The first annual World Hockey Forum (WHF) – a general meeting of the leading figures in world ice hockey – took place in the Russian capital on the 16th and 17th of December. The Forum was organized and hosted by the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) and supported by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The event attracted over 700 representatives from 25 countries as well as 160 journalists. The agenda included a range of discussions on current issues, specialized industry-specific sessions, and coaching seminars.

Several high-ranking officials participated in the opening ceremony – including the Russian Minister of Sport Pavel Kolobkov, the IIHF President Rene Fasel, the RIHF Chairman of the Board Arkady Rotenberg and the President of the RIHF Vladislav Tretiak. Well-known Russian commentator and TV-show host Viktor Gusev was the master of ceremonies.

Arkady Rotenberg thanked the Forum guests for accepting the WHF invitation and producing such a strong turnout. He also underlined the significance and importance of the Forum from the RIHF’s perspective.

Rene Fasel echoed these words in his speech and added that the Forum is an important step towards the further development of ice hockey. He noted in particular, that the Moscow platform constitutes one of the preparatory stages for rule-changes, which the IIHF plans to implement in 2018.

Pavel Kolobkov thanked the organizers of the Forum for their work, and also thanked the IIHF for supporting the idea of conducting the WHF. “Today we have the unique opportunity to discuss the development of ice hockey and lay out a strategy for the immediate future,” said the minister, “I am positive that this Forum will benefit all those who are participating – club managers, and representatives of the business community and government agencies.

By the same token, Vladislav Tretiak called upon the WHF participants to support a continuous dialogue on all current issues and work on achieving compromises within these issues.

The major talking point of the Forum was “Strategies for Attraction and Retention: The Experience of Professional Hockey”. Roman Rotenberg, the First Vice-President of the RIHF, opened the discussion by sharing the RIHF’s approach to this matter. He emphasised the RIHF’s work on improving facilities and equipment, and training coaches and referees. Issues surrounding work with fans and developing junior and large-scale ice hockey were also touched upon.

Several notable figures were present for the discussion regarding experience and analysis of attracting and retaining fans – including the RIHF President Vladislav Tretiak, the President of the World Cup 2017 Organizing Committee Franz Reindl, one of the managers of Swiss club Kloten – Peter Lüthi, as well as the renowned coach Michael Keenan (who, throughout his career, has coached clubs to victory in the Stanley Cup and Gagarin Cup).

During the course of the Forum, delegates also discussed the IIHF’s development strategy as well as the expansion of ice hockey into new markets. The Petr Bříza, the Chairman of the IIHF youth development committee, was the key speaker at this discussion. A panel discussion followed, which included participants such as the First Vice-President of the RIHF, Roman Rotenberg, the General Manager of ice hockey club Jokerit, Jari Kurri, Chairman of the Board of ice hockey club Kunlun Red Star, Ngok Yan Yu, and RIHF council member Sergey Goncharov. Throughout the discussion, the speakers shared their opinions on the development and popularization of ice hockey in the world, in particular in regions where the game is still quite new.

The concluding topic of discussion at the Forum was regarding the development of ice hockey at the level of professional clubs in Europe. The President of the Kontinental Hockey League, Dmitry Chernyshenko, and the President of the Spengler Cup, Mark Dzanola made significant contributions to this discussion.

In addition to the these discussions, coaching seminars were also conducted at the Forum, attracting a participation of 100 educators and instructors – from children and youth coaches, all the way up to club coaches from professional hockey leagues. The seminar on training young players was conducted by World champion hockey player Alexey Yashin, double-Olympic champion Igor Kravchuk, honoured coach of the USSR and Russia Vladimir Yurzinov, world champion and winner of the Stanley Cup Sergey Fyodorov, the founder of the Ochsner Ice Hockey Academy Sebastian Schumacher, Head of the Coaches’ Training Department of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association Jukka Tikaja, founder of the Ice Hockey Development Program of Denmark Jim Brithen, child development coach for hockey club Lokomotiv Sean Finn, and coach-analyst of hockey club Kunlun Red Star Jukka Varmanen

Roteks was responsible for the organization of the First Annual World Hockey Forum. Roteks possesses more than 10 years of experience organizing world-class exhibitions and congresses, not only in Russia but also in CIS countries and in Europe.