Prior to the ceremony, the President received a briefing from General Director of ANO Directorate of the Exhibition of Achievements “Russia” Natalya Virtuozova on the performance of the exhibition complex and its branches. The head of state also viewed a model of the new complex in Moscow, with Mayor Sergei Sobyanin providing further details.
First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin also took part in the ceremony.
The new complex will be located in the Moscow International Business Centre, Moscow-City, taking up part of the area of the former Expocentre on Krasnaya Presnya. Designed as a multi-functional space integrated into the urban environment, it will include exhibition areas, a convertible congress and concert hall, media and press centres, and public spaces. A landscaped garden will be laid out around the building. The construction will make use of advanced engineering and design solutions, innovative materials, and cutting-edge technologies. The National Centre is scheduled to open in 2029.