The first Russian International Protocol Forum has completed its work. The Forum’s ultimate motto was ‘Protocol comes out of the shadows’. The organizers have managed to gather a unique mix of top-class experts, managers and representatives of various Protocol teams, including the Protocol office of the President of the Russian Federation, the Protocol Department of the Government of the Russian Federation and the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. The Forum can be portrayed as forward-looking and innovative, absolutely in the spirit of its venue — the Skolkovo Technopark. This vibe was acknowledged during the Forum Plenary session in his opening address by Vladislav Kitaev, Chief of the Protocol of the President of the Russian Federation, ‘The dynamically developing world and the relevant processes of globalization, informatization and digitalization, significantly update the requirements set for the Protocol today’.
‘We have managed to accomplish the main aim of the Forum — to build up a professional platform for discussions and experience exchange between the Protocol professionals,’ Pavel Popov, General Director of the IQ Protocol company, Head of the Russian International Protocol Forum Directorate, said when summing up the Forum results.
According to Arkady Dvorkovich, Chairman of the Skolkovo Foundation, under whose auspices the Forum was held, ‘Many are just unaware of the real complexities and the meticulous work centered around thousands of small details. Our common task is to exchange experience, share the best Protocol practices, and implement them for the sake of promoting Protocol efficiency to the level of ultimate perfection’.
The Forum was organized by the IQ Protocol company with the support of the Roscongress Foundation and the Skolkovo Foundation.
The Forum brought together 529 Protocol professionals and experts. Out of 72 regions that had applied for participation, 58 entities of the Russian Federation sent their delegates to the Forum; there were participants from 15 foreign states; heads and employees of Protocol services and Press services of more than 50 federal executive authorities of the Russian Federation, 30 public corporations, as well as Russian and international business companies.
The Forum participants admitted that the organizers had created an environment of convenience and trust, which was conducive to discussions and exchange of experience.
The business program of the Forum was comprised of 15 thematic sessions, panel discussions and master classes on the most topical aspects of modern Protocol, Etiquette, Hospitality and Intercultural Communication.
The central event of the Forum was the Opening Plenary session called ‘Trends and Future of Modern Protocol Service’. The greatest interest of the participants was shown to the ‘Gifts Selection. The Art of Gift-Giving’ master class and the ‘Working with Headliners. At the frontline’ panel discussion.
Active informal communication among participants was facilitated by the Forum’s digital solutions — the Business Networking Platform, which facilitated and hosted 60 meetings, and the Forum official mobile app with instant messaging between the registered users.
The ‘From Gifts to Lifestyles’ exhibition featured 10 companies that displayed their offers and discussed prospects for cooperation with representatives of Protocol offices and gift funds of companies and agencies.
Pavel Popov encouraged all delegates to engage in drafting the agenda and format of the next Forum, noting that it would be unreasonable to contemplate the next Forum disregarding wishes of those who have participated in it.
