The architecture of the SME Forum business program for SPIEF 2026 has been published

On the opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), on June 3, the XI Russian Forum of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises will be held. The main theme this year is "The Creative Code of the economy: a new formula for SME growth."

"Small and medium-sized businesses remain one of the key factors for sustainable economic development and increased business activity in Russia's regions. Today, it is important to ensure conditions for the further growth of the SME sector, the empowerment of entrepreneurs, the introduction of modern technological and management solutions, as well as the development of new areas, including creative industries. The SPIEF SME Forum traditionally brings together representatives of government authorities, businesses, and development institutions to discuss practical business support mechanisms and develop solutions aimed at achieving the country's national development goals," said Alexander Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

The business program of the SME Forum is divided into five thematic blocks: "SMEs and the state", "SME Acceleration", "Industries and Digitalization", "Personnel" and "Foreign economic activity". The key event of the day will be the plenary session "Creative Economy Code: a new formula for SME growth", which will be held with the participation of Alexander Novak. In addition to the sessions, the business program includes master classes, financial dialogue, research presentations, etc. The forum's program is practice-oriented: participants will be able to gain relevant knowledge, strengthen professional skills in key business areas, find new partners and discover new markets.

"Over the years, the SME Forum has become an important platform for an open dialogue between government, business and development institutions. This year, special attention will be paid to the creative economy as one of the growth drivers of small and medium-sized enterprises. Today, it is creative industries, digital solutions, new cooperation formats and export initiatives that shape the modern face of entrepreneurship and create additional opportunities for the sustainable development of regions and the country's economy as a whole," said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee.

The block "SMEs and the state" is dedicated to synchronizing the efforts of the state and business in achieving national goals, from demography and active longevity to the growth of economic activity. The focus will be on building partnerships between large and small businesses for regional development, interaction between municipal authorities and businesses, as well as updating data and classifiers as the basis for management decisions. A special emphasis is placed on the philosophy of Russian entrepreneurship — the principles and guidelines that define business culture.

"Opora Russia, together with the Roscongress Foundation, is hosting the SME Forum for the 11th time, which traditionally opens the main economic platform — SPIEF. Currently, the Russian economy is in the stage of structural transformation, and approaches to the development of small and medium-sized businesses are also changing. The SME sector remains one of the drivers of economic development, so the forum's business program will focus on effective business strategies, increasing labor productivity, interaction between the business community and the state, tools for accelerating SMEs, developing foreign economic relations, and much more. The participants of the SME Forum will gain new, useful experience, knowledge, competencies and contacts that will be able to integrate into the business processes of their enterprises and teams," said Alexander Kalinin, President of Opora Russia.

The SME Acceleration track focuses on tools for accelerated growth: from systematization of support measures and assessment of their effectiveness to expanding access to finance and markets. The participants will discuss the practices of commercialization of innovations, access to exchange and other market instruments, financial solutions for scaling, as well as applied diagnostics of business models and updating strategies for doing business in the current environment. The goal is to translate entrepreneurial ideas into measurable results through a set of working mechanisms.

The block "Industries and digitalization" considers the digital transformation of industries as a source of competitiveness of SMEs. The agenda includes the balance of opportunities and costs of "numbers", the availability of AI for small businesses, reducing the digital divide, as well as the development of industrial SMEs through cooperation, exports and investment projects. Special attention will be paid to how to move from strategy to result through applied management tools.

The HR track is dedicated to the human capital of SMEs: increasing productivity, training entrepreneurial personnel, and modern management practices. During the panel sessions, approaches to attracting and adapting highly qualified specialists, including foreign ones, as well as issues related to the development of an ecosystem of support with the participation of regulators will be considered. The emphasis is on measurable methods of increasing labor efficiency and tools for competence growth.

The Foreign economic activity block is focused on foreign economic opportunities for SMEs in a changing geo-economy. New areas of technological interaction and partnership in the Middle East and Asian markets, legal and operational solutions for "white" imports, as well as the competitive environment and sustainability in cross-border e-commerce will be discussed here. A separate focus is on modern communication promotion practices and approaches to reducing external risks when entering friendly markets.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will be held from 3 to 6 June. It is organized by the Roscongress Foundation in cooperation with Opora Russia.