Technology forum The Trends 2023 was successfully launched

The Trends, a unique cross-industrial business forum, took place on November 15-16 at the stylish LOFT 2 and LOFT 3 venues in the heart of Moscow.

The event, which included an exhibition of high-tech market participants, served as a platform for representatives from various sectors including business, modern technologies, blockchain, crypto industry, AI, digital art, finance, education, and media. It was a gathering point for those well-versed in global trends and those just starting to explore the world of cutting-edge technologies:

• 125 speakers spoke over two days
• 2000 people visited the forum
• 26 stands were presented at the exhibition

The forum ranks highly in terms of speaker quantity and quality, but what is The Trends – Forum No. 1 as per the reviews of speakers, partners, and visitors?

• The organizers managed to make the large-scale event a lamp event
• Exceptionally high quality audience and networking
• 95% of speakers were available for one or even two days
• The forum after-party was charged with incredible emotions
• The number of collaborations and media partners (100+) is amazing

Expert presentations on numerous significant topics took place on two stages over two intense days of The Trends forum, literally from morning to evening.

• Economics and financial environment
• Blockchain technologies
• Artificial intelligence
• Content Production and Digital Arts

Speakers conducted workshops and master classes on the interactive stage. On the main stage, eleven perfectly structured sections were presented.

NUMBERS – Brief industry analytics – just numbers.
CASES – the most significant cases in the industry for 2023.
INSIGHTS – insights, errors and internal processes in companies.
VISIONS – discussions about trends, problems and challenges of the industry,
TRENDX – visionary lectures in the TedX style.

Opening section

Edgar Grigoryan from ATF Media and Arthur Anisimov from Bridge, the organizers of the forum, kicked off the event by expressing their gratitude to attendees and partners for their support of The Trends. They acknowledged the risk of establishing such a forum during these challenging times, but were pleased with the outcome.

Alexey Ivanchenko, a board member of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund and the moderator of HUMANITY 2030‘s opening section, addressed the audience. He discussed the evolution of the internet and mobile technology, and how these technologies have significantly transformed our lives and created new markets.

Sergei Belyakov, the General Director of OZON, emphasized the rapid development of technology and the need for strategic preparation to seize opportunities. He assured that OZON is always on top of trends and ready to capitalize on any opportunities.

Vladimir Smerkis, the former director of Binance in Russia and the CIS, predicted a WEB3 breakthrough, where users can own, manage, and monetize assets. He noted that 500 million people are already using WEB3 services, a figure expected to double by 2025.

Alexey Raikevich, the President and General Director of JSC Glonass, discussed the potential for communication structures development in Russia. He mentioned that his company is already capable of implementing the Internet of Things via a satellite channel and has disruptive technology for agriculture that provides centimeter accuracy.

Oleg Mansurov, the General Director of private space company SR Space, spoke about the trends in the space industry. He highlighted that space exploration is no longer exclusive to superpowers, as the private sector and private capital are now contributing to its development. He also mentioned the launch of the National Space Technology Project in Russia, which has a budget of 480 billion rubles.

Viktor Kalmykov, the director of asset management at DKG Global, shared insights on the investment market in Artificial Intelligence. He identified SBER, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Nvidia, Softline, Yandex, Ozon, and VK as the most attractive investment options due to their key positions, renewable investment capital, and investments in R&D. He predicted that these corporations will maintain and increase their market shares.

Ali Hammoud gave a memorable talk on medical trends, stating, “Hyper personalization, where medicine is tailored to an individual rather than a disease, is a significant trend in medicine. The role of artificial intelligence in science is challenging the very basics of medicine. Today, we can assert with certainty that cancer is a treatable disease.”

Digital financial assets and financial technologies

The digital financial assets and CBDC section was conducted with the backing of SPAO Ingosstrakh and included key market players such as Alfa-Bank, Masterchain, St. Petersburg Exchange, Digital Payments, and WEB3 Tech. Stanislav Danysh, Chairman of the Board of Ingosstrakh Bank, shared insights on digital financial assets and the digital ruble, emphasizing its potential in the B2B sector.

The FinTech section, supported by the FinTech Association, saw participation from MTS, DOM.RF, VTB, Atomize, Upside, and the venture platform “Izba”. Marianna Danilina, head of the analytics and research department of the Fintech Association, presented on key industry trends for 2024. These included artificial intelligence, data exchange and open API-based systems, seamless identification, central bank digital currencies, digital financial assets, decentralized finance (DeFi), convergence of financial and non-financial services, financial clouds, adaptive cybersecurity, fintech-sovereignty, and development of digital regulation.

Blockchain, DeFi and NFT

The World of Blockchain’s international section was showcased in Moscow, featuring presentations by Mansour Tawafi, President of Validus, and Alex Gajic, co-founder of web3 social network DAOPEOPLE. Both shared their insights on the Blockchain industry and their predictions for the upcoming WEB3 market trends.

Ivan Boychenko, the head of VK NFT department, discussed VK’s accomplishments, stating, “We are in the initial phase of broadening user awareness about NFT on VKontakte. Over 500,000 users have already linked crypto wallets to our services. The full-scale use of this technology is on the horizon. The instance of issuing NFT tickets in collaboration with The Trends forum organizers also highlighted another potential use of this technology.”

It’s worth mentioning that the forum marked the first official collaboration between VK NFT and CLC to demonstrate NFT tickets. This NFT technology can enhance transparency in the ticketing market and introduce a collectible aspect to the event industry.

Artificial intelligence

The section was held with the support of TOP AI.

The Trends 2023, AI and Big Data: Gerbert Shopnik, Alexandr Baikin, Maxim Pudalov, Aleksandr Doronin, Ruslan Gamzatov, Vladimir Eronin, Robert Vasiliev, Lev Laiman, Nadezhda Surova, Vyacheslav Plahotnyuk

Jaroslav Kemnitz from Magic Factory Animation discussed his experience with animation optimization using Unreal Engine, noting that while he could replace most roles with a neural network, a human will always be the leader.

Denis Noskov, a partner of ZILANT PRO, showcased a video presentation on the capabilities of neural networks, highlighting a revolution in AI for content creation in August 2023 that allows for the construction of photorealistic cities and worlds in minutes.

Pavel Peregudov from the Regional Cinema Support Fund commented that computers have surpassed humans in drawing skills and predicted that within two to three years, the volume of original content created traditionally and by neural networks will be equal.

Alexander Baykin, creator of the international media project PRO Robots, discussed global robotics trends and stressed the need for Russia to establish a vertical in PT and AI according to the School-University-Enterprise system.

Herbert Shopnik, executive director of Sber Devices, spoke about the influence of AI on our lives in 2023-2024, emphasizing the move towards Interactive AI, which will function autonomously and communicate with us and the outside world.

Ruslan Gamzatov shared his experiences and practical knowledge of using GPT chat in his work, advising that if your work is operational, monotonous, repetitive, and doesn’t require deep context consideration, it’s likely being done better by a robot, thus everyone must adapt.

Stars

Victoria Bonya discussed her perspective on trends in the entertainment industry and the secrets behind successful brand collaborations with influencers. She stated, “Despite the rapid advancement of technology, the most effective method for introducing new products to the market remains the correct integration of influencers.”

Andrei Kovalev, the chairman of the All-Russian Entrepreneurs Movement, delivered a controversial lecture titled “Reforms and Info Gypsies.” Despite deviating from the main agenda, the audience was highly intrigued by this subject.

Anatoly Faldin, the founder of the exclusive international business club SayYes, posed the question, “Who is the leader of the new era?” He answered, “It is someone who has the ability to influence and alter the state of those around him.”

Digital art

Stella Labuzhskaya, co-founder of SAS gallery, in her speech tried to reveal the cultural code of the people of numbers: “It all started with a new way of thinking – Collectors began to acquire not works of art, but the stories that unfolded around these paintings or exhibitions. And 2021 gave us NFT ART, where the value of an art piece no longer depends on the physical object.”

Anton Gusev, co-founder of the web33 ecosystem CLC: “Soon Digital Art will replace all the paintings on the walls with monitors. Few people now understand that digital paintings are the future investment.”

The Trends 2023, Didital Art

Marina Nadeeva, co-founder of the arttech platform ArtCollecting.Info, said that: “With the help of AI, you can determine the authorship of any works of art. AI can learn from data on the chemical composition of paints used in different historical periods, then compare this data with the materials of a particular work.”

Victor Polyakov, author of light installations, public art objects, and kinetic sculptures, spoke about the nuances of collaboration between scientific discoveries and creativity.

Gleb Solntsev admitted that he has already begun to digitize his consciousness and artistic skills so that AI will continue his work 200 years later.

Artem Tkach, on the contrary, does not use the work of neural networks in art, but uses them only for commercial activities and for routine work, which does not imply creative immersion in the process.

Oleg Dou said that if he had to become a human cyborg, he would be ready to integrate something into himself that would allow him to work faster and have time to bring all his ideas to life. However, the artist himself is only studying neural networks and has not yet applied them in his work.

The Trends forum’s two-day program concluded with a speech by Vladimir Shabason, a man rightfully recognized as one of the greatest philosophers of our era. He shared his thoughts on time, stating, “Free time is an indicator of the level of civilization. There are technologies that free up time, and there are technologies that utilize our time. The choice to delve into meanings and contexts, cultivating will-attention-discipline, or to degrade intellectually, is up to each individual.” He boldly declared at the end of his speech that the forum’s creators are, in no uncertain terms, saving humanity.

Following the conclusion of the program, a vibrant afterparty took place. The crowd was entertained by Dj KRISTALL and renowned drummer Tim Ivanov, along with the first-ever art performance in Russia by international artist KOODRI. A painting from the performance was promptly purchased for 200,000 rubles by one of the forum’s speakers.

Partners and collaborations

Avanchange – cryptocurrency exchanger at the best rates,
Palmira Group – a chain of hotels for a comfortable stay with attention to every detail,
Shotgun Crypto – an innovative company that is dedicated to the development of cryptocurrency, digital economy and blockchain technologies,
Alcohol Siberian Group – the largest producer of strong alcohol in Russia,
Clever – a culinary studio that is among the Top 3 culinary studios in Moscow.
METAFORA – a full-cycle metaverse and fidgetal agency with UV-glow technology.

Expo-zone partners: Grow Bank, EMCD, BitGet, Keine Exchange, BingX, TCS Mining, CoinEx, Garantex, DemLabs, The Crypto Academy, Stealth Academy, Change Crypto Wallet & P2P, Финтех Портал, 1tab Crypto Exchange, Robart, Salad, MOST, Black Terminal, Absolute, Crypto Emergency, Нескучные Финансы.

Key informational and media partners: VK NFT, Blockchain24, global PR-platform E-PR, Digital Ocean, Федеральная Служба Новостей, Банковское обозрение, ЯТакДумаю, Национальный банковский журнал, Garantex news, ART Патруль, ICT Moscow, Pro Blockchain Media, Cryptus, Crypto.ru, Crypto Emergency, Cryptoview, Maff Media, Ultramining and the other 90+ partners.

One of the interesting and unusual integrations on the forum is a partnership with Meet for Charity – 7 The Trends speakers were selected for Meet for Charity auctions and each auction was successful. Now, 7 people will receive personal meetings with forum speakers, and all proceeds will go to charity.

The event hosts:
Ruslan Zakharkin, host of blockchain events, author of 19 published books;
Iraida Novruzova, expert in blockchain, web3 fashion and crypto industry. She regularly acts as a presenter at conferences around the world.

The organizers of the event:
International group of companies ATF Media and event agency BRIDGE.

The Trends 2.0 will take place in Moscow on May 22-23, 2024 and will gather over 3,000 people and 40 exhibitors. Location to be confirmed.

The Trends 2.0 will feature a variety of events, including speeches by industry leaders, show programs, exhibitions, and after-parties. The qualifying stage of The Trends Contest 2023-2024 will also take place as part of the event. At the end of 2024, an award ceremony will be held to honor the most significant companies and personalities in the Russian industries of Blockchain, FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, Content creation and distribution, and Digital art. More information about The Trends 2.0 and the competition, as well as the application for participation, can be found on the official website: https://thetrends.tech