Coverage in SADJ
Arms & Security 2011
Location
International Exhibition Centre
Levoberezhna subway station
15 Brovarsky Ave., Kyiv, Ukraine
Website
www.iec-expo.com.ua
Contact
Organizers: The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine International Exhibition Centre, Ltd
Co-organizer: Exhibition Companies Group “Bizon” Ltd (Russia)
Contacts: tel.: +(38-044) 201-1163
E-mail: zbroya@iec-expo.com.ua.
Next Show
September 24-27, 2014
Focus
The show has dual attendance in that there is an active Military / Law Enforcement theme to the show and the first day is heavy in that group of attendees, but the second part is for hunting and outdoors. Many civilian attendees on day two and three.
Dress
Casual.
Hotel Hints
Most of the main hotels are downtown, fairly far from the show. Make sure to arrange your transportation carefully. Hotels are expensive, costing from $300 to $600 USD per night. Make your arrangements as far in advance as possible.
Power & Plug Types
European two prong, 240v 50 cycle
Country Warnings
None to speak of, but there are pickpockets in the common areas of the city, and drinking is a common thing all day while people walk down the streets. Avoid large crowds. There are a lot of scams set up for Americans and Europeans, so remember if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Cultural Hints
Ukrainians are generally helpful, but the demeanor can be a bit cold and seemingly unfriendly at first when meeting people. You have to work a bit to make it through to the friendlier people, and it is worth it. Ukraine has a wonderful cuisine as well as beautiful countryside, and by nature, the Ukrainians are in fact very friendly and like to share their culture.
Tipping
Tipping is appreciated but not usually expected, taxis are rounded up, Restaurants usually have a service charge on the bill but for good service go up 10%. Remember that the 5% tip on the bill won’t go to the servers.
Show Food
Very good, actually. There’s a nice restaurant line set up in the back corner that has quite a variety of cooked meats and meals, lots of salads, and of course, all the alcoholic beverages you could want.
Currency
Ukrainian Hrvna (Grivna) Symbol UAH. You usually have to wait to get to the Ukraine to exchange for local currency and no one will change it after you leave, so take care of it while in the Ukraine. Euros, Rubles, and US Dollars seem to be usable, with a preference for Hrvna and Euros. At press time there were 8 Hrvna per US Dollar, 11 Hrvna per Euro, 12.5 Hrvna per British Pound, and 9.6 Yen per Hrvna. For current info go to www.xe.com/ucc/
Getting Around
Taxis are relatively inexpensive, but they must almost always be called for or pre-arranged to get reliable service. The show does not have a taxi line, so make arrangements with you hotel ahead of time for your pick up at the Centre. Show management was gracious enough to call for a taxi for several people, but, make arrangements with your hotel first.
Military museums
The Museum of the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 is a must see. (www.warmuseum.kiev.ua/)
Tourism
The Ukraine is a beautiful country, with a tremendous amount of history. It is still coming out of the hard times of the Communist era, but if you can arrange some travel, we recommend it. Kyiv is in the center, but the Black Sea ports are fabulous. (www.traveltoukraine.org/)
