The Voronezh State Technical University (VSTU) Business Incubator site has become a place of attraction for leading experts, government officials and the business community. The visiting strategic meeting of the International Discussion Club “VISION 3000” was successfully held here, an event that set new vectors for dialogue on the role of regions in the global economy.
The meeting was organized by the VISION 3000 club itself and the NGO International Union of Women, co-organized by the Women’s Council under the leadership of Margarita Maslennikova., with the support of the Government of the Voronezh Region, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the region. The online publication “Embassy Life” has become the general information partner, consistently covering key international initiatives.
Key topic: regions as drivers of global change
The agenda of the meeting – “Regions as engines of global competitiveness: strategies for small and medium–sized businesses at the intersection of tradition, innovation and international dialogue” – proved to be as relevant as possible. The participants focused on practical mechanisms for integrating local initiatives into the global economy, the role of mentoring, and the potential of public diplomacy as a “soft power” for Territories.
High-level and strategic dialogue
The tone of the discussion was set by the official part. Igor Gennadievich Shabanov, Deputy Minister of Internal Policy of the Voronezh Region, in his welcoming speech emphasized the importance of holding meetings of the VISION 3000 Club in the region, calling them an effective platform for building a direct dialogue between government, business and society, sharing experiences and strengthening interregional ties.
Sergey Vladimirovich Petrovsky, President of the Voronezh Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized the high export potential of Voronezh enterprises and the need for active cooperation to conquer new markets.
Denis Vladimirovich Andryushchenko, Director of the Center for Coordination of Support for Export-oriented SMEs in the Voronezh Region, presented a detailed overview of existing state support tools, urging entrepreneurs to actively use these opportunities to scale their businesses.
The meeting was moderated by the inspirers of the site. Alfiya Ravilyevna Amirova, President of the International Women’s Union and founder of the VISION 3000 Club, opened her speech with a vivid video about the organization’s activities, and then presented key plans. The main announcement was the launch of the International Photo Contest “Women Farmers: Faces of the Earth”, dedicated to the International Year of Women Farmers proclaimed by the United Nations. The project is being implemented with the technical assistance of the FAO Office and the support of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, which, according to Amirova, is a direct hit on the agenda of sustainable rural development and support for women’s entrepreneurship.
Margarita Yurievna Maslennikova, head of the Women’s Council, set the practical vector for the discussion, focusing on specific regional projects and the role of women’s leadership.
International experience and federal expertise: from theory to practice
High-level speakers spoke in the block of international and interregional experience.
Oleg Yulievich Kobyakov, Director of the FAO Office for Liaison with the Russian Federation, presented a global vision of the role of women in ensuring food security, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming International Year of Women Farmers and the potential for cooperation with Russia in this area.
Andrey Vladimirovich Tutarikov, Head of the Rural Tourism Development Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, spoke about the rapid growth of agrotourism as a promising point of economic growth and government support measures in this area.
Nikolai Vadimovich Sukhov, a leading researcher at IMEMO RAS, Candidate of Historical Sciences, offered an in-depth academic analysis of the current transformation of the world order. The participants were particularly interested in his expert assessment of the practical aspects of cooperation with the countries of the Arab East, supported by many years of experience in studying the Middle East agenda. The report developed into a lively discussion about the prospects for cooperation with the States of the region.
Artur Sergeevich Nikolaev, First Deputy Chairman of the Union of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan, shared Tatarstan’s impressive experience in developing international economic relations, highlighting successful cooperation with the countries of the Islamic world. He elaborated on the key role of the republic in the implementation of The International Economic Forum “Russia – the Islamic World: KazanForum” (May 12-17, 2026, timed to coincide with Kazan’s status as the cultural capital of the Islamic world), as well as the implementation of specific investment projects with partners from the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Turkey and Oman, the development of the Halal industry and an experiment in Islamic banking.
Live cases of Voronezh business: success stories
The meeting culminated in a series of inspiring speeches from the leaders of the Voronezh business community, who proved that success has a regional dimension.
Olga Alexandrovna Ofitserova, head of the Center for Design Solutions “Workshop of Success” and head of the Committee for the Development of Women’s Entrepreneurship in the NGO “Support of Russia”, in her speech “Leadership in cooperation: how to build bridges between regions and countries” She revealed specific strategies for joining forces for successful business scaling.
Anna Yurievna Kireeva, Director of ANO DPO “Straktika”, author of acceleration programs, devoted her speech to the topic “ESG agenda: Confidence-building tools for Russian companies”, vividly explaining how the principles of sustainable development become a real competitive advantage.
Gennady Vitalievich Plastunov, Director of Voronezh-Med-Tour, a member of the relevant committees, demonstrated the high potential of the region in the field of medical tourism, giving concrete examples of successful attraction of patients from other regions and countries.
The final part
At the end of the meeting, the speaker Vladimir Vladimirovich Zolotykh, Adviser to the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Voronezh Region on Foreign Economic Activity. He summed up the discussion, noting the high practical importance of the dialogue for the development of international relations in the region, and expressed the CCI’s readiness to provide comprehensive support to entrepreneurs seeking to enter foreign markets and implement joint projects with foreign partners.
Summing up the meeting, Margarita Yurievna Maslennikova, on behalf of the organizers, thanked the participants for a productive dialogue and a high level of expertise, and she also noted the special value of holding such a large-scale event on Voronezh soil, where representatives of government, business, science and the public met.
Alfiya Amirova, President of the International Women’s Union and founder of the VISION 3000 Club, concluded the meeting by thanking the Government of the Voronezh Region, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the region, the co-organizers and all participants for the warm welcome, support and constructive interaction. She expressed sincere hope for further fruitful cooperation and the development of joint projects, stressing that Voronezh has become an important point on the map of the club’s international dialogue.
Results: the dialogue took place, contacts were established
The meeting ended with a lively networking session, where participants exchanged contacts and discussed the outlines of future joint projects. The main result, formulated by the moderators, was a direct and productive dialogue that could give a new impetus to the development of small and medium–sized businesses in the region and its full integration into global processes.
Following the meeting, analytical materials will be prepared, which will be published on the official resources of the VISION 3000 club, its founders and the general information partner– the online publication Embassy Life.
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