Moscow Entrepreneurs Association (MEA, www.moomap.ru) was founded in 1989 and is the oldest inter-regional public organization of entrepreneurs in the Russian Federation. Businessmen from 51 Russian regions as well as from other CIS countries fruitfully contribute to the daily performance of the 45 Associations Committees.
Through its activities the MEA cooperated with the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, Russian Government, Russian Parliament, local Regional Governments and Parliaments and over 40 public entrepreneurs organizations.
A number of federal and municipal regulations creating a better business environment were among the most important results of the MEA work. Today MEA became an important public organization capable to protecting members interests (employers, manufacturers and service providers) at every stage of business development.
The Association is an effective business instrument in Moscow city for attracting local and international businessmen. The MEA assists its members in activities, such as advancing orders, attracting investments, providing consulting, auditing and legal services, helping to optimize accounting, developing business plans, providing technical and economical justifications, organizing free training courses, assisting in a search and registration of property for lease or purchase. The Association helps businessmen to organize business and finance projects, including financing by grants from other countries. Existing database on members offers and demands makes search for partners, both within Russia and outside, fast and simple.
In cooperation with partners from other countries, the Moscow Entrepreneur Association has developed a special manufacturers crediting programme. It provides equipment at a variety of lease forms. The crediting programme provides also promotional services for Russian products on the world markets.
The leading specialists of the MEA Banking Committee shares years of experience in banking and related for the benefit of entrepreneurs who need help in resolving problems related to their management activities and in realizing promising projects.
Potential creditors and investors can publish their proposals and offers at no cost on the Internet site www.ivr.ru. This site is visited by hundreds of investment specialists daily.
MEA Exhibition Committee organizes expositions of Russian products in Russia and worldwide, meetings between Russian entrepreneurs with CIS and other countries officials and businessmen.
Arbitration Court had been created within the framework of the Association. Its main goals are introducing efficiency, finality, economy and competence.
Press-center and the Association Club organize business meetings with well-known politicians and heads of federal or regional Ministries and their departments. They also conduct highly efficient advertisement campaigns.
The MEA publishes annual catalogues, monthly newspapers: Moscow Entrepreneur and Messenger of Intellectual Property, and periodical magazines: ISOT, The Integral, The Office Matters, The Secretary, All Over the Country and Fason. In addition it also publishes information and methodology literature on owning and organizing a business and other areas of business and economics.
MEA runs large-scale programmes on a regular basis, both in Russia and internationally. For instance, during the last three years Investment and Economic Congresses were organized in the USA (Las Vegas), Australia (Sidney), Mexico (Acapulco) and Israel (Eilat). In addition, an Investment Forum of representatives from countries of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation was held in Moscow. A meeting of Christian Orthodox country leaders dedicated to the third Millennium took place in Bethlehem in 2000 and numerous other events were organized.
MEA regularly initiates various charity actions, among them helping Moscow orphanages and jointly conducting a charity auction dedicated to the September 11-th with the New York City administration. The money collected from this event was transferred to the victims relief fund. MEA organizes charitable marathons on TV in favor of needy children, helps Russians abroad, and conducts many other actions.
MEA Annual New Year receptions of Business Circles in Kremlin Congress Center and other important cultural and business events give businessmen opportunities to communicate to each other as well as with politicians, representatives of business and cultural elite from the whole country, and state officials of all levels.
Experience gained by the MEA in providing support to entrepreneurs, manufacturers and bankers, its well-established mechanisms of inter-action with Legislative, Executive and Legal institutions, public and business structures, political and business elite in Russia contributes for MEA to be the oldest and one of the leading entrepreneurs organizations in the country.
Andrey Podenok
President
Moscow Entrepreneurs Association