The key objective of the conference was to discuss the challenges and prospects of the service sector in the context of global socio-economic changes. The conference participants paid special attention to the issues of the creative economy, digitalization and sustainable development.

The conference opened on May 23 with a welcoming speech by Sergey Goryainov, Director of the SFedU Institute of Tourism, Service and Creative Industries. Both domestic and foreign scientists presented their reports during the plenary session. Alexey Shcherbina, Head of the Department of Organization and Technology of Service Activities at SFedU, presented a comprehensive description of the current state of the service sector in Russia. The report focused on institutional, technological and behavioral trends, as well as outlined possible scenarios for the further development of the industry in the context of digitalization and the creative economy. SFedU Associate Professor Mikhail Grechko in his report "On the genesis of the creative class: the political and economic approach" justified the formation of the creative class as an independent force of the modern economy.

A report by an associate professor of Northeastern Pedagogical University (China) addressed the international agenda in the context of the search for new formats of economic and cultural interaction Li Xiaolin on the topic "Economic and geographical processes and sustainable ways of developing cross-border tourism in cities on the border of China and Russia". Ravi Bankar, Head of the Tourism and Hospitality Consulting Center (India), spoke about the practical challenges of the Indian tourism industry. His speech touched upon the problems of infrastructural development, personnel shortages and digital solutions in tourism management. The trend of digitalization has become a key topic of discussion in two subsequent reports. Sarah Dagman, Associate Professor at the University of Tartus (Syria), presented cases of the introduction of AR technologies in the tourism sector of the Middle East, focusing on new forms of interaction with consumers. The report by SFedU Associate Professor Alexander Bazhin proposed algorithmic solutions based on artificial intelligence to develop customer-oriented strategies for service enterprises.

The plenary session identified a list of pressing issues, which were discussed during the breakout sessions.

On May 23, two sections "The service sector: regional strategies and industry trends" and "Digitalization, creativity and innovation: new horizons of the service economy" were held. The presentations of the participants covered a wide range of topics: from the use of artificial intelligence technologies and digital solutions in tourism to the role of creative industries in economic growth.

On May 24, a youth forum was held, where aspiring researchers – students and undergraduates from more than 15 Russian universities presented their reports in five sections. Their presentations were distinguished by the depth of analysis and a variety of approaches: from the assessment of emotional marketing and the formation of customer loyalty to the digitalization of service processes and marine logistics. The authors of the best reports were awarded diplomas of I, II and III degrees.

The event was held in a mixed format and brought together more than 150 participants from different regions of Russia, as well as countries near and far abroad — China, India, Syria and others.