On November 23, 2006 the plenary session on the occasion of the official opening of the Moscow International Furniture Industry Congress (MIFIC) took place at the President Hotel in Moscow. The co-organizer of the Congress Mr. Peter Meyer, President of Survey Marketing + Consulting Gmbh & Co.KG (Germany) and the Сhairman of the plenary session, Valery Saykovsky , President of the Confederation of Associations and Unions of Forest, Pulp and Paper, Woodworking and Furniture Industries Nonprofit Partnership held welcome speeches.
The distinguished guest of the Congress, Ms Paola Govoni (Csil Milano – Milan Center of Industrial Researches) made a speech on the topic: "Modern condition and prospects of the world furniture market development", where the latest statistics of furniture production were reflected. The General Director of Soyuzmebel Nonprofit Company, Y.K. Tvildiani held a speech on “Problems of furniture market infrastructure formation”.
E.A. Schwarz, the director on Nature-Conservative Policy of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) in Russia presented his report: "Development of the Russian domestic ecologically responsible consumption market as the leading instrument of ecologization forest sector of the Russian economy”. In his speech he told about a partnership program and its main objective, that is development of market advantages of FSC-certified products in Russia, especially by means of the system of state purchases, policy of purchases of the corporative sector, network of furniture shops and the “do it yourself” sets. The discussion of the idea of partnership aimed at development of the domestic market of certified products began in 2005. (Partnership members are: WWF-Russia, FSC-Russia, National FSC Work Group, Russian Forestry Agency, Association of Ecologically Responsible Foresters, St. Petersburg Forestry Academy, private business (Shatura-mebel).
At the plenary session Prof. Thomas Stautmeister (General Director of INNOTECH Holztechnologien GmbH) made a speech on the topic "State of furniture industry in Russia and opportunities of the further cooperation between Germany and Russia in this branch” and А.М. Belyaev, President of the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Producers spoke about “Strategy of mutually beneficial cooperation between enterprises of Russia and Ukraine”, Prof. Dr. Frank Prekwinkel, General Director and Founder of the IMOS AG Company, made a report on the topic “Future development at the turn of IT and furniture production".
At 12.30 participants of the plenary session of the Congress will be transferred to the All-Russian Exhibition Center, where, in Pavilion 57, the Exhibition of furniture components trade fair ZOW and exhibition of woodworking equipment Tekhnodrev Moscow will be opened, together with specialized sessions of the Moscow International Furniture Industry Congress (MIFIC).