With the successful completion of the exhibition season in 2023, preparations for the new exhibition year are already in full swing. Caspian Event Organisers and Iteca Caspian companies will start the 2024 international exhibition season in March.

In 2024, the number of events to be held with the support of the state institutions of Azerbaijan will be 14.

The first event scheduled in the calendar of Caspian Event Organisers and Iteca Caspian companies is the International Exhibition and Conference for Water Management, which will take place under the name of Baku Water Week. The exhibition is supported by Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency. This new exhibition, which will be held for the first time in our country, is scheduled to take place at the Baku Expo Center from March 12 to March 14, 2024. Humanity is facing serious environmental problems today. One of the main problems is the depletion of fresh water resources, which threatens the whole world. Azerbaijan is no exception in this regard. Water resources management plays an important role both from an environmental point of view and in ensuring the country's water security. In this regard, Baku Water Week is of great importance both for our country and the entire region. Within the framework of the event, the future development of this field in Azerbaijan, current challenges and their solutions, and new opportunities for interested parties will be discussed. The sponsors of the exhibition are Agro Food Investments, ACWA Power, Coca-Cola, GEO-SU GROUP, HYDROLOG, IDE Technologies, KOLIN Construction, "Korpu Bina Tikinti" (KBT), Ozgun Construction and “Qarabağ-ER” companies, while the consulting partner is Israel's National Water Operator Mekorot Water Company.

The exhibition season will continue on May 15-17 with the 17th Azerbaijan International Agriculture Exhibition Caspian Agro and the 29th Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibition InterFood Azerbaijan exhibitions. In 2023, international exhibitions on agriculture and food industry, which are priority areas in the country's non-oil sector, covered all the pavilions and outdoor areas of the Baku Expo Center. 479 companies from 31 countries participated in the exhibitions, 9 countries were represented with national stands. As in previous years, in 2023 as well, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the exhibitions and got acquainted with the exhibition expositions and participants. The participation of numerous companies from various countries is expected in exhibitions in 2024. Currently, the majority of both the indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces have been reserved by companies. Sponsors of Caspian Agro exhibition are "traktor.az" and "Rostselmash" companies. The supporters of the exhibitions are the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Food Safety Agency of The Republic of Azerbaijan (AQTA), the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (KOBIA), the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO), the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organisations of the Republic of Azerbaijan ( ASK), Azerbaijan Food and Beverage Industrialists Association (AQISA) and UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The summer season will continue with the Baku Energy Week, which is scheduled be be held on June 4-6. Baku Energy Week, the major event in the energy field of the region, combines three prestigious events under one brand: the 29th International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition Caspian Oil&Gas, the 12th Caspian International Power and Green Energy Exhibition Caspian Power exhibitions and the 29th Baku Energy Forum. In 2023, 331 companies from 38 countries participated in the events held within the Baku Energy Week.

This event has become an important platform for cooperation in the oil, gas and energy sector for 29 years. The participation of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in the opening ceremony of the Baku Energy Week in 2023, as in previous years, is an indicator of the high status of the event. 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. 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 - heads of state structures, companies operating in the energy field, heads of diplomatic missions of foreign countries in Azerbaijan 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.

Baku Energy Week is held with the support of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan and SOCAR. The event attracts many sponsors. This year's sponsors of Baku Energy Week are companies like ABB, ADNOC, AIQ, Ansaldo Energia, AZFEN, Baku Steel Company, bp, Caspian Drilling Company, Caspian Marine Services, Deloitte & Touch, GAP Construction, GL, INPEX, KOLIN Construction, Masdar, Nobel Energy, SLB, TEKFEN, TotalEnergies, Turkiye Petrolleri, Uniper. The Boston Consulting Group acts as an intellectual partner of the Baku Energy Forum.

The next event to be held at the Baku Expo Center on the same dates as the Baku Energy Week will be the 21st Caspian International Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition Translogistica Caspian. At the event, discussions will be held on railway transport, maritime industry, aviation and commercial transport. In 2023, companies from ten countries of the world participated in the exhibition. In 2024, in addition to Azerbaijan, companies from Belarus, Germany, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America have already confirmed their participation. The exhibition is supported by the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (KOBIA), the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AZPROMO), the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organisations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASK) and the Permanent Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Commission "TRACECA".

The 5th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition ADEX and the 14th International Exhibition for Internal Security, Safety and Rescue Equipment Securex Caspian will start the autumn exhibition season. The exhibitions will be held on September 24-26 at the Baku Expo Center. The high status of the ADEX exhibition and its importance for the development of the defense industry in the country is confirmed by the fact that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has visited the exhibition over the years and familiarized himself with the exhibition exposition. ADEX is a large-scale demonstration of the strength and power of the military-industrial complexes of the Republic of Azerbaijan and world companies, and creates conditions for constructive communication, exchange of experience and establishment of effective relations between local and foreign experts in the military-technical field. In 2022, 208 companies and 8 national groups were represented at the biennial exhibition, and 8,967 professional visitors attended the event. High-ranking officials from different countries visit the ADEX exhibition, which is organised with the initiative and organizational support of the Ministry of Defense Industry of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the support of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 33 military delegations representing 33 countries of the world, including 150 official representatives, visited the exhibition. In addition to Azerbaijan, countries such as Algeria, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Israel, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Turkey have already confirmed their participation in the ADEX 2024 exhibition.

The largest construction event of the region - Caspian Construction Week will be the next event on the exhibition calendar. On October 15-17, the 4th Azerbaijan International Restoration, Reconstruction and Development of Karabakh Exhibition Rebuild Karabakh, the 29th Azerbaijan International Construction Exhibition BakuBuild and the 16th International Exhibition for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, Water Supply, Sanitary and Swimming Pool Aquatherm Baku will be organised within the framework of the Caspian Constructoin Week. The 12th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition Road&Traffic will be held on the same dates as these events.

In 2023, the scale of the exhibitions expanded even more, showing an increase in exposure compared to previous years: the third hall of the Baku Expo Centre has already been utilised. 391 companies from 23 countries participated in Caspian Construction Week. Over the past years, the Rebuild Karabakh exhibition has become one of the important events of the exhibition industry in Azerbaijan. The importance of the exhibition for our country is once again proven by the fact that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, sent a welcome letter to the participants of the exhibition. That letter is also published in the official catalog of the exhibition. 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 exhibition season will conclude with the 27th Azerbaijan International Medical Innovations Exhibition Medinex, which will be held from October 31 to November 2. The exhibition will once again serve as an effective platform for industry professionals and entrepreneurs to develop business relations, establish business ties, exchange information and conclude favorable contracts. In 2023, the Medinex exhibition played the role of an important and efficient platform that brought together healthcare professionals. A total of 100 companies from 14 countries participated in the exhibition. 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 (TƏBİB).

Another event on the exhibition calendar of 2024 is the "Fərqli Fərdlər" Congress for People with Special Needs. For the first time since its establishment, the Congress will be held in another country, not in Azerbaijan. The 6th event dedicated to people with special needs will be held on October 7 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Representatives of ICA Events, international partners of Caspian Event Organisers and Iteca Caspian companies, took part in the congress organised in Baku in 2023 and left this event with a great impression. At the same time, the congress caused great interest outside the borders of Azerbaijan. In this regard, it was decided to hold the congress in Dubai in 2024. The "Fərqli Fərdlər" Congress was organised in 2023 at the Heydar Aliyev Center under the slogan A Lifetime Path" and celebrated its 5th anniversary. Over the years, the topics on the agenda of the congress, expanded and included not only children with special needs, but also adults. "Fərqli Fərdlər" Congress will be organised in Baku again in 2025.

Another event that caused great interest in 2023 was the 9th Baku International Book Fair organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 31 international organisations from 11 various countries as well as 131 local publishing and printing businesses took part in the book exhibition-fair. The Caspian Event Organisers company provided organizational support to the exhibition. The exhibition set a record in 2023: it was attended by a record number of visitors - 59,000 people.

Events organised by Caspian Event Organisers (CEO) and Iteca Caspian companies, international exhibition and event organisers, attracted a large number of participants and visitors in 2023. Thirteen trade and industrial exhibitions, one conference and one forum were organised last year with the support of state structures. The international exhibitions organised in 2023 brought together 1378 companies from about 50 countries, of which more than 730 were representatives of foreign countries. These exhibitions received about 98,000 visitors in total. 38,852 of them were professional, while 2,606 were foreign visitors. B2B meetings were an integral part of the exhibitions. About 340 international business meetings were held in 2023.

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.

At the same time, these events are actively supported by the Azerbaijan Association of Exhibition Organisers (ASTA) in 2024, as in the previous year. 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.

By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, 2024 was declared the " Green World Solidarity Year" in Azerbaijan. This significant event will be reflected in the event program of Caspian Event Organisers (CEO) and Iteca Caspian companies.

As in the previous years, In 2024, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives will continue as part of the policy. Both CEO and Iteca Caspian companies have undertaken various activities in this direction. During the exhibitions, art exhibitions featuring the works of residents of children's shelters, charity communities, and people with special needs are held and their handmade crafts are showcased.

In addition, the Zero Waste program, which is a set of principles aimed at preventing waste and the Zero Food Waste initiative, the principle of optimal use of food, are applied during the organised events.

Among the important topics raised at the Baku Energy Forum in 2023, net zero emissions and the Zero Waste program were included to the agenda. The Zero Waste program was also fully implemented at the forum for the first time: printed materials were replaced with electronic media as much as possible, with the foodstuff optimal use principle implemented under the international Zero Food Waste initiative. The Baku Convention Center, where the event will be held, was built in an ecological concept. Centrally installed solar panels save on energy usage costs.

Within the framework of the Baku Energy Forum, the startup "Econotes" by MiniBoss school’s students was also presented. The idea of the startup is pens made of environmentally friendly materials with a head shaped like a seed.

Thus, 2024 will be another rich year with significant international exhibitions. 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.