The IEC in Kyiv: the history of the exhibition centre before and after its acquisition by Maksym Krippa

Visitor safety and operating during the war

Exhibitions bring thousands of people together in one place. For organisers, they are a chance to introduce visitors to companies and their products; for businesses, a chance to find partners. But during the full-scale war, a key question has been added to the usual organisational issues: how to keep people safe?

In late September 2026, it was reported that three shelter facilities had been set up near the IEC. According to ARS Capital, they can hold 2,223 people in total. The facilities are equipped with fire safety systems, an autonomous power supply and drinking water reserves. During an air raid alert, they can be used not only by event visitors but also by people nearby.

At the same time, exhibition organisers and the IEC’s owners take people’s safety very seriously, especially amid intensified attacks on Ukraine’s capital. So even with shelters in place, they consider it safer to postpone certain events. Due to the security situation, in October 2026 organisers announced that the WorldFood Ukraine and Agro2Food exhibitions were being moved to spring 2027. Still, the IEC remains open, albeit under a heightened security regime.

Maksym Krippa becomes the owner of the IEC

In 2025, a new chapter began in the history of the International Exhibition Centre. Ukrainian businessman Maksym Krippa acquired a controlling stake in the complex. At that point, he owned about 75% of the IEC.

After the acquisition, the investor spoke of the need to keep the centre’s team and rethink its development. Among the goals he named were making the space more innovative and inclusive.

In March 2026, the businessman bought the remaining stake in the IEC and became its sole owner.

Exhibitions during the full-scale war

The full-scale invasion changed the conditions in which Ukrainian businesses operate. Companies had to adapt to air raid alerts, power outages and complicated logistics. The exhibition industry also faced the question of how to bring exhibitors and visitors together under constant threat.

Even so, professional events remained in demand. For manufacturers and suppliers, they offer a chance to showcase products, find customers, meet partners and discuss market needs.

One such event was the 22nd International Industrial Forum, held at the IEC in May 2024. Alongside it, the centre hosted other specialised exhibitions focused on industry, engineering solutions and security.

From exhibition centre to vaccination site

The COVID-19 pandemic became another test for the mass events industry. Exhibitions and forums were postponed, and the visitor flows typical of large pavilions temporarily disappeared. But in 2021, people came back to the IEC — this time for a different purpose.

On 29 May, a mass COVID-19 vaccination centre opened at the complex. On opening day, 16 teams were administering vaccines. For many Kyiv residents, the IEC became a place to get vaccinated rather than to visit an exhibition.

This period showed how a large space created for professional events can serve the city’s needs in an emergency.

Eurovision at the International Exhibition Centre

Perhaps the best-known international event in the IEC’s history is Eurovision 2017. The contest came to Ukraine after Jamala won in 2016 with the song “1944”. The following year, the Ukrainian capital prepared to welcome participants, delegations and guests from many countries.

Once the city and venue had been chosen, the IEC became the contest’s main arena. The exhibition pavilions had to be adapted for a major TV show: a stage, audience seating, and spaces for delegations, journalists and technical crews.

The semi-finals took place on 9 and 11 May, and the final on 13 May 2017. The contest was won by Portugal’s Salvador Sobral.

For the IEC, this was a chance to show itself far beyond the exhibition industry. The complex, which usually hosted professional forums, became for a few days the venue of one of Europe’s best-known music events.

The OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Kyiv

Four years before Eurovision, the IEC hosted an event of an entirely different nature. On 5–6 December 2013, it was the venue for the meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The meeting took place in Kyiv during the year of Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship. Representatives of the organisation’s participating States arrived in the capital, and the International Exhibition Centre’s space was used for the sessions and for the work of delegations and journalists.

The event took place at a difficult time for Ukraine, amid the Euromaidan protests. While official meetings were under way inside the complex, civic activists appealed to foreign delegations to pay attention to the situation in the country.

For the IEC, the meeting was another example of how an exhibition complex can serve as a venue for international diplomacy.

The IEC joins UFI

Three years after opening, the International Exhibition Centre joined UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. It is an international professional association of exhibition market players, including event organisers and exhibition centres.

The IEC joined the association in two categories at once: as an exhibition centre and as an exhibition organiser. For a complex that had been operating in Kyiv for only a few years, this was a step towards joining the international professional community.

The opening of the IEC

The complex’s history as an operating exhibition venue began in October 2002. That was when the first phase of the International Exhibition Centre on Kyiv’s Left Bank opened.

One of the first events was the international industrial forum “Production and Protection — 2002”. In the years that followed, the centre grew, hosted new exhibitions and expanded its capacity for large events.

Gradually, the IEC became a meeting place for representatives of many industries: from manufacturing and construction to medicine, food production and technology. But the opening of the pavilions was preceded by years of preparation, design and construction.

The idea, founding and creation of the complex

The International Exhibition Centre company was founded in 1999. The idea of creating a large exhibition complex in Kyiv belonged to Viktor Tkachenko, who at the time headed the Kyiv Palace of Sports.

The concept design of the future IEC was developed by architect Janusz Vig. Other specialists and design organisations also worked on further design and construction. In particular, the chief architect of the first phase was Eduard Safronov.

The result of their work was a complex that would be used over the following decades for a wide range of purposes: from displaying industrial equipment to hosting an international song contest.