Modernization and Innovations as Core of World Trade Center’s Development and Leadership

Modernization is of special importance for companies providing services. The top quality service and the unwavering compliance with modern trends are their main criteria. The World Trade Center (WTC) fully meets these criteria. Being innovative since the moment of its creation, the WTC was one of the largest bilateral economic projects of the soviet union and the united states.

Build in the Olympic year 1980, the WTC was the country’s only top-notch business center for a long time. Yet time passed, new business centers opened, and rivalry became tight.

The new conditions dictated the need for urgent alterations, and the Fifth Congress of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (RF CCI) became a starting point for the WTC. Already in February 2007 a new managerial team was formed, a five-year strategic development concept was elaborated, and a plan of the reconstruction of existent facilities and the building of the WTC second unit was approved. The WTC entered into an epoch of systemic modernization.

The WTC second unit was built in 2010. Now the WTC is a compound stretching out for 278,000 square meters and presenting the Congress Center, the Crowne Plaza Moscow WTC Hotel, including the new 20-story club building, the Mezhdunarodnaya 2 apartment hotel, three office buildings of the A class, a multi-level parking and an administrative building.

Engineering solutions transformed the WTC architectural ensemble into a smart home. The buildings have an integrated automatic security and engineering control system. Several hundreds of cameras with digital video registers monitor the premises. Data from servers of fire alarm, life support and security systems is transmitted to the central dispatcher office.

Thousands of people visit the WTC daily, which sets special requirements to comfort and, especially, to security of clients and tenants. All the WTC buildings have fire alarm systems. In the case of emergencies, notifications are given in several languages. The unfailing operation of all systems of the huge compound is a key element of the WTC work.

A full range of high-quality services provided to guests and clients is the foundation of the WTC business activity. This is the ideology of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), whose member the Moscow WTC has been since 1974.

The preservation of leadership requires constant perfection and broadening of the range of services, as well as permanent upgrading of services with modern technologies.

The renovated WTC hotel opened under the brand of Crowne Plaza Moscow WTC of the Intercontinental Hotel Group international chain. The affiliation to this chain was essential for the WTC. The hotel’s upgrading to the Crowne Plaza standards made it much more attractive to clients and improved its international image and business indicators. More than 62,000 people used services of the Crowne Plaza Moscow WTC in 2010 alone.

The refurbishment and modernization enlarged the Congress Center, which now includes a transformable congress hall, 24 conference rooms and negotiation rooms, to 5,500 square meters. The total capacity of the Congress Hall is 3,600 people, which allows it to host events of the supreme level.

In 2010 the Congress Center played host to the Russia Calling investment forum, the UNESCO World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT) and the International Public Forum “The Role of People’s Diplomacy in International Humanitarian Cooperation.”

Newest high-tech equipment was the focus of the construction of the 30-story office building. New services were developed simultaneously to draw clients. As a result, the new building is rented at almost 100%.

A new service, Prime Office, — fully furnished offices with ready work areas, extra services and a separate administrative and auxiliary zone — was presented in 2010 and rapidly proved its worth. WTC clients were given the access to WiFi service and electronic archives of the WTC Business Library in the “Electronic Library” innovative project.

The WTC pays special attention to international activities. Apart from traditional advertisements and promotional information, it uses creative methods to strengthen the company’s position and international prestige. The Moscow WTC has partnership agreements with world trade centers in many countries, including EU member states, the United States and China. The WTC annually organizes “International Business Missions” — foreign visits of regional businessmen for meeting prospective investors and signing contracts. Representatives of territorial chambers of commerce and industry take active part in the work of such delegations.

All of the above — complex engineering systems, advanced technologies and new services — requires skilled personnel. The spending on WTC personnel training grew seven times in the past five years. A full professional certification of the entire WTC personnel took place in 2009—2010.

The WTC is a dynamically developing company. Advanced technologies and innovations are the core of the WTC leadership.

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