifestyles, yurts and crafts are on show.
Astana attracts
Kazakhstan’s main business, political and administrative centre claims to be the youngest capital in the world. Astana (the word literally means ‘capital’) has seen many incarnations from Akmolinsk to Akmola, Tselinograd to Astana via Nur-Sultan. Shiny skyscrapers now mirror the architectural style of Dubai and Abu Dhabi and many of the key buildings were designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. Sir Norman Foster has also made his architectural mark on the city.
The Sphere, or Museum of Future Energy Nur-Alem, was commissioned for the 2017 Expo in Kazakhstan, a landmark event that opened to the world this gateway to Central Asia. The Sphere can also be hired for events.
The legacy of the 2017 World Expo is a modern capital with its own Expo City, which embraces QazExpo Congress Centre and the International Exhibition Centre – spread over 23,000sqm – as well as hotels including the Hilton.
Organiser Astana-Expo KS welcomes over 10,000 visitors a year and has hosted 76 major congresses and exhibitions in its 17 years of working in this market.
In the centre of the city there is also the Sheraton Astana, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and another Rixos.
Symbolic of this new capital standing tall is the Baytarek tower, a 97m monument with commanding views from the top.
Out of exhibition hours I can certainly recommend extending your stay, perhaps take a jeep safari into the Kazakh steppe and wonder at the incredible rock formations. These Martian style landscapes would be an ideal add-on for any geology related event.
Yuri Borodikhin is an exhibition specialist in the Kazakhstan market and tells EW: “The exhibition and conference industry continues to grow in Kazakhstan with some events already surpassing the pre-pandemic levels in terms of size and number of visitors.
“Most major events are taking place either in Almaty, the commercial centre of Kazakhstan or the capital Astana that marks its 25th anniversary this year.
“There are two main exhibition centres in Kazakhstan: Atakent in Almaty that was recently refurbished according to the international standards, and the five-year-old Expo Center in the capital.”
There were around 30 exhibitions and conferences held in Kazakhstan this spring. Borodikhin highlights two of the biggest B2B events:
“KIHE – the 28th healthcare exhibition – was held in Almaty in May, displaying 309 companies from 17 countries with several national pavilions and large participation of companies from China and Russia.
“Kazakhstan’s mining and exploration sector, especially in the sphere of rare earth minerals remains in the limelight of investors and Kazakh Invest recently organised two forums dedicated to the development of the mining sector, one in Astana and one in London.
“Astana hosted AMM the 13th Mining and Metals exhibition and conference in June, attracting 1,400 delegates, with growing interest from European companies. Marat Karabayev, the minister of industry and infrastructure development of Kazakhstan, and Maroš Šefčovič, the vice-president of the European Commission, took part at the confex.
“Both KIHE and AMM were organised by the Kazakhstan Exhibition Company Iteca and its international partner – ICA Events.
“The autumn season is going to be even busier with KazBuild/Aqua-Therm, Mining and Metals Central Asia, TransLogistica, etc. to be held in Almaty, and the XV Eurasian Forum KAZENERGY will take place at the EXPO Congress Center in Astana.”
In Kazakhstan, the exhibition industry also plays an important role in stimulating economic growth and attracting foreign investment, and director of major locally based organiser, Iteca, Boris Danilenko (pictured left), tells EW that their 30 years of experience has shown that expo events bring together hundreds of Kazakhstani companies from different industries at events, helping them find new partners and develop their business.
“The situation is developing with the involvement of international participants,” Danilenko says. “Representatives from more than 40 countries visited our exhibitions during the spring 2023 period alone and 920 companies took part in the spring expo events, and more than 17,200 visitors came to the country.”
Danilenko adds that, in 2023, business demand has continued to grow and he quotes figures for 2021, when 1,218 companies took part in Iteca events, attracting 13,800 visitors. In 2022, that figure had grown to 2,355 companies from 55 countries and 46,000 visitors.
“According to our in-house market research, 88% of trade show and conference visitors said visits were an important part of their product search or buying process,” says Danilenko. “Even more visitors, 91%, noted that exhibitions and conferences are necessary for comparing products and meeting suppliers. Displaying products at a trade show has six times more sales impact than other means of promotion. Indeed, holding exhibitions where government and business representatives can gather to discuss current problems and possible solutions is more relevant than ever. The current situation in the global economy has created new risks for the economy of Kazakhstan, and in this situation dialogue platforms are indispensable. The growth and expansion of the geography of participants is also a consequence of the opening of borders.”
Danilenko notes that exhibitions have also become the basis for the search for new technologies and solutions for business.
Following the pandemic, the Kazakhstan healthcare industry is on the rise, with 4,000 industry professionals visiting the KIHE exhibition, far more than in previous years. Construction and food exhibitions demonstrated similarly high performance. “Therefore,” says Danilenko, “we can safely say that exhibitions are a litmus test for assessing the development and state of the relevant industries.”
Iteca staged nine international exhibitions, seven conferences, one congress and dozens of round tables in this past spring season alone. Government support from the ministries in charge of an industry serves as an important guarantor of the quality of an event. Close co-operation with associations also help make a big event successful here and Danilenko, for one, is confident the development of the exhibition industry in Kazakhstan has great potential and believes the autumn exhibitions will arouse even greater interest from the international community.
