Iteca: Strengthening a Leading Position
Iteca, the international exhibitions company, is the organiser of the Astana Mining and Metallurgy congress. Yuri Borodikhin, Iteca’s General Director, told us a little about the event.
First of all, in a move proposed by the Ministry of Industries and New Technologies of Kazakhstan, several industry events were combined to form the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days. One of these events is the Astana Mining and Metallurgy Congress, which has already established itself as a major platform for discussing the challenges of the mining and metallurgy industry and the opportunities for cooperation within it. On 5 June, the 3rd Congress of Workers of the Mining and Metallurgy Industry in Kazakhstan will take place, backed by the Association of Mining and Metallurgy Enterprises of Kazakhstan, featuring on its agenda key issues such as modernisation, the development of local content, job creation, social partnerships, and human resources.
This year, Astana Mining and Metallurgy will cover topics relating to the full production cycle – from exploration, extraction and processing to manufacturing the finished product. The programme is split into sessions for geologists, miners and metallurgists, which will feature over 20 speakers from Kazakhstan, Australia, Canada, Turkey, the UK, Belgium and Russia. An exhibition will also run as part of the congress, promoting domestic producers, companies and scientific circles.
This is how the Kazakhstan Mining and Metallurgy Days will bring the whole mining and metallurgy community to one large-scale event – an event that will promote growth in the sector and the economy as a whole.
What kind of innovative solutions will there be at the event this year?
We have done a lot in this area. One of our primary objectives is to put innovation in the spotlight, and with this in mind we are organising the ‘Innovation in the Mining and Metallurgy Industry of Kazakhstan’ and the ‘Human Resources in the Mining and Metallurgy Industry of Kazakhstan’ round tables. The Golden Hephaestus industry competition will also contain an ‘Innovation Leader of the Year’ category.
Another main aim of AMM is to establish Kazakhstan as a leader in the region and to enhance the development of industrial processing in the mining and metallurgical industry, which explains the main theme of the event being ‘Exploration, Extraction, Processing’.
Organising an exhibition and conference for dialogue between business, Government, and science is our contribution to achieving national industrial development programmes.
Iteca organises another mining and metallurgy event – MiningWorld Central Asia, an autumn exhibition held in Almaty. How do the events differ?
AMM is an exhibition event which focuses mainly on the conference angle, and it is an event with an international resonance. Ever since its launch, AMM has been an international exhibition with Government-level support, where issues concerning the global mining and metallurgical industry have been up for discussion – along with prospects for cross-border cooperation and ways of integrating Kazakhstan with other mining countries.
MiningWorld Central Asia, on the other hand, is a business-to-business event with a leading position in the Central Asian market, addressing topics such as mining, metallurgy, industrial construction and municipal vehicles. 291 exhibitors from Kazakhstan and 27 other countries were at the event in 2011, along with 3,104 visitors. Throughout its history, senior managers and high-level industry professionals have taken part.
In this way, AMM and MiningWorld Central Asia are two public-private dialogue formats for the mining and metallurgy industry, just as KAZENERGY and KIOGE are for the oil and gas industry. Both events have a strong profile and reputation, domestically and internationally.
Iteca is a partner of ITE Group plc, a global leader in the exhibitions market. What are the principles of ITE’s strategy and its partnership with Iteca?
ITE is an international group of companies and agencies that organise exhibitions and conferences around the world – 211 events in 2011 alone. ITE has a strong position as the leading organiser of exhibitions in Russia and Central Asia.
Iteca has worked closely with ITE for over 20 years. For example, our German, Swiss and Austrian exhibitors work with GiMA, ITE’s office in Hamburg, and there are also ITE offices in London, Istanbul, Moscow, and many other offices in Asia and Europe. By promoting the potential of our region throughout the world, this kind of collaboration brings international companies to our events.
Achieving strong, sustainable growth is a complex process which requires cohesion and the pooling of the strength of Government bodies, business circles and the media. In this regard, international experience of holding trade shows really does prove its worth. These are the events that will act as platforms for ideas to be exchanged, helping to launch new investment projects and create new companies and production facilities.
