THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITION EVENTS OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST INDUSTRIES: HOW MINING AND METALS CENTRAL ASIA AND KAZCOMAK TOOK PLACE IN ALMATY.

FROM SEPTEMBER 20 TO 22, 2023, AT THE ATAKENT EXHIBITION CENTER, ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN, TWO EXHIBITIONS IN THE FIELD OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL COMPLEX AND ROAD AND PUBLIC UTILITIES - MINING AND METALS CENTRAL ASIA 2023 AND KAZCOMAK 2023 WERE HELD.

The events updated their own records, showing impressive results - 5,273 unique visitors, 379 participating companies from 33 countries and more than 50 pieces of special equipment at the street exhibition.

This year the scale of exhibitions has increased significantly. Their area increased by 75% compared to 2022 and exceeded 15 thousand square meters, and at least a third of the participants presented their stands for the first time. The increase in the number of exhibitors and the diversity of the countries they represent, as well as the qualitative expansion of the business program, directly influenced the growth in the number of professional visitors to the event.

Both individual companies and representatives of national groups united for a single collective exposition took part in stands. Thus, manufacturers of equipment and technological solutions from the UK, Germany, China, Russia, Turkey and South Korea presented national stands of their countries. In general, exhibition visitors could get acquainted with the products and latest achievements of companies from Australia and Austria, Germany and Israel, India and Iran, Spain and Italy, Canada and China, the Netherlands and Norway, the UAE and the USA, Turkey and Finland, France and Switzerland, Sweden and South Korea, and other countries.

The importance of the MMC for the economy of Kazakhstan was also discussed by experts at the exhibitions - holding a business program at Mining and Metals Central Asia and Kazcomak has become an annual tradition. Sessions, round tables and training seminars from industry leading companies were held in three seminar areas. A total of 12 business sessions were held, and the main one was the plenary one: Modern trends and technologies in the MMC: innovation, greening and digitalization of industrial production.

The reason for the interest in exhibitions from business, on the one hand, and the large number of visitors, on the other, is obvious. The mining and metallurgical complex in Kazakhstan is developing steadily: the share of this sector of the economy forms almost 9% of GDP, and new projects are constantly being implemented in it. For example, in 2022, business implemented 19 investment projects worth 232 billion KZT with the creation of 3.5 thousand new jobs for citizens of the country. And investments continue to come, supporting new projects that are important for the economy.

Turar Zholmagambetov, Deputy Chairman of the Industrial Development Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Construction, spoke about this, in particular, in his welcoming speech at the plenary session. According to him, at the end of 2022, investments in fixed capital amounted to about 1.3 trillion KZT - this is 18% of the figure for the entire industry.

In turn, Tulegen Mukhanov, the First Deputy Executive Director of the Association of Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises, also noted the importance of the industry for the development of the country: “In his Message to the people of Kazakhstan, the President paid special attention to the mining sector, instructing to modernize its management system as soon as possible. The topic of the plenary session is indeed very important. Since the MMC is a basic industry that plays a strategic role in the economy of our country, the issue of innovative development of the mining industry becomes relevant. And many enterprises in the MMC are already on the path of innovation, greening and digitalization of industrial production. These and other relevant issues of the industry will be the focus of discussions at the International Mining and Metals Central Asia exhibition, said Tulegen Mukhanov.

Participants of the platform also spoke about the positive impact of expo platforms on business development. Angelina Dvoryankova, Stockholm Precision Tools, noted: “Exhibitions help promote business, as there is a great opportunity to communicate with potential customers, establish contacts, find out what specifically interests our customers, because in usual times it is very difficult to establish a dialogue and communicate live. Here, at the exhibition, you can talk over a cup of coffee, find out what nuances, what opportunities for growth exist”.

Visitors eagerly shared their impressions of visiting the exhibition, noting significant growth this year. Denis Valuisky, Kentech JSC, gave the following assessment: “I have been to exhibitions in different countries several times, there is something to compare with. I visited this exhibition for the first time, I liked it, it is not inferior to other exhibitions that took place in the best years, before the leaders left. The exhibition is excellent, the representation of exhibitors was surprising, the exposition is full, there are little-known manufacturers, there are also world leaders in European, American, and Chinese manufacturers”.

Also, the business program on September 20 and 21 was supplemented by a round table with the participation of Swedish companies on the topic of applying the best Swedish practices in the mining and metallurgical industry of Kazakhstan, as well as seminars from AV GROUP, Epiroc, FLS and Klinkmann.

In parallel with Mining and Metals Central Asia, participants of the Kazcomak exhibition presented their products. Among the exhibitors were companies from Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Russia - Eurasian Machinery, Kazakhstan Jinghong Engineering Machiner, Reschke Rus, Sevalo Engineering Machinery Kazakhstan, SUNLONG and others.

It should be noted that an innovation of the exhibitions was the launch of the innovative mobile application - ITECA.EVENTS. Its main task is to make both participation and visiting the exhibition as productive as possible. Using the application, participants could schedule meetings with potential customers and collect contacts by scanning QR codes of badges. And visitors always had at their disposal a list of participants with a list of products and services presented at the exhibition, as well as a business program schedule and an interactive exhibition plan. The participants themselves shared their positive experience of using the application, including the companies: AG Tech, Promprivod, Micromine CA, Sandvik Mining and Construction Kazakhstan and many others.

The exhibition was organized by Iteca Kazakhstan Exhibition Company and its international partner - ICA Events Group of Companies. The general partner was AV GROUP, the partner of the seminar zone was ORICA. Business Sweden Swedish Trade and Investment Council was a partner of the Negotiation Zone.

The exhibitions were held with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Akimat of Almaty city, Tau-Ken Samruk NMC JSC and the Republican Association of Mining and Metallurgical Enterprises ALE.