OREANDA-NEWS. December 01, 2009. The autumn 2009 exhibition season has ended. Once again, Iteca, together with government and commercial partners, organised a number of important expo-events for the social, political and economic life of the country. From September to November, there were 16 exhibitions and four conferences in Almaty, Astana and Aktau. Despite the financial crisis, a large number of companies and guests from around the world came to Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan continues to strengthen its international ties and is becoming a serious partner in the global marketplace. The autumn season of expo events in Kazakhstan covered a variety of industry areas such as tourism, health, oil and gas, energy, food processing and construction.

The autumn season opened with two exhibitions: KazBuild 2009, the 16th Kazakhstan International Construction Exhibition; and Heat & Vent Plus 2009, the 13th International Heating & Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, Water Supply & Sanitary Exhibition. The events were held on 2-5 September in the Atakent Exhibition Centre, Almaty, and brought together 321 companies from 24 countries. These specialised exhibition projects, the largest in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, reflect recent trends in the construction industry.

On 9-11 September, AstanaZdorovie 2009, the 6th Kazakhstan Astana International Exhibition on Healthcare, opened its doors, and demonstrated new developments in various areas of healthcare. The capital’s newest centre of international trade, Korma, brought together about 100 companies. Most of the exhibitors, about 81%, were Kazakhstani companies. Domestic pharmaceutical producers are competitive and have products to demonstrate to the international community. During the exhibition, more than 30% of the participating companies signed contracts.

Three exhibitions on mining, the transport industry and the environment took place simultaneously in Almaty on 16-18 September in the Atakent Exhibition Centre. WasteTech Central Asia 2009, the 1st Central Asian International Water Technology Exhibition & Conference, and EcoTech 2009, the 5th Anniversary Central Asian International Exhibition for EcoTechnologies and EcoServices for Municipal Sectors, once again became platforms for professional discussion of environmental issues, as well as presentations of the latest environmental technology. Over 40 companies from 10 countries participated in the exhibition, and 120 delegates in the conference. Particular attention was given to the processing of industrial waste.

MiningWorld Central Asia 2009, the 15th Anniversary Central Asian International Mining Exploration & Mining Equipment Exhibition, took place alongside Kazcomak 2009, the 6th Kazakhstan International Heavy Construction & Machinery Exhibition, and KazMet 2009, the 2nd Central Asian International Metallurgy, Metal-Working and Machinery Construction Exhibition. The exhibitions brought together major manufacturers and suppliers of equipment for mining and ore processing, metallurgy and metalworking, and road construction from 24 countries. Germany, China, Norway and Finland were represented by national stands.

All the areas of the transport industry were presented at Transit-TransKazakhstan, the Kazakhstan International Transport & Logistics Exhibition, which was jointly organised with Atakent-Expo IEC. As a special event at the exhibition, JSC Kazakhstan Railways organised a round table. A discussion on developing the export potential of the Republic of Kazakhstan was attended by the heads of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kazakhstan, representatives of major Kazakh companies and freight forwarders, and railway managers from Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Uzbekistan, China and Russia.

The modern tourism industry is the largest high-yield and fastest growing sector of the global economy. For the first time among CIS countries, the 18th General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) was held in Astana on 2-9 October. Astana Leisure 2009, the Kazakhstan International Tourism Exhibition in Astana, took place in Korma Exhibition Centre during this period, on 6-8 October, and was included in the programme of the assembly. More than 60 companies took part in the exhibition. Both the exhibitors and visitors were able to find detailed information on regional tourism organisations, airlines, hotels, transport, trade associations and organisations, and different types of tourism.

On 6-9 October, KIOGE 2009, the Kazakhstan International Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference, took place for the seventeenth time, and became a forum for professional discussion of the development of the oil and gas industry of Kazakhstan and the Caspian region. The exhibition and conference reflected the main trends in the oil and gas industry at the present stage, identifying the growth prospects of Kazakhstan’s oil and gas market, which is extremely important during the crisis. The KIOGE events were attended by the heads of ministries of the UK, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United States; government representatives; ambassadors; representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Kazakhstan; and other officials. The total number of exhibitors this year amounted to 520 companies from over 30 countries. The conference was attended by 926 delegates.

The rapid development of the oil and gas industry in the western region of Kazakhstan is attracting a large number of domestic and international investors. On 3-5 November 2009, Mangystau Oil & Gas 2009, the 4th Mangystau Regional Oil, Gas & Infrastructure Exhibition, took place in the Grand Nur Plaza Hotel & Convention Centre in Aktau, and was attended by about 100 companies. For the first time, alongside the exhibition, on 3-4 November, OilTech Mangystau 2009, the Mangystau Regional Petroleum Technology Conference, was held. The conference examined current technical issues for the development of Kazakhstan’s oil and gas industry. 120 delegates took part in the conference.

Power Kazakhstan 2009, the 8th Kazakhstan International Power and Lighting Exhibition and Conference, was held on 3-5 November in Atakent Exhibition Centre, Almaty. The event facilitated discussion of the prospects for electricity, thermal power, alternative energy saving, and energy efficiency in Kazakhstan. This year’s exhibition featured more than 70 companies. The forum was attended by 100 delegates, including representatives of regional power grid and generation companies, power supply organisations, system operators, centralised trading operators, major industry research and design institutes and major industrial enterprises, as well as consumers and other industry experts from Kazakhstan and neighbouring states.

The largest exhibition in the food industry of Central Asia is WorldFood Kazakhstan 2009, which took place in Almaty on 3-6 November, and brought together 200 companies from 29 countries. 28% of the exhibitors were from Kazakhstan. National stands were held by Germany, South Korea and, for the first time, Latvia. The Lithuanian Agricultural and Food Market Regulation Agency presented food producers. Manufacturers from Kyrgyzstan were presented on a group stand. This year saw a significant increase in the number of first time participants (60% of the exhibitors were newcomers).

All the exhibitions include seminars, presentations, roundtables, master classes and direct presentations of the products and services of participating companies. The shows offer numerous opportunities for obtaining information, making contacts, promoting products, developing business and discussing current issues. The exhibition season provides an ideal opportunity to observe the overall development of an industry at an international level.