denkmal Russia-Moscow: Another resounding success as expectations are exceeded
denkmal Russia-Moscow, the three-day trade show for preservation, restoration and museum technology, reached a successful conclusion on 23 October. Despite the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, organizer Leipziger Messe International and its Russian partners exceeded their expectations with around 80 exhibitors and 2,700 trade visitors. The joint German stand hosted 16 exhibitors.
The international congress programme featured more than 230 speakers (2019: 180) from seven countries at a total of 69 seminars, conferences and roundtable debates. For the first time, all events were livestreamed, and they can still be seen on YouTube. This considerably increased the reach of the congress, with some events being watched by several hundred viewers. By the end of denkmal Russia-Moscow, these streamed presentations had already been viewed about 3,000 times.
The congress covered topics such as the preservation of world heritage sites, training, repurposing listed buildings, legal regulations, wood restoration, and the restoration of religious buildings.
The large number of live restoration workshops, especially at the City of Moscow’s stand, and the Young Restorers Competition attracted plenty of attention. Here, budding restorers from Moscow and other regions pitted their skills against each other in five different categories (metal roofing, painting, stucco, wood restoration, and masonry restoration). This competition was held for the fourth time and will be continued in 2022 at denkmal in Leipzig. Markus Geisenberger, Managing Director of Leipziger Messe, is delighted with the results. “Our perseverance, our rapid adaptation to the new external circumstances, the development of new formats, and the expansion of the congress section all paid off. Our long-standing international networks were also beneficial. The three days in Moscow showed us that denkmal is an indispensable meeting place for specialists."
The trade show was opened in the presence of Russia’s Deputy Minister of Construction, the Deputy Chair of the Moscow Duma (city council), the President of the Association of Restorers, the President of ICOMOS Russia, and the Director of the Moscow Heritage Authority, underlining denkmal’s high political esteem in Russia.
denkmal Russia-Moscow will next be held in October 2023. Meanwhile, restoration and heritage experts from all over Europe will meet up in Leipzig when denkmal is held thereagain from 24 to 26 November 2022.
Exhibitors’ and guests’ feedback
Ralph-Uwe Johann, CEO of Deffner & Johann: “Many thanks for this initiative. It was a successful event and we had some very interesting discussions with Russian restorers.”
Thomas Dienberg, Deputy Mayor of Urban Development and Construction, City of Leipzig: “It was a really great trade show. I was very impressed by the Young Restorers Competition as well as by how various restoration techniques ranging from planning and development to implementation were presented at this expo. And it was wonderful that it could still be held despite the difficult circumstances.”
Sergei Cheryomin, Moscow Government Minister, Head of the Department for Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations of the City of Moscow: “In ten years, denkmal has developed into the biggest platform for the heritage sector in Russia. We’d like to thank the organizers and exhibitors for providing this excellent opportunity for international debate. We’re happy to continue our cooperation with Leipzig and Leipziger Messe. Once again, we’ll be participating in denkmal in Leipzig next year, where we intend to have the finest stand in the whole exhibition!”
Professor Manfred Gerner, President of the ARGE German Half-Timbered Towns Association: “The expo has undergone impressive development. Many points of contact emerged for further concrete activities in Russia.”
Andrey Babich, General Director of Remmers: “denkmal is a prominent occasion in the sector and our regular trade show. It would have been a shame if it hadn’t taken place.”
Philipp Hinz, Tonwelt – guiding solutions: “denkmal Russia-Moscow was an important event for strengthening our links with this market. Many thanks to Leipziger Messe for its fantastic support.”
Professor Michael Kaliske, Dresden University of Applied Sciences: “Thank you very much for organizing the colloquium. It was important for us to be able to deliver our presentations – not only to promote research, but also to pave the way for future collaboration with Russia.”
Antje Bensch, Keimfarben: “We’re satisfied and were positively surprised. People feel the need to meet in person again. It was superbly organized.”
Ralf Dieter Rupnow, CEO of Hydro Group Plus: “We’ve had some interesting meetings here and are about to finalize an important deal.”
View the congress events on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCpqRpwEE8tMXM5BjGpeTWYA/videos