The traditional St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (IPEF) is being held this year in a special mode: fewer “prestigious” participants, many of them “on code”, food is not so rich, “luxury businesswomen” are not promised, however, the price of an entrance ticket with a performance increased by 110 thousand.
The IPEF has been held in St. Petersburg since 1997, the participants are representatives of politics and business, in the best years representatives of 160 countries participated in it. German Gref, who was then only the vice-governor of St. Petersburg, took an active part in organizing the first forums. President Vladimir Putin has been a regular participant and speaker at the event since 2005. From this moment, one can count down when the IPEF has become an important political meeting, at which not only large international business contracts are concluded, but also important political messages are voiced in the context of the economic agenda. In addition, over the years the forum has amazed both with its internal luxury and expensive accompanying entertainment. There was also a high-profile scandal related to the price of an entrance ticket for an entrepreneur.
Governor’s buffet remains
For obvious reasons, the current jubilee 25th IPEF, which will take place from June 15 to 18, special, and European, American, Japanese or Korean visitors with official status should not be expected. But still on the forum will be guests from at least 115 countries (last year representatives from 141 countries participated). It is clear that all foreign politicians and businessmen carefully weighed whether to come or not. The locals don’t have much of a choice. But as far as expenses are concerned, and they are purely budgetary, the IPEF again remains at its best – according to Delovoy Peterburg, the exposition, business zone and catering will, as in the past year, be carried out by Expo Global Group LLC in Moscow for 63.2 million rubles. Just as before, the Committee for Culture of the Government of St. Petersburg chose the same performer of the so-called governor’s buffet as last year – ANO “Gala-Rus”, and it will cost 15 million rubles. This amount also includes exclusive handmade gifts for dear guests. In general, it is traditionally customary at the forum not to save on food – it is not only expensive, but also exquisite. It concerns not only the final buffet table, but also “ordinary” catering. You can read more about the delights and prices for food in familiarize at least based on last year’s forum.
We focus on nutrition, because the business component of the forum, oddly enough, constantly remains in the shadows. No, just the conclusion of treaties and agreements is always announced loudly, figures, amounts and achievements are given, but formalism is blown in this matter. As an official from the economic bloc of Smolny told an Nasha Versiya correspondent, “all agreements and contracts, decisions on them, are reached much in advance, now most are still in January-February.” In fact, there is a funded system – contracts and various options for cooperation are designated long before the forum, but they are voiced officially and pretentiously at it. And, of course, from year to year the number of contracts is steadily growing, both quantitatively and in terms of money. You can’t lose momentum.
Of course, SPIEF guests will have a hard time, not only for political reasons. Flight logistics is not the easiest, and constantly throws up problems. It is not known how the situation will be specifically by June 15. As for hotels, they are traditionally ready to cash in on dear guests. The cost of the most luxurious rooms in luxury hotels in St. Petersburg reaches 1 million rubles per day. However, according to the consulting company PFM, the city’s hotel occupancy during SPIEF this year may be 5-10% lower than last year, due to a decrease in the number of international forum participants.
In addition, many foreign guests will be, as they say, “in code.” Members ask organizers do not indicate all information about themselves, even on a banal badge, so as not to be subject to potential sanctions. Although, what can be hidden in the modern world …
No escorts?
But the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, which takes place on the famous white nights, of course, is more famous for its financial component than its entertainment (we have already mentioned the food). Its still traditional called flight of escorts. Moreover, such girls participated in the forum as “entrepreneurs” (although they are businesswomen in their own way, aren’t they?), paying a lot of money for participating in the forum. True, not always on their own. According to some reports, they had some kind of “partners” who invested in the entrance ticket to the SPIEF. They say the investment will certainly pay off. Moreover, girls are some kind of cream of a similar industry from all over the country, a luxury segment, so to speak. And earlier foreigners were extremely interested in “intergirls”, now it is not so. As one of the “dealers” of such an industry told the correspondent of Our Version, “only St. Petersburg girls are enough for today, the golden days of escorts are over, there is also a pandemic, that’s how it affected her.” As a comrade says, “now an evening escort will hardly cost at least 200 thousand, and in fat times it reached half a million, especially from guests from India.” In general, “ladies with low social responsibility” after the 2018 World Cup are experiencing a real crisis in St. Petersburg. But, actually, like the whole service sector.
And an escort with an escort, but the St. Petersburg forum has always been famous for its “nightlife”, which consisted in spectacular concerts of both domestic and foreign music stars. According to rumors, the fees were crazy, but no one saw the paychecks and statements. “Now, if there are such parties, then definitely without foreign performers,” said Yevgenia Milova, a secular columnist for the Kommersant newspaper. – But they will definitely not be advertised in any way, not the time. There are certain rumors about personalities, in particular, about the favorite groups of our establishment, but the facts, if they appear, will be classified.
However they saythat the most sought-after SPIEF singer of the era of the “fat 2000s” Sergey Shnurov is now not held in high esteem by the elite. Although who knows – for what they bought, for that we sell. In any case, a year ago he was on the forum spoke and as a businessman. Now, in a crisis, only real business sharks can afford the price of entry – it increased per year for 110 thousand rubles.
And last year’s St. Petersburg forum was remembered for commercial scandals. It turned out that to pay for participation and performance 840 thousand (or 960 thousand, if the President of the Russian Federation is present) need not only businessmen, but also expert speakers. Anastasia Tatulova, the Russian public ombudsman for small and medium-sized businesses, articulated this topic harshly. As for parties, in 2021, from June 2 to June 5, within this framework, participants annealed on Krestovsky Island to the songs of Shnurov’s protégé “Zoya”, the next – at a Forbes reception at the House of Leningrad Trade, also at the apartment building of the Otkritie bank and a Yandex party. The third day, the tape of certain secular lionesses of our “sublunar world” was overflowing with shots from the concerts of Svetlana Loboda and the Zhuki group.