Kazan Expo looking for investor to build a hotel
Four international operators demonstrate interest in the new Kazan exhibition complex
The future site of the world championship for professional skills as part of the inspection visit to Kazan has been checked by WorldSkills International Secretariat. The delegation headed by Executive Director of the international organization, David Hoey, visited the construction site of Kazan Expo, which will host the World Cup in 2019. The object has new deadline, the spring of 2018, due to the decision to increase the area of the complex up to 75,400 square meters. As Realnoe Vremya was told in the management of the exhibition centre, the complex already has its first potential partners, it is four international operators — Deutsche Messe, Messe Düsseldorf, ITE and German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
More area and one more pavilion
The delegation WorldSkills International began the inspection visit to the construction site from the building of the congress hall Kazan Expo. The main competitive playground of the championship for working professions is located opposite to the airport building, just outside the terminal of the aeroexpress.
The guests were shown an information banner with the planning project of the future complex. Compared to the slides on the website, the exhibition centre has dramatically changed. Therefore it was decided to launch a new resource. The object was added the third pavilion, and the total area was increased by almost 25,000 square metres: from 51,4 to 75,8 thousand sq. m. Besides, in open areas Kazan Expo there will be build more temporary structures.
''Initially in the framework of the application campaign there were determined parameters that are needed to host the world championship. But we have reviewed all the previous sites of the championship and studied the largest exhibition halls in the world. On this basis, it was made certain changes in the project plan,'' said Deputy General Director of ANO Directorate of sports and social projects Emil Gubaydullin.
First it was reported that Kazan Expo would be a single complex, then it was decided to divide into several parts. It was planned that the first phase of the centre would be commissioned at the end of this year. But changes in the project postponed the commissioning for the spring of 2018 for the entire complex. Now it consists of three exhibition halls and will be connected with the airport and the station of the aeroexpress by a covered walkway.
Kazan Expo is built at 35%
The guests visited the congress hall, were went through two pavilions, where they were demonstrated the transforming sites. The construction site Kazan Expo is 58,300 sq. m., the exhibition area — 41,300 sq. m., the congress hall — 4,100 sq. m, the gallery — 6,900 sq. m., halls on the ground floor — 4,300 sq. m., three exhibition pavilions – 26,000 sq. m., multifunction halls — 3,900 sq. m., the catering area — 3,800 sq. m. Apparently, the foreign delegation was pleased by what they saw.
''I'm deeply impressed by this platform, it meets all world class standards. The latest technology is used in the construction of this exhibition centre. And I think that Kazan and people involved in the construction of the object should be proud of themselves. In fact, this exhibition centre will have a positive impact on the reputation of your city as well as Tatarstan and Russia as a whole,'' said Executive Director of WorldSkills International David Hoey.
Director General of Kazan Expo and aide to Tatarstan President Robert Minnegaliev told that they have no problems with the construction of the complex, the builders are working actively and likely to meet the schedule. According to him, today about 35% of all work have already been implemented.
''Today, the project employs more than 1,000 people in two shifts. They are provided with everything necessary, materials and components are provided. Therefore, it is only necessary to work,'' said Robert Minnegaliev.
First partners are Deutsche Messe and Messe Düsseldorf
The complex management is negotiating with various investors in order to use exhibition areas from the very first days of operation. As director of the department of exhibition business Expo Kazan told Realnoe Vremya, already four international operators have become interested in cooperation with Tatarstan, they are Deutsche Messe, Messe Düsseldorf, ITE and Mechanical Engineering Industry Association. The first two companies are in the top 10 in the world rankings, ITE is in the top 20. It is annual rating compiled by the German exhibition committee AUMA. VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) is the largest organiser of German pavilions at technical exhibitions. Each of these operators has confirmed willingness to act as a co-organizer of exhibition projects at Kazan Expo.
''For example, in the fall of 2018, we plan to hold Kazan Industry forum — international industrial forum, which will include a large number of topics, we will add new ones. We will attract Russian and international partners. We plan that this event will be no less than three times larger than that is now held in the region on a similar theme — we have such task. Because we have large infrastructure, we need to develop it, and we can't afford it to stand it idle,'' explained the director of the department of exhibition business Kazan Expo Adel Nagumanov.
According to him, the first exhibition events will start in the summer of 2018. The team Kazan Expo plans to conduct thirty own congress and exhibition events annually, as well as they are ready to accept guest events of international and federal levels. The basic calendar of events has already been scheduled, in the near future it will be published. Main tasks — the most effective load of the sites Kazan Expo, implementation of new formats and topics and expansion of international cooperation. The themes are traditional for our country – it is oil and gas, petrochemicals and chemicals, engineering, IT, agricultural complex, energy, transport, medicine and ecology.
The complex will be able to host not only exhibitions. The open area can be used for road shows, different celebrations, Christmas trees. ''Certainly, we have some restrictions imposed by the proximity to the airport, for example, we will not be able to launch fireworks from the open area. But, in general, we plan to use the versatility of Kazan Expo as the advantage of the site,'' said Nagumanov.
Top five exhibitions and the three-star hotel
The head of the department for development of exhibition business Kazan Expo shared with our publication with the plans to enter the top five exhibition centres of Russia for holding international and federal events. In his opinion, the modern infrastructure of the complex, the proximity to the international airport Kazan, own customs office and hotels will help to achieve this goal.
The republic is already negotiating with investors, among whom there are many major hoteliers, on the question of the construction of a hotel. The hotel with 200 rooms will be erected near the exhibition centre territory on the area of 4 hectares, on the basis of the shopping and entertaining complex.
''Ideally, the hotel will be opened by 2019. But it all depends on an investor. We followed the world trend when large exhibitions centres are being built near airports in order to simplify the system of logistics in the organization of major projects. Accordingly, this complex needs a hotel,'' said Emil Gubaydullin.
''Since it is planned to build a hotel complex on the money of private investors, we consider it correct that the investor independently determined the economic model of the project and chose the future operator. We only have a few requirements — the capacity of 200-300 rooms. The hotel category — at the border between 3-4 stars,'' added Adel Nagumanov.
Big job fair
To the question about how much have been invested in the project, the centre management is not yet ready to give an answer, ''We are doing a recalculation together with the designers, as it has already been mentioned, there have been major structural changes, the third pavilion appeared, the configuration of the open spaces has changed. Therefore, about the cost of construction we will be able to answer a little later when the project estimates are ready.''
Unique materials are used for the construction. The Tatarstan plants produced girders 48 metres each, large structures for open spaces of the centre, customized for Kazan Expo and by special technology.
''The requirements for the exhibition centre is one thing, but our task is to build platforms for WorldSkills close to living conditions created at industrial enterprises. We had some difficulties with this. Here it will be used a lot of high-tech equipment, very large machines that consume large amounts of energy. Therefore, at the design stage it was laid extra power for water, electricity,'' said Emil Gubaidullin.
But after 2019 the site Kazan Expo will be able to host any event to the highest level. The championship will be attended by about 2,000 participants, 3,000 experts and up to 300,000 spectators. The main guests will be Tatarstan pupils, whom this event may help to choose a profession. Secondly, there will be many representatives of Russian and international companies, for whom WorldSkills is a big job fair, where they will be able to look for future employees.
