TPT May 2008

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1.4m cars of foreign origin will be produced in Russia (source:
RIA Novosti). A number of manufacturers – including Toyota,
Nissan, Volkswagen, Suzuki and General Motors – are planning
to join existing companies Ford and Renault.
However, with all this positive news, there are a number of
complex question marks that remain. There is an element of
uncertainty over May’s leadership handover from outgoing
President Vladimir Putin to relative unknown Dmitriy Medvedev,
and the impact on the government’s balance of power and foreign
policy. Perhaps a sign of the future, a law was recently passed in
Russia’s State Duma that restricts foreign ownership of Russian
companies to under 50 per cent in 42 ‘strategic’ sectors.
■
DATES & SHOW HOURS
27-30 May 2008: 10am-6pm
VENUE
ZAO Expocentr Krasnaya Presnaya
(pavilion 7), Moscow, Russia
ORGANISER CONTACTS
Metal Expo
Phone: +7 495 901 996
Email:
Website:
Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Phone: +49 211 4560 7715
Email:
Website:
INTERNET RESOURCES
SHOW FACTS ❖ ❖
35
Of course, more pressing concerns for those doing business in Russia are expensive freight
and high cost of living in Moscow. Due to such a busy calendar of events, it is also becoming
increasingly difficult for companies to decide which exhibitions to attend in Russia. Questions
remain whether a company should attend the larger Tube Russia held in the same year as
wire Russia, or even if it might be worth testing the waters at the growing Metal Expo event.
› May 2008
Whatever the approach, it would be naïve
not to explore the lucrative possibilities
of the Russian market. And by attending
an event such as Tube Russia, it may be
possible to simplify business by acquiring
a Russian agent. Those who experience
the greatest success in the Russian
market assert that working with a local
agent is the most effective strategy.
 Russia’s iconic centre of learning –
Moscow State University