Member Article

Making inroads in Russia

Roadshow truck tours in emerging markets are growing due to their success in delivering outstanding results for businesses with luxury goods and services. Russia has been no exception and EMS operations director, Peter Blyth takes a look at how it’s done.

I’ve spent the last two decades building expertise in global logistics and now in my new role at EMS I will lead operations in key emerging markets. So when I read the article last week in Marketing Week about brands that are gaining leverage in Russia it certainly struck a chord.

It’s no coincidence that brands are making inroads in Russia. Its economy has grown rapidly in recent years, the market there is extremely buoyant and analysts predict that it has the potential to become one of the world’s wealthiest countries.

There’s no doubt that Russia opens a raft of opportunities for forward thinking brands and for companies that want to ensure a live presence quickly and efficiently then roadshows provide the solution. Yet for those tactically using roads to enter new markets the logistics of touring across an unknown region can be overwhelming - particularly when you take into account that Russia spans two continents and 11 time zones!

For several years we’ve supported both B2C and B2B brands as they spearhead roadshow campaigns across Russia. Companies such as Cisco, Infinera and Ciena visit Sviaz Expocomm during May and use the opportunity to target customers directly before and after the tradeshow with bespoke events.

Our customised fleet of trailers are equipped to operate in the extreme temperature conditions that Russia is renowned for. Trucks carry state of the art satellite communication systems and are able to deal with the more long-term campaigns that are increasingly in demand.

We provide an end-to-end service so as well as bespoke design and build of a branded mobile environment we also have a central logistics team that has managed roadshow truck tours through Russia for the last 10 years.

To give you a feel for the complexity of touring in this country, here are some Russian roadshow facts from our expert in-house logistics team:

- An invitation letter is required to travel or work in Russia

- ATA Carnet is required and must be translated into Russian

- A border agent is required for customs clearance

- Visas are required in advance of travelling

- Passports must have more than six months before expiry

- Trucks must be prepared for extreme winters – snow chains are required for tires

- The majority of Russian roads are rough and uneven and so extra driving care is required

We helped companies do business across 25 countries last year alone, Russia was one of them and these are just some of the considerations that we take care of on behalf of our clients.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Event Marketing Solutions .