Lviv Investment Forum organizers hope UEFA EURO 2012 attracts investors and Ukrainian Gastarbeiters
Ihor Zavilinsky, Conference House Managing Director: "The entire philosophy of the preparations aims at attracting key players in all areas, whether it is hotel business, transport infrastructure, airport or stadium, etc."
“There is a concept, the event’s format has already been drafted and approved, and now we work actively on transforming the concept into a program,” Conference House Managing Director Ihor Zavilinsky told the LED Monitor.
Goals of the forum are to "draw attention of Ukrainian and foreign investors to significant projects that are part of Lviv's and the Lviv Oblast's preparations for EURO 2012, discuss interaction between businesses and authorities during the tournament preparation period, and learn experience of countries that have hosted large-scale sports events," according to the company's web site.
The site also cites tasks set up by the organizers: consolidate the regional business community, demonstrate advantages of investing in Lviv on the eve of the tournament, and present investment projects.
The forum will comprise seven conferences and round tables featuring investment, social infrastructure, tourism, construction of the airport and stadium, regional innovation capacity, and hotels.
Beside the Conference House, the event organizers also include the Lviv City Rada and the Lviv Oblast State Administration. “The members of this triumvirate are equal partners, though sure each of them has its own functions,” says the company’s CEO. “Such an alliance allows us to make, on the one hand, a really professional-level event, and on the other hand, an event ensuring balanced presentation of views of both government and businesses – both local businesses and those of investors who want to take part in such a large-scale project as EURO 2012.”
Although one might think that the functions of the company, which specializes in organization of conferences, are purely technical, Mr. Zavilinsky said it is not the case: “Our responsibilities also include bringing international speakers who are authorities in relevant industries.”
It is expected that the forum's guests, speakers and participants will include top national, regional and local officials, representatives from Ukraine's other big cities and renowned foreign and Ukrainian consulting and investment companies, managers of financial and banking institutions, guests from Poland, representatives from municipalities that have already had an experience in organization of UEFA EURO tournaments, diplomatic and trade missions, and regional businesses and industries.
"We have distributed would-be invitees among our company, the city hall, and the oblast state administration," explains Mr. Zavilinsky. "Assume Lviv has good relationships with other cities, for example, Wrocław, Leipzig or Salzburg. So it's their task to invite top officials from these cities."
He said some 60 percent of speakers have been defined, and there is a certain agreement with most of them. These include so-called anchor investors, but Mr. Zavilinsky declined giving their names: "Some of these companies are now in negotiations for participation in projects under EURO 2012."
However the CEO stressed that presence of such companies is very important. "We understand this clearly, but it's much better that Lviv and the oblast do so. The entire philosophy of the preparations aims at attracting key players in all areas, whether it is hotel business, transport infrastructure, airport or stadium, etc. Therefore there is a hope that we'll be able to see in October many representatives from big investors, both those already operating in Ukraine and those not present here yet," he pointed out.
Ten cities in Ukraine and Poland will be the venue of the UEFA EURO 2012 final tournament. These include Chorzów, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Gdańsk, Kraków, Kyiv, Lviv, Poznań, Warszawa, and Wrocław. Each of the cities, as well as both countries in general, hope that preparations for the competition will attract investors to specific projects and give an impetus to development of national economies on the whole.
These hopes are not without foundation. Last week, Ukrainian information agencies quoted Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber as saying that EURO 2012 is going to bring "incredible success" to Ukraine. He compared this with the successes of Bavaria achieved after the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 and the soccer FIFA World Cup final tournament hosted by Germany in 2006.
In Ukraine, its western regions in particular, there is a specific hope that has a human dimension. According to Mr. Zavilinsky, Lviv's leaders hope that construction under EURO-related large-scale projects will help return part of Ukrainian labor force "that presently work for the welfare of other countries."
Speaking of next steps in the forum preparations, Mr. Zavilinsky said the key is promotional campaign, including media coverage and targeted mailing of booklets; next goes finalization of the forum program; and third, reaching an agreement with an international soccer star who would attend the event as a guest. "I don't mean Andriy Shevchenko whom all of us love. I mean a person who has succeeded in both soccer and administration. Until signatures are affixed to a contract, I cannot call his name," the CEO said.
Generally, Mr. Zavilinsky is optimistic about the event. "Earlier this week we did mailing of our proposals to embassies and trade missions from majority of European countries, and the response was very positive, very active. I believe practically all of them will ensure personal participation in the forum," he said.
By no means is the forum Lviv's only current effort in city preparation for the tournament. Like other Ukrainian EURO 2012 host cities, the Lviv city hall drafted an action plan, and sent it to the Economy Ministry and the Family, Youth and Sports Ministry in early August, according to Oleh Zasadny, Lviv EURO 2012 Department Director. He said that after approval by the Cabinet of Ministers, which is expected before September 15, the action plan will become part of a national program.
The public officer cited main projects that need to be implemented in preparation for the tournament. These include construction of a new stadium, reconstruction of the Lviv Airport, construction of new and reconstruction of existing hotels and roads. The Lviv City Rada has allotted land and is negotiating with investors.
He also said competitions for airport design and right to lease several land plots for hotel construction will most probably be part of the forum agenda. "The competitions will be announced beforehand in accordance with law."
A number of other events will accompany the forum. The Seventh International Fair of Investments and Real Estate will be held from Oct. 3-5, 2007. President of Gal-EXPO, the fair's organizer, Renata Ivanytska said, "We [Gal-EXPO and the Conference House] have agreed that the fair will go within the general format of the forum. That is, the forum is the main feature, but beside the forum there'll also be the fair, a meeting of the Polish-Ukrainian Economic Chamber, a Polish-Ukrainian-Financial Conference, a land action, etc."
"I think the motto 'Go Ukraine' will be applicable to all of these events. I think the next four years the Lviv Oblast will try to solve its problems just in view of EURO 2012," she concluded.
The Conference House is a limited company established in November 2004 by two founders, one of whom is Ihor Zavilinsky. The company has about 20 employees on the staff and conducts about 20 conferences a year. It sees its mission as "creation of occasions for communication and conditions for exchange of practical experience among professionals."