Presentation of the Orsha District and youth professional skills competition. What's new will the International Economic Forum in Vitebsk offer?
Having modernized the event format in 2018, the organizers intend to further enhance the quality of the business program of the main economic event of the year in the Vitebsk region by offering participants a range of relevant topics for discussion and new thematic platforms.
The organizers have set a course to position the International Economic Forum in Vitebsk as an ideal platform for initiating partnerships, where announcing projects is prestigious and significant.
One of its main features this year will be a thematic presentation of the production and logistics potential of the Orsha district.
According to Anzhelika Nikitina, Chairperson of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Economy Committee, a separate exposition will be formed for this purpose, and a panel discussion "Orsha District – A Territory for Business" is planned.
This will allow for a focused presentation to the forum's foreign audience of the region's preferential regime under Decree No. 506, measures for financial support of economic entities, and incentives for investment activities outlined in the Orsha District Development Program for the period up to 2023.
Innovative products and production capabilities of existing enterprises will also be demonstrated, including those for developing cooperation with interested partners, as well as unused factory buildings and structures prepared for business organization and investment project implementation.
For the first time, a presentation of the "Bremno-Orsha" special economic zone, established by Decree No. 106 of March 21, 2019, will be organized, detailing the conditions for operating within the SEZ, partnership opportunities, and attracting investors for manufacturing activities on the premises of the multimodal industrial and logistics complex in Bolbasovo.
At the same time, the tradition of presenting the achievements and opportunities of all regions of the oblast during the forum will be preserved, noted Anzhelika Nikitina. The creation and promotion of innovative technologies, production cooperation, and the development of export potential remain among the key themes of the forum. This time, the organizers proposed to include the issue of import substitution in the regional expositions and enterprise presentations.
For the first time, it is planned to organize a pavilion for goods and services of foreign forum participants, where they can showcase their innovative developments and proposals for developing cooperation ties with potential Belarusian partners.
As noted by Irina Makarenko, Director of the Vitebsk Regional Marketing Center, Russian regions show the most active interest in cooperation. In particular, Saratov and Tula regions will be represented not only by official delegations of authorities but also by businesses.
The organizers will offer forum participants to discuss problematic issues and exchange views during several panel discussions: "Interregional Cooperation in the Economic Sphere. Experience and Prospects," "Electronic Trading Platforms for Business," "Energy Saving in Industry and Construction," "SEZ – Promising Project Implementation Sites," "Experience and Prospects of Interregional Tourism."
For the first time at the forum, a youth professional skills competition is planned to be held.
Among the novelties are also thematic platforms "Art-Avant-garde" and "Air Music" to demonstrate the creativity and creative potential of Vitebsk residents as one of the factors for increasing the region's competitiveness. The creative groups and musicians involved there will also help create a conducive atmosphere for business communication.
The organizers of the International Economic Forum "Innovations. Investments. Prospects" are the oblast and city executive committees, the Vitebsk Regional Marketing Center, the administration of the Vitebsk FEZ, the Vitebsk branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Vitebsk Regional Union of Employers.