FAQ

The Russian Investment Forum is a popular and influential platform for presenting the investment and economic potential of Russia’s regions.

The total number of Forum participants in all categories including media and exhibitors were 6,123 people from Russia and 63 countries. A total of 83 constituent entities of the Russian Federation were represented at the Forum, including 77 at the level of regional leaders.

A total of 538 agreements and declarations of intent were signed at the Forum. Contracts whose value was publicly disclosed amounted to RUB 794.057 billion.

The main events of the Russian Investment Forum will take place on 14–15 February 2019 at the Olympic Park Main Media Centre.

Address: 1, Olimpiysky Prospekt, Adler, Sochi, Krasnodar Territory

The travel time from Sochi International Airport to the Olympic Park Main Media Centre is around 10–15 minutes; the journey takes roughly an hour from the centre of Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana resorts.

The Organizing Committee

The Chair of the Organizing Committee is Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

Additional information about the Organizing Committee can be found in the Organizing Committee section of the website.

The Roscongress Foundation

The Roscongress Foundation is a socially oriented non-financial development institution and a major organizer of international conventions, exhibitions and public events.

The key event of the Russian Investment Forum is the plenary session held with the participation by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Forum business programme includes panel sessions, roundtables and meetings with representatives of the Russian regions. A full programme of the Russian Investment Forum 2019 will be published on the website in due course.

Healthy Life Forum: Towards 80+ is scheduled for 13 February, the day before the main Russian Investment Forum events get under way.

The Forum will include a business programme, presentations, and exhibitions enabling participants to discuss the key questions and develop practical solutions on issues relating to demographic development, protecting people's health, and raising living standards. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn more about innovative projects in healthcare, and to network with other people working in this sector.

In order to participate in the Forum, one must first complete an application. The price of participation is EUR 220.00/USD 250.00, VAT included.

Russian Investment Forum 2019 participants can freely attend Forum events; no additional application is needed. To confirm participation, the corresponding field in participant’s personal web office on the Russian Investment Forum website should be marked.

The Russian Investment Forum exhibition is a unique platform for promoting and developing projects whose implementation has reached the investment and operational stages.

More information is available in the Exhibition section of the website.

For more information on participation in the exhibition, please contact the Roscongress Foundation’s Exhibitions Directorate:

 +7 (495) 640 6547
 +7 (495) 640 7844
 expo@roscongress.org

Victoria Kirilova
Head of the West section of the Exhibition Projects Directorate

 +7 (495) 640 6547, ext. 141
 +7 (921) 347 3109
 victoria.kirilova@roscongress.org

During the Forum there will be an exhibition titled Healthy Life: Towards 80+ at which companies will present achievements made in the medical sector within Russia and internationally. Breakthrough technological and innovative projects aimed at supporting public health will also be on display.

More information is available in the Exhibition at the ‘Healthy Life: Towards 80+‘ Forum section of the website.

Please contact the Project and Exhibition Directorate for further information:

Victoria Kirilova
Head of the West section of the Exhibition Projects Directorate

 +7 (495) 640 6547, ext. 141
 +7 (921) 347 3109
 victoria.kirilova@roscongress.org

Participation in the Forum is possible only by invitation issued by the Organizing Committee.

It is necessary to complete an application to take part in the Forum.

Applications for participation will be reviewed by the Organizing Committee and, if approved, applicants will receive an invitation and an information letter containing a login and password to access their personal web office, together with details of the procedure for confirming their participation.

The Organizing Committee reserves the right to refuse an application without explanation.

Following successful completion of the application, the participant’s personal data is sent off for processing, and the participant receives an automatic message that their application has been submitted.

Descriptions of the Premium and Standard participation packages can be found in the Participants section of the website.

In order to maintain a high level of representation, limits on the number of Russian Investment Forum participants from any one company have been introduced.

If the quota for the number of participants from a given company is exceeded, the participation fee will increase for each additional participant. More information on the terms of the quota system (maximum number of participants from any one company) in the Conditions for participation section of the website.

No discounts will be offered for participation in the Forum. Within the quotas, the number of registered participants does not affect the participation fee.

If a participant has received an invitation but does not plan to attend the Forum, there is an opportunity to decline participation in the personal web office. The login and password for the personal web office were included in the letter that accompanied an invitation to the Forum.

If a participant changes their mind about participating in the Forum, it is necessary to notify the organizers by contacting the Roscongress Foundation specialist. The contact details for the specialist can be found in the personal web office.

A participant can only be replaced with the approval of the Forum’s Organizing Committee. In the event that a participant who has confirmed their participation cannot attend the Forum for any reason, the participant’s Roscongress Foundation contact person must be notified. The relevant contact information can be found in the personal web office.

A valid passport and visa are required to enter the Russian Federation.

Visitors holding an invitation to the Russian Investment Forum are eligible to apply for a short-term visa through a simplified process via Russian consulates abroad. For more information, participants may contact the Russian embassy or consulate in their country of residence.

Using an intermediary to apply for an entry visa is not recommended.

To participate in the Russian Investment Forum as a moderator or speaker, participants must send an application to the programme preparation working group at programme@roscongress.org. An application must include the following information: the participant’s contact details, position, and organization, and a brief abstract of their speech on their chosen topic.

If the application is submitted after the Forum programme architecture has been published online, please indicate precisely where the speech would fit within the programme.

For more information, please contact the Russian Investment Forum information centre:

 +7 (495) 640 6547

Participating in the Forum as a partner will enable participant’s company to gain a number of advantages. If a company is interested in becoming a Forum partner, it is necessary to contact Marketing and PR Directorate:

Andrey Reut
Director of Marketing and PR

 +7 (495) 640 4440 ext. 334
 partners@roscongress.org

In order to pay the participation fee, the participant should go to the Payment section of the personal web office, enter the payer’s information (individual or legal entity making the payment), and select the payment method (invoice in roubles or bank card for residents of the Russian Federation, or invoice in roubles/US dollars/euros or bank card for non-residents of the Russian Federation).

The participant may then select the type of payment document: a participation agreement or invoice/agreement (a document acting as both agreement and an invoice).

More information about the payment procedure can be found in the Paying the participation fee section.

The participation fee may only be paid by the individual or legal entity indicated as the Customer in the participation agreement.

If the participant wishes to pay by agreement, they should email a scanned copy of the signed agreement to their contact person at the Roscongress Foundation to complete the payment procedure. An invoice will then be created and the fee can be paid at a bank or via the personal web office using a bank card.

More information about the payment procedure can be found in the Paying the participation fee section.

The participation fee may only be paid by the individual or legal entity indicated as the Customer in the invoice/agreement.

If the participant wishes to pay by an invoice /agreement, they should download the payment document and pay the fee at a bank or via the personal web office using a bank card.

More information about the payment procedure can be found in the Paying the participation fee section.

The personal web office is the participant’s very own section of the official Forum website, and offers a range of features allowing them to plan their time at the Forum.

In order to access the personal web office, a participant will need to enter the personal login and password provided in the letter they received along with their invitation to the Forum.

A personal login and password are required to access the personal web office. Once a participant’s data has been processed, participants will receive an invitation to the Forum and a letter containing their login and password.

Should a participant lose or forget their login and password, they may ask their Roscongress Foundation contact person to reissue this information. A participant can confirm the contact details of the specialist by calling the Russian Investment Forum information centre:

 +7 (495) 640 6547

The Russian Investment Forum strictly adheres to legal requirements for the protection of every participant’s personal data.

The personal web office has been developed using SSL data encryption to ensure the security and confidentiality of participant’s personal information.

Forum participants must confirm their consent to the processing of their personal data before completing the application or when first logging into their personal web office.

The privacy policy can be found at the link.

Participants can use their personal web office to:

Participants can upload a photograph for their badges in the personal web office. A photograph is required to receive an accreditation badge.

The badge photograph must:

• Be a colour photograph on a white background, in JPEG format
• Be 480x640 pixels in size
• Have a resolution (image quality) of 300 dpi
• Include a frontal view of participant’s entire face, with their head uncovered
• Have the face make up at least 70% of the photograph

Participants can edit personal information in the personal web office.

If changes are needed to be made to fields that cannot be edited, the participant’s Roscongress Foundation contact person must be notified. The relevant contact information can be found in the personal web office.

The ‘Day planner’ section of the personal web office allows participants to build a personal schedule, and plan and arrange business meetings at the Forum venue. This feature goes online two weeks before the Forum.

• Visit the ‘Create meeting’ and ‘Invites’ sections to arrange meetings and view received and sent invitations.

• If there is an event on the Forum programme a participant wish to add to the personal schedule, a participant should visit the ‘Programme’ section and select the event of interest.

• If there is an event a participant wish to add to the personal schedule which does not form part of the official Forum programme, a participant should select the ‘Create event’ option.

The ‘Day planner’ section will also be incorporated in the Russian Investment Forum mobile app, and will be available for free download from the App Store and Google Play two weeks before the Forum.

The personal web office includes a ‘Cultural programme’ section, where participants can find out about accessing separate events on the Forum cultural programme.

A number of events will require advance registration. To sign up for an event, click the ‘Confirm’ button opposite the event of interest. It is also possible to decline participation in an event by clicking the ‘Decline’ button.

This feature goes online closer to the dates of the Forum.

The personal web office includes a ‘Sporting programme’ section, where participants can find out about accessing separate events on the Forum sporting programme. A number of events will require advance registration. To sign up for an event, click the ‘Confirm’ button opposite the event of interest.

This feature goes online closer to the dates of the Forum.

Theatre tickets can be booked in the corresponding section of the personal web office. To submit a request, the event of interest should be selected from the list, and contact details provided for ticket collection.

Tickets must be paid for separately.

This feature goes online closer to the dates of the Forum.

A request for individual tour services can be submitted in the corresponding section of the personal web office.

To submit a request, the tour of interest should be selected from the list, and contact details provided to confirm arrangements.

Tours must be paid for separately.

This feature goes online closer to the dates of the Forum.

If a participant requires mobility assistance at the Forum venue, it is necessary to submit the relevant request via the personal web office no later than three days before the arrival.

The accreditation process includes submission of a completed application to participate, approval by the Forum Organizing Committee and issue of an accreditation badge.

To access the Forum venue, cultural and sporting programme event locations, all participants must have an accreditation badge.

In order to avoid any inconvenience accessing the venue, participants are advised to leave any items prohibited from the Russian Investment Forum venue at their accommodation or in their vehicle. A full list of prohibited items will be published on the website in due course.

The badge is a pre-programmed proximity card, a unique key linked to the participant’s information in the Forum’s database. The badge contains the following data about the holder: name and surname (in Latin characters), organization, level of access, and photograph, as well as the Forum logo.

Accreditation badges are issued to specific individuals and are not transferable. A participant should keep their badge and ID with them at all times during the Forum. The badge is the only document confirming a participant’s Forum accreditation which can be used at event venues.

Before collecting their badges, participants are advised to ensure that:

1. Their participation in the Forum is confirmed via the personal web office.
2. Personal information provided in the personal web office corresponds completely to their ID (passports).
3. A badge photo has been uploaded to the personal web office (a colour photograph on a white background, in JPEG format, 480x640 pixels in size, 300 dpi resolution (image quality), including a frontal view of participant’s entire face, with their head uncovered, and face making up at least 70% of the photograph).
4. Participation fee is paid.
5. Seat in the plenary session hall is assigned (for Premium Package participants only).

Participants can check whether their accreditation badges are ready for collection in the personal web office, by contacting Roscongress Foundation specialists, or by phoning the Forum information centre on:

 +7 (495) 640 6547

A participant badge can only be collected upon presentation of the ID (passport) that is indicated in the personal web office on the Forum website.

If there have been any changes to participant’s ID since completion of application, it is necessary to inform the Forum organizers via the Roscongress Foundation contact person, so that they can make the necessary changes to the data indicated in the personal web office.

At the Forum, the accreditation point attendant will make sure that the application form data is correct and up to date before releasing a badge. In the event of any discrepancies, it will not be possible to issue badges on that day.

If someone will be picking up a badge upon presentation of the power of attorney, they will need to present:

• A document confirming their identity (a passport)

• An original standard power of attorney form

• A list of all participants whose badges the proxy is collecting (attached to the completed power of attorney)

• Copies of the passports of participants whose badges the proxy is collecting (copies of passports will be returned once badges have been issued)

The power of attorney form and a completed example will be available for download from the ‘Participant accreditation’ section of the Forum website closer to the date of the Forum.

Participants can collect their badges by visiting one of the accreditation points. Locations of these accreditation points and their hours of operation will be available in the ‘Participant accreditation’ section of the official website closer to the date of the Forum.

If a badge has been lost, or damaged, it is necessary to inform immediately an administrator at any information and services point, accreditation point, or the Help Desk, or call +7 (495) 640 6547. The lost badge will then be blocked at the Help Desk, and a duplicate badge issued to the holder from the accreditation point upon written request.

Sochi is one of Russia’s largest resort cities and has a highly developed transport infrastructure. The city is home to an international airport, two railway stations, a commercial and passenger seaport, and numerous highways.

Information on transport routes to Sochi is available in the How to get to Sochi section.

Sochi has favourable subtropical damp climate. The average temperature in February can range from +5°С to +10°С. In view of the city’s geographic position and its proximity to the sea, the wind speed is around 4–7 m/s.

The combination of high humidity and wind means that the weather always seems colder than it is, so taking warm clothing and an umbrella is recommended.

Sochi is on Moscow time (GMT+3).

Although the majority of restaurants and many shops in Sochi accept bank cards, carrying cash as well is recommended.

Russian outlets run at a voltage of 220 volts and a frequency of 50 Hz. Type C and F sockets are common.

The latest exchange rates are published on the Central Bank of the Russian Federation website: www.cbr.ru.