Results of 2023 exhibitions
28 december 2023
Thirteen trade and industrial exhibitions, one conference and one forum were organised in 2023 by the CEO and Iteca Caspian companies with the support of government agencies. The "Fərqli Fərdlər" (Different Individuals) Congress for People with Special Needs celebrated its 5th, International Exhibition for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, Water Supply, Sanitary and Swimming Pool (Aquatherm Baku) - 15th and Caspian International Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition (Translogistica Caspian) - 20th anniversaries.
The international exhibitions organised in our country in 2023 brought together 1378 companies from about 50 countries, of which more than 730 were international exhibitors. The exhibitions received a total of 38,852 professional visitors. 2606 of them were foreign visitors.
Visits by high-ranking guests to the exhibitions has further strengthened the status of these events. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the 16th Azerbaijan International Agriculture "Caspian Agro" and the 28th Azerbaijan International Food Industry "InterFood Azerbaijan" exhibitions held on May 17-19, 2023. In addition, President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of the Baku Energy Week held on May 31-June 2. Following the event's inauguration, President Aliyev applied postage to the commemorative stamps released during Baku Energy Week in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Great Leader Heydar Aliyev.
Caspian Event organisers (CEO) and Iteca Caspian started the exhibition season in March. Firstly, the 5th "Fərqli Fərdlər" Congress for People with Special Needs has been held under the slogan "A Lifetime Path" at the Heydar Aliyev Center. Over the course of five years, the Congress has developed further, the topics on its agenda have expanded even more to include not only children in need of special care, but also adults.
Afterwards, the region’s premier tourism event, the 19th Azerbaijan International Tourism and Travel Fair - AITF, was held. After a gap of three years due to the pandemic, the AITF 2023 exhibition refocused attention on the tourism industry. In 2023, 50 participants from 15 countries participated in the exhibition.
The 16th Azerbaijan International Agriculture - Caspian Agro and the 28th Azerbaijan International Food Industry - InterFood Azerbaijan exhibitions, the largest international agricultural and food industry events in the region, distinguished by their colorful expositions, were organised in May. The exhibitions covered all possible pavilions and open space of Baku Expo Center, and a record number of national and regional stands were displayed there. A total of 479 companies from 31 countries participated in the exhibitions, and 9 countries were represented by national stands.
One of the most memorable and major events in the energy sector in 2023 was Baku Energy Week which united three prestigious events - 28th International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition - Caspian Oil & Gas, 11th Caspian International Power and Green Energy Exhibition - Caspian Power and 28th Baku Energy Forum under one brand. 331 companies from 38 countries participated in the events held within Baku Energy Week.
Greeting letters were sent by the President of the United States of America, Joseph Biden, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Rishi Sunak. Cristina Lobillo Borrero, Director for Energy policy: strategy and coordination at the European Commission, spoke at the opening ceremony. Traditionally, high-ranking guests visited Baku Energy Week. Baku Energy Week was concluded by the special session addressing green energy topics held in Nakhchivan with the support of SOCAR.
The 20th Caspian International Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition - Translogistica Caspian took place alongside with Baku Energy Week. In 2023, in addition to Azerbaijan, companies from Belarus, Georgia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Romania, the Russian Federation, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, presented their products and services at the exhibition. Azerbaijan’s significant role in the field of transport and logistics created the necessity to organise the 1st Caspian International Transport and Logistics Forum within Translogistica Caspian Exhibition. The forum brought together Azerbaijan’s state agencies, a number of global organisations, transport expedition associations of different countries, international and local transport professionals.
The autumn exhibition season started with Caspian Construction Week, the largest event in the region’s construction sector.
Within Caspian Construction Week, the 3rd Azerbaijan International Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Karabakh Exhibition - Rebuild Karabakh, the 28th Azerbaijan International Construction Exhibition - BakuBuild and the 15th Anniversary International Exhibition for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Water Supply, Sanitary and Swimming Pool - Aquatherm Baku were organised. On the same date the 11th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition - Road&Traffic took place. Over the past years, the Rebuild Karabakh exhibition has become one of the significant events of the exhibition industry in Azerbaijan. The welcome letter to the participants from the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev is another proof of the significance of the exhibition for our country. The letter was published in the official catalog of the exhibition, as well. As in previous years, also in 2023, Caspian Event Organisers and Iteca Caspian companies donated a part of the income from the exhibition to the Karabakh Revival Fund to support the restoration and reconstruction works underway across Azerbaijan's liberated territories. The scale of this year's exhibitions has expanded further, showing an increase in exposure compared to previous years: the event used two of the Baku Expo Center halls in 2023 and the third hall has already been put into use this year. 391 companies from 23 countries participated at the Caspian Construction Week.
The exhibition season continued with the 3rd Azerbaijan International Medical Innovations – Medinex in November. Within the framework of the exhibition, the participation of companies from beauty sector took place under the name "Beauty Azerbaijan". A total of 100 companies from 14 countries participated in the exhibitions. "Medinex 2023" exhibition was officially supported by the State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance and the Association of Management of Medical Territorial Units (TABİB).
The 9th Baku International Book Fair marked the end of the exhibition season. Organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the book exhibition included 31 international organisations from 11 various countries as well as 131 local publishing and printing businesses. In 2023, the exhibition broke the records. So, 59,000 persons, a record number of visitors, attended the event. The Caspian Event Organizers company provided organizational support to the exhibition.
An integral part of the exhibitions were b2b meetings. About 340 international business meetings were held in 2023.
The year 2023 marked the centenary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev, an eminent statesman and politician who founded the independent state of Azerbaijan and was the national leader of the Azerbaijani people. As per a decree issued by President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 2023 had been declared as the "Year of Heydar Aliyev" within our nation. The programmes of every event organised by Iteca Caspian and Caspian Event Organisers (CEO) reflected this momentous occasion.
Sponsors and partners were crucial to the exhibits’ effective execution. The companies, such as, SOCAR, Abu Dhabi Port, ACWA Power, Ansaldo Energia, AZEL SYSTEMS, Azeri M-I Drilling Fluids, AZFEN, Baku Steel Company, bp, Caspian Drilling Company, Caspian Marine Services, Equinor, EP Absheron, Intertek, Global Energy Azerbaijan, GL, Inpex, KOLIN Construction, MASDAR, Tekfen, Total Energies, Turkish Petroleum, Uniper, Ural Steel, PMD Group, Nar, GrowGroup Azerbaijan, Gubre.az, Azercell, NB Group (Corella brand), Zeytun Pharmceuticals were the sponsors of 2023 events. Boston Consulting Group acted as the intellectual partner of the Baku Energy Forum. And Improtex Motors, a representative of the BMW brand, unveiled a brand-new electric vehicle model at the forum. Bulgaria acted as the main sponsor of AITF 2023, and Uzbekistan was a partner country.
In 2023, the exhibition partners included: Hyatt Regency Baku and Ibis Baku City hotels, AzExpoMontage as stand installation partner, Greenwich Travel Club - tour operator, Lilac - flower partner. Caspian Event Management and ICA Events acted as the international partners of Caspian Event organisers (CEO) and Iteca Caspian.
These events were actively supported by Azerbaijan Association of Exhibition Organizers (ASTA) in 2023. The organization, which has been operating for a year, already includes more than 40 members. The member companies have more than twenty years of experience in holding large international events. ASTA actively cooperates with state institutions, business sector and public organizations to ensure high-level organization of events within the framework of congress and exhibition activities held in Azerbaijan.
Currently, preparations for the new exhibition season are actively underway. In 2024, the exhibition season will begin in March with the International Exhibition and Conference for Water Management. This new exhibition is being organised for the first time and will take place under the brand of Baku Water Week. The primary objective of the event's organisation is to bring in new technology, equipment, and investment for the advancement of this industry in Azerbaijan while also providing a discussion of significant issues, fresh projects, and collaboration. Further, the 17th Azerbaijan International Agricultural and the 29th Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibitions will be organised in May. Following that, the exhibitions Caspian Oil and Gas, Caspian Power, Baku Energy Forumwill be held under the traditional Baku Energy Week framework and Translogistica Caspian will take place simultaneously. The 5th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition and the 14th International Exhibition for Internal Security, Safety and Rescue Equipment will start the exhibition season in autumn. Afterwards, within the framework of the traditional Caspian Construction Week, the 29th Azerbaijan International Construction, the 16th International Exhibition for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, Water Supply, Sanitary and Swimming Pool, the 4th Azerbaijan International Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Karabakh Exhibition and, simultaneously, the 12th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition will be held. 27th Azerbaijan International Medical Innovations Exhibition will conclude the exhibitions held in Azerbaijan. The 6th "Fərqli Fərdlər" Congress for People with Special Needs, which caused great interest outside Azerbaijan, will be organised in 2024 in Dubai, UAE.
The international status of the events is further enhanced due to the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) membership. As a result, the exhibits there are thoroughly examined to ensure their compliance with the data and organisational level provided, and after that they are granted the relevant quality mark.
Detailed information about the events to be held in 2024 can be obtained from the websites www.iteca.az and www.ceo.az, as well as from social network accounts..