Late November, as the month welcomes crisp weather and festivities, our team of Exhibition Showcase along with Travel+MICE Showcase flew to a culturally lavish destination, St. Petersburg. The city’s allure and architecture is what they call a photographer’s delight. A subtle salute to the old standing buildings with exquisite sculpture seemed a necessity. With a vast seaport the megalopolis is an epitome of perfection for a travel destination for all ages. Right from strict hygiene to authentic cuisines, bustling energy to beautiful faces on the streets, from excellent hospitality to the comfortable expedition, St. Petersburg proved to be a traveller’s dream. The trip was a goldmine for snow enthusiasts and as the sheets of snow covered the city it became all the way more magnificent, a perfect Russian winter trip.
The second largest city of Russia, St. Petersburg, is a destination that has the potential to entertain a week long holiday for historical admirers. Named ‘the country’s cultural heart’, depicting the grandeur with which the Tsars rules the vast land for two long centuries St. Petersburg is home to tons of museums which exhibit numerous facets of Russian history, the majority of them located in ancient imperial buildings. St. Petersburg’s history plays an essential role in the portrayal of city’s scenery. On May 27, 1703, Tsar Peter the Great established the city following his victory over Sweden in the Great Northern War. He gave the city the name Saint Peter, the apostle, in honour of his patron saint.
Day 1 & 2
The 3-day long trip organised by St. Petersburg Convention Bureau, commenced on 26th of November with our team’s arrival on the Sunday afternoon followed by a wholesome Greeting Dinner at elegant eatery ‘Oh Mumbai!’ and a trip back to the Indigo Hotel. Not to mention the delicacies served at dinner were very tasteful and imprinted a good repo of the trip for the sake of optimism. Also, it was a much appreciated fact among the guests that the courtesy of the hosts was epic. Day 2 was succeeded with the inspection visit to the ExpoForum and business meeting with Alexey Molostvov, the head of the Directorate of B2B projects of ExpoForum International and Inna Vernidub, Head of the press service of ExpoForum International. The day then led to lunch at restaurant Schastye followed by an inspection visit to Hotel Astoria, Hotel Angleterre and Hotel Wawelberg. The luxurious hotels are indeed another reason to extend your stay in the city of St. Petersburg. The expedition then proceeded to a fair dinner at BLOK restaurant.
About ExpoForum
ExpoForum International is one of the largest exhibition and convention venue in St. Petersburg, that started hosting events since 2016. Expoforum is one of Europe’s most cutting edge convention and exhibition centres, that has been built in accordance with UFI standards and has well developed infrastructure for hosting business and cultural events of any size and format. ExpoForum tends to be versatile venue as it is capable of hosting exhibitions up to 50,000 sq. m gross, has conventions that may entertain 30,000 delegates, can host concerts and shows for up to 10,000 visitors, banquets that cater up to 6,500 guests and hold sports events for up to 5000 spectators. The venue has been a decent recipient of 15+ glorious awards since the year 2017. Annualy ExpoForum holds over 200 events and meets 1.4 million visitors. It’s said that Expoforum is a unique multifunctional venue for the world rotating congresses. Few of the events that are held annually at the venue are St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, St. Petersburg International Gas Forum, Russian International Energy Forum etc.
Day 3
The third day was nothing but full of heavenly sightings and a treat to eyes. The Bus sightseeing tour of the cultural and historical sites of St. Petersburg with stops at the main attractions of the city started from Nevsky Prospect followed by other sights like Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, Bronze Horseman, Quay with Sphinxes, Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, Peter and Paul Fortress, Peter I’s House, Russian cruiser Aurora, Field of Mars and Palace Square. The day then carried on to a walk-guided tour to the State Hermitage Museum, which was a very informational tour. The lunch then was arranged at restaurant VETER. The trip then proceeded to an inspection visit to the Planetarium No.1 to inspect the scientific laboratory, a tour of the building & presentation of new projects. To summon an ideal trip to ‘Venice of the North’ as St. Petersburg is called, a ballet performance “Bayadere” was organised at Mikhailovsky Theater followed by a warm dinner at restaurant Marso Polo.
Speaking from MICE’s perspective the city has abundant potential to offer and is likely to be an ideal destination for travel and MICE industry. Clubbed with the plentiful attractions and activities the city has the calibre to entertain the Indian MICE business provided that the planners and authorities involved make it a point to look into every detail and expectations of the Indian audience for outstanding events. The city is a prime blend of leisure and business potent.
