Participants of the 38th Club FORUM conference visit Bavaria

The Club FORUM was established by participants of the 3rd Young Leader Seminar as an alumni association of the Deutsch-Russisches Forum e.V. (German-Russian Forum) in 1995. The objective of the German-Russian Forum, as a social initiative, is to maintain German-Russian relationships by promoting the dialogue and meetings between the populace.

The members of the Club FORUM, 350 German and Russian experts from business, politics, culture and science, regularly exchange information and experiences and independently organise two conferences per year, each lasting several days, which alternate between Russia and Germany.

The first conference in Munich was held in 1997. In 2003, the Bavarian capital hosted the Club Forum's autumn conference for the second time. This year – eleven years later – Munich once again came out on top in the voting and thus was able to welcome 40 FORUM members last week.

On 20th November 2014, Invest in Bavaria invited all conference participants to an evening event and used the occasion to present its own services as well as several facts on Bavaria as a location. The evening's agenda was complemented by a presentation led by Mr. Alexey Smirnov, Managing Director of SWAOR GmbH and Chairman of the Union of Shareholders and Investors of Russia, USIR.

Mr. Smirnov spoke of the moments of success enjoyed by his company as well as opportunities, potential and challenges for a Russian company in Bavaria. He also touched on traditions and lifestyle in Bavaria.

Lastly, the conference participants were invited to try some Bavarian specialities and discuss various issues with Invest in Bavaria in an informal setting.