The Russian International Energy Forum started with Power & Electrical Engineering International Specialised Exhibition, which has been arranged since 1993. At that time, the event took place every year in the LenExpo Centre.
It is not by chance that St. Petersburg was selected to become the exhibition venue. This city possesses a high industrial and investment potential, which facilitates efficient arrangement and holding of business events for the fuel and energy sector.
For many years, the exhibition kept developing and extending. In 2013, the directors of LenExpo JSC decided that it was time for the city to see an energy forum. Their point was appreciated by the Government of St. Petersburg and the Government of the Russian Federation, represented by the Ministry of Economic Development. This was how since 2013 the exhibition became a part of the Russian International Energy Forum.
From the very start, the Forum was focused on the international industrial community, and it was attended by the Finnish, German, and Polish companies. Further, the list of participants included companies from Italy, France, Slovakia, and Montenegro. Over the last few years, Chinese and Indian companies have been widely participating in the event, too.
Since 2017, RIEF has reached a new level, as it has been supported not only by the federal authorities, but also by Russian and international industrial and business unions and associations. The Forum attracted much attention from the global community and became one of the top events on the business calendar of the Russian fuel and energy sector.
2018 and 2019 accomplished the best results for RIEF – it was when the Forum got the unofficial status as ‘an engine’ for transformational changes in the energy sector. The Russian International Energy Forum has become a highly authoritative venue for trust-based collaborations and demonstration of the most cutting-edge projects in regard to the energy industry.
The last two years presented some major challenges. In 2021, the Forum took place against the severe restrictions associated with the COVID pandemic, and in 2022 it encountered the unprecedented geopolitical difficulties. However, despite all the hardships RIEF had to deal with, the event stood the blow worthily. In the next few years, the Forum team intends to bring the Russian International Energy Forum back to the before-crisis level and is going to proceed with the event as one of the most high-profile industrial venues for business communications, which are capable of joining the fuel and energy sector together thanks to common goals and objectives.
