12 Thematic Tracks, Top Experts and the City as a Space of Ideas — the Tech-Friendly Weekend Festival Reveals Its Program

The Tech-Friendly Weekend Festival, scheduled for June 5–8 in Nizhny Novgorod as part of the CIPR Conference, announces an expanded program. The business part will cover more than 12 thematic tracks – from artificial intelligence and economics to fashion, design, and culture. Lectures, public talks, workshops, and live discussions will take place at the main city venues: from the Nizhny Novgorod Fair to the Vysota Youth Center.

The key theme of the Festival, “The Big Conversation about AI in Russia,” will become a point of attraction for everyone concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence on society, the economy, and culture. Industry leaders, experts, scientists, and visionaries shaping the country’s technological agenda will speak here.

Speakers in the section include scientist and Yandex Director of Strategic Marketing Andrey Sebrant with a lecture entitled “What the Future AI Has in Store for Us”, tech blogger Wylsacom, who will share his experience of using AI in content creation, science popularizer and N+1 publisher Andrey Konyaev with the topic “Artificial Intelligence: An Outside Perspective on Expectations and Reality”, Executive Director of the Sber Neuroscience Laboratory Denis Parshin with a lecture entitled “The Untapped Potential of AI: From Tool to an Intellectual Partnership”, Sber Salary Projects CPO Dmitry Borisov with a lecture entitled “How Neural Networks First Captured Banking, and Then Creativity”, and Associate Professor of the Faculty of Informatics, Mathematics, and Computer Science at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Nizhny Novgorod Boris Ulitin, who will speak about “The Growing Up of Artificial Intelligence”.

“The Big Conversation about AI in Russia” discussion is an opportunity to hear the opinions of those who are determining the future of technology in Russia today.

Each section of the Tech-Friendly Weekend Festival is a separate world. The Marketing and Media track will discuss how brands can build trust in the era of information noise, and what role bloggers, content, and algorithms play in shaping public opinion. The Authorship section will focus on the new role of the author: between a book and generative AI. The Fashion section will show how digital technologies are transforming the industry — from virtual collections to eco-design, and the Design section will reveal the influence of technology on visual culture, user experience, and the future profession.

During the Culture discussion, participants will discuss how technologies are changing the ways of creating, distributing, and perceiving art. Economics and Finance in IT and Beyond will touch on topics of digital transformation, fintech, blockchain, and new employment models. The Ecology section will feature conversations about how technologies help establish sustainable consumption and environmental stewardship.

Speakers in the business program include Alexandra Zharkova, Daniil Trabun, Fekla Tolstaya, Dmitry Beskromny, Georgy Lobushkin, Olga Piven, Lena Pavelyeva, Yulia Susova, Anastasia Poletaeva, Daria Epin, Alexander Blanar and many other leaders of industries, media and creative business, who know exactly how to speak simply about complex things.

“Tech-Friendly Weekend is open to everyone – from schoolchildren and students to young professionals and families with children. The Festival program is designed so that everyone can find something interesting. Thus, the Children section focuses on digital education, discussing how technology affects child development, how to manage screen time wisely, and where to draw the line between benefits and overload. The Cybersecurity section will discuss digital hygiene, personal data protection and conscious behavior skills on the Internet – for both children and parents. Human Capital will touch on career paths, soft skills development, career guidance and the role of technology in revealing personal and professional potential. All this makes the Festival not just an industry event, but a space where technology becomes understandable and useful for people of all ages and interests,” said Irina Efimova, General Director of OMG, organizer of the CIPR Conference and the Tech-Friendly Weekend Festival.

The Festival is not only sessions and dialogue with experts from creative industries. Participants will enjoy phygital tournaments and cyber championships, pop-up spaces with food trucks and a fitness bar, evening music, and live performances. Many restaurants in Nizhny Novgorod will have a special menu developed for Tech-Friendly Weekend and the CIPR Conference — a perfect opportunity to explore the city’s food scene.

In collaboration with the Nizhny Novgorod Region Ministry of Tourism, the Festival has prepared for its guests and participants an annual guide to the best routes, cafes, museums, and walking spots. The guide is already available on the Festival website.

Participation in the Tech-Friendly Weekend activities is free, pre-registration is required on the website techfriendly.cipr.ru. You may follow all the latest news on the official Telegram Channel of the Tech-Friendly Weekend.

Tech-Friendly Weekend is a youth Festival within the CIPR Conference aimed at popularizing technologies among the general public. It is held annually in Nizhny Novgorod. Organized by OMG. The partners are Alfa-Bank, Yandex Food, Avito, ITG Corporation, eXpress.