VK's "Forum in the Big City" brought together over 7.5 million people

The forum was held on March 5 in Moscow and brought together more than 90 experts from the fields of sports, culture, media and business. Its participants were Maria Zakharova, Yulia Menshova, Ekaterina Mizulina, Ida Galich, Rosa Sabitova and many others. The program included lectures, plenary discussions and master classes on the most relevant topics. The event was attended by 1.5 thousand guests, and 7.5 million people watched the broadcast.

The guests of the Forum in the Big City were bloggers, media managers, content authors and creators who use digital platforms for self-realization. The broadcast is available in community of the VKontakte forum.

The speakers of the forum were Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who raised issues of modern foreign policy and the role of media in international relations, as well as Ekaterina Mizulina, Director of the Safe Internet League, who spoke about media literacy and media content features. The forum was attended by other experts shaping the media space, the business environment, and the cultural agenda.

One of the topics of discussion was the creation of popular content and its impact on the audience. During the Art of Engagement discussion, experts shared their working methods and discussed the importance of media products. Well-known blogger, producer and TV presenter Ida Galich pointed out that a large amount of content is produced by women, and called for being more responsible in this matter.

"Let's choose what we watch and what we produce, remembering that we have a new generation growing up," she stressed.

The session "From the Nutcracker to Digital Content" discussed cultural codes and how technology has historically influenced art.

"Many artists are concerned about the development of artificial intelligence, but I am philosophical about this. Impressionism, for example, appeared due to a technological breakthrough — the creation of paints in tubes. It revolutionized art. Modern technologies are not dangerous either, they just need to be mastered," said Milena Orlova, editor—in-chief of The Art Newspaper Russia.

According to art historian Olga Sviblova, it is necessary to learn how to live in the digital world and not be afraid of online formats.

"There's nothing wrong with watching ballets on your phone, although the theater can't replace anything," she concluded.

At a session dedicated to the power of female intuition, TV presenter Anfisa Chekhova admitted that she considers her "the voice of the soul." In her opinion, intuition is mistakenly viewed as an exclusively feminine quality — men are simply less likely to rely on this feeling, as they are more likely to focus on the material aspects of life and social fulfillment.

The integration of sports achievements into the media space was discussed at the session "Sport and Content". The participants noted that today professional sports cannot be imagined without a media presence, and athletes must learn to work with an audience online, adhering to responsibility in creating content.

"We can't fully broadcast our lives and show everything without restrictions. The audience often asks me to post more, but I prefer to do it at the right time and within the limits that are comfortable for me," said Alexandra Trusova, a Russian figure skater and silver medalist at the XXIV Winter Olympic Games.

The program ended with a special session "What women want", where Konstantin Borisov, Hero of Russia, cosmonaut of Roscosmos, designer Artemy Lebedev, Olympic medalist, choreographer, producer of ice shows and sporting events Ilya Averbukh, comedian, showman, actor Denis Dorokhov met. The moderator was TV presenter Yulia Baranovskaya.

"This event has become not just a discussion platform, but a space for inspiration, exchange of experience and mutual support. Strong, talented women met here, whose ideas and achievements shape the future. We are glad that this dialogue helps to find new meanings, bring together professionals and inspire each other to new achievements," the organizers of the forum said.