About 150 business owners, top-managers of consulting and management companies, developers, investors, retail chain operators from 18 regions of Russia, as well as from Kazakhstan and the Ukraine.
       Alexander Borisov, Chairman of Committee of the consumer market development of Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, opened the conference and pointed out the general trends of Russian trade industry and emphasized the necessity of normative base development.
       Viktor Konteev, Deputy Mayor of Yekaterinburg, shared the experience of shopping centers construction with the market players. The local authorities advise and expertize projects, provide assistance in search of efficient tenants, initiate trainings and experience exchange.
       Konstantin Sakharov, General Director of «Regiony» company, put forward a thesis that there is no competition on retail real estate market. Alexey Bibichev, Executive Director at the marketing research and consulting agency «Market», delivered a speech about the marketing means of successful shopping center development. The thoughts how to maintain the competitive ability of retail stores in a shopping center were shared by Alexander Fedorov, President of «Wild Orchid» company.
       The foreign speakers were most expressive. Bernd Hallier, Director of European Trade Institute (Germany), featured global tendencies, one of which is the intention to sell life style, and  not just goods and services. According to Lewis Allen, Senior Associate, Head of Retail Interiors at HOK International Ltd (Great Britain), the commercial properties design should be orientated to integrated rather than  separated styles. Wolfgang Gruschwitz, Managing Director of Gruschwitz GmbH (Germany), shared the audience about the deep process of consumer emotions origin and how the shopping center can stimulate visitors for shopping.
       Jeff Kershaw (Noble Gibbons), Sergey Yashko (GfK Rus), Oleg Voytsekhovskiy (RCSC), Vladislav Zabrodin (Capital Legal Services) presented their visions and trends at the round-table talk «Retail area market in Russia: when saturation comes».
       The conference participants visited the branch projects exposition of «Garant-Invest», «WatCom», «Ronova Cleaning», «Antivor Systems» and «Magitel» companies. One of the exponents was the shopping and trade center «Golden Mile» (Nizhny Novgorod). 
       The conference was host to «Mall-Club 2005», parallel to Shop Design Russia ─ the 10th International Exposition of shop equipment, automation systems and technical equipment of stores.
       Organizer: Russian Council of Shopping Centers.
       Legal support: Capital Legal Services.
       Sponsors: «MAGITEL», «Maksimov. Konditer-Klass», «Legenda Kryma». 
       Official edition: «Mall» magazine.
       Informational partners: magazines «Vedomosti. Nedvizhimost», «Commercial Real Estate», «Mir & Dоm. Business», «Torgovoye oborudovaniye. Luchshii vybor», «Shop Management», Europaproperty.com, Internet-portals Arendator.ru, RealEstate.ru, Retail.ru, Guide to Property, Marketer.ru, Web-plan, RWAY agency, «Alpina Business Books» publishing house.

       For further information contact:
       Ekaterina Lyskova (PR-manager of Russian Council of Shopping Centers) 
       tel: +7 (095) 744-01-60, 152-26-29 
       lyskova@rusretail.ru
       www.mall-expo.ru