Expocentre

The Central Exhibition Complex "Expocentre" is a venue for holding a wide variety of exhibitions in Moscow. It is currently located on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, 14, directly on the territory of "Moscow-City".

History of the Expocentre Fairgrounds

Initially, Expocentre was located in Sokolniki Park. The first exhibition on its territory was held back in 1959. It was the US National Exhibition. Just 6 years later, Expocentre hosted the first international industry exhibition, Chemistry, and since then, events of various scales and themes with the participation of not only domestic but also foreign companies have been regularly organized at the CEC.

The largest exhibitions of the 1960s–1980s were Svyaz, Elektro, Neftegaz, Lesdrevmash, and Inlegmash. As a result, Expocentre became a member of the Russian Union of Builders, Chemists, etc.

Expocentre gradually began to gain recognition from global communities. As a result, it first became a member of the Global Federation of the Industry (UFI) in 1975, and then of a number of other professional organizations, including:

• RSPP;

• IRTP;

• AEB;

• National Convention Bureau of Russia;

• Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation;

• IAEE;

• IFES;

• AIPC;

• ICCA;

• EMECA etc.

Since there was a regular shortage of existing spaces, Expocentre decided to move to the Krasnaya Presnya area. Construction of the pavilions of the new central exhibition complex began in 1970. The best Soviet architects were involved in their design, including the father of all of Moscow City, B. I. Thor, as well as M. V. Posokhin, L. G. Kotov and others. As a result, the first pavilion was ready in 1977 and already in 1978 it hosted the first exhibition, Woodworking-78.

Three more pavilions were ready by 1980. These were buildings 2, 3 and "Forum". In 1994, the entire exhibition program was transferred to a new complex on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment. In the early 2000s, pavilion No. 7 opened, and in 2007, the last pavilion, No. 8, was put into operation.

In 1989, the staff of the Department of Soviet Exhibitions Abroad of the USSR Chamber of Commerce and Industry were transferred to Expocentre. It formed its own gallery, which presented works by Russian landscape painters of the 19th century, including I. I. Shishkin and I. I. Levitan. In 2013, all the paintings and graphics were donated to Moscow State University.

In 2010, Expocentre also made a grand gesture. Its staff built and donated to the Russian Orthodox Church a church in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

Today, the General Director of Expocentre is Sergei Bednov.

Expocentre today

Nowadays, the CEC annually hosts the exhibitions "Chemistry", "Furniture", "Metalworking", "Advertisement", "Oil and Gas", "World of Childhood", "Healthcare" and hundreds of others. The programs introduce visitors to innovative solutions, new brands, world achievements and facilitate the establishment of new business connections.

Every year, millions of people visit the exhibition complex. And the active development of Moscow City, the proximity of the Vystavochnaya and Delovoy Tsentr metro stations contribute to an even greater increase in attendance. The calendar of events is scheduled a year in advance. When forming the exhibition program, priority areas for the development of the domestic and global economy are taken into account. Both participants and visitors can register for the events online.

The total area of Expocentre is about 250,000 sq. m., and the net exhibition space accounts for 165,000 sq. m. Of this, 60,000 sq. m. is allocated for the open area, and 105,000 sq. m. is for the closed area. The complex has 3 entrances: northern, western and southern.

The Expocentre Fairgrounds are made up of 9 pavilions with different functional capabilities: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and the Forum. In addition to the classic exhibition spaces, they contain 39 halls for holding congresses and conferences.

The Expocentre Fairgrounds have everything visitors might need, including cafes and ATMs.

Pavilion No. 1

The total area of the building is 12,204 sq. m., of which the exhibition area of the 1st floor is 8,082 sq. m., the 2nd floor – 4,122 sq. m. The height of the pavilion reaches 9.6 m, and its floor can withstand a load of up to 3 t/sq. m.

On the first floor of pavilion No. 1 there is a VIP meeting room, on the second floor there is a congress room, and on the third floor there are 2 halls and a meeting room. The building is equipped with freight elevators with a lifting capacity of 5000 kg, as well as passenger elevators.

Pavilion No. 2

The total area of the second pavilion is 26,374 sq. m., and its height is 8.2 m. The building houses:

• blue hall;

• VIP meeting room;

• 4 meeting rooms;

• VIP office;

• 3 seminar rooms.

Pavilion No. 3

The third pavilion contains an exhibition hall and a gallery. Its total area is 5861 sq. m. The ceiling height reaches 10.1 m, and the floor can withstand a load of up to 4 t/sq. m., which distinguishes the premises from other pavilions.

Pavilion No. 4

The small fourth pavilion has an area of 875 sq. m and a height of 5.8 m. It contains 2 exhibition halls and has the ability to hang banners.

Pavilion No. 5

This pavilion is designed for 4 halls, the total area of which is 4449 sq. m. In the first two halls, it is possible to hang banners on ceiling structures, the height of which reaches 4.8 m. Halls 3 and 4 do not have this option, and their height does not exceed 3 m.

Pavilion No. 6

The area of pavilion No. 6 is 1,747 sq. m. It is a single structure without elevators, but allows for hanging banners.

Pavilion No. 7

Opened in 2002, Pavilion No. 7 was the first in Russia to implement the idea of a 2-level exhibition complex with transformable halls. Its total area is 15,717 sq. m., and its height is 4 m. The floor of the building can withstand loads of 4 t/sq. m., as can Pavilion No. 3. It houses 6 halls, 4 of which allow a load of up to 120 kg per suspension point.

Pavilion No. 8

This pavilion was the last to be built and put into operation. It has become the most high-tech in Russia. The building has excellent acoustics, allowing for live music concerts.

The special feature of pavilion No. 8 is the creation of closed passages, through which you can immediately get to pavilions 2, 3, 7 and the "Forum". Its area is 14,842 sq. m. In addition to 5 exhibition halls, there are also:

• VIP meeting room;

• seminar room;

• conference room;

• banquet hall;

• 2 standard meeting rooms.

Pavilion "Forum"

It is the Forum pavilion that has become the calling card of Expocentre. It has a unique architecture and is a glass pyramid with a low peak in the center with an exhibition area of 11,833 sq. m. On two levels of the building there are transformable halls, the largest of which can accommodate 300 people. Film forums and congresses are regularly held here.

Interesting facts and achievements

The Expocentre Fairgrounds is used not only for exhibitions, congresses, forums, but also as an arena for performances. Thus, the excellent technical equipment allowed the Safronov brothers' grand show "The Secret of Three Planets" to be held here.

An advertising cartoon about the All-Union Association "Expocentre" was filmed by director Efim Hamburg at the Soyuzmultfilm studio. It was presented to television viewers in 1985.

At the World Exhibition "EXPO-2005", held in the Japanese city of Nagoya, the Russian pavilion was recognized as one of the 5 best. More than 5 million people got acquainted with it.

In 2008, Expocentre took 2nd place in the international UFI exhibition poster competition for the presentation of a poster for an eyewear salon. And in 2009, it was awarded the Russian Government Prize for Quality.

In 2017, the 4th Forum of Regions of Russia and Belarus was held at Expocentre with the participation of the presidents of both countries, and a year later the 68th FIFA Congress was held there.