RBC TV opens new business season

RosBusinessConsulting (RBC) held a reception on September 1 to celebrate RBC TV's birthday and the beginning of the new business season. This time at the annual reception beside the traditional guests of RBC was present astrologist-healer Juna Davitashvili. By watching this demonic-looking woman the guests were trying to see if it would bring luck to the new season.

While the guests were gathering at Gostiny Dvor, a raffle was held. The governor of the Tver region Dmitry Zelenin won a round-trip ticket to London. Being true to himself, Mr. Zelenin gave a speech in which he said he would use this trip to attract additional investment to the region.

At the same time Tatiana Paramonova, Vice-Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Central Bank of Russia, dressed in a pink suit with a white Chanel bag, was examining the same kind of watch as was worn by one of the promoters greeting arriving guests. Waiting to be seated at the tables, guests were greeting each other and Yury Rovensky, CEO of the RBC. Among them were lawyers Mikhail Barshchevskiy, Anatoly Kucherena, Pavel Astakhov, Vice-President of Norilsk Nickel Vladimir Engelsberg, member of the Board of Directors of Alfa-Bank Alexander Gafin, Chairman of Wimm-Bill-Dann David Yakobanishvili, Senior Vice-President of SUAL Iosif Bakaleynik, Honorary President of VimpelCom Dmitry Zimin and Head of Mirax Group Sergei Polonsky. Mr. Polonsky told everybody he wants to become a space tourist, "They say I am too tall to go to space, but they can give me a lift to somewhere in the stratosphere". Judging by the interested expression on Mr. Astakhov's face, Mr. Polonsky's space-traveling enthusiasm is shared.

Just as Mr. Polonsky story about the wonders of outer space was ending, the famous analyst of other-worldly phenomena Juna Davitashvili cruised among the tables. Her dim eyes were thickly underlined with black eye shadow, tangled black hair cascaded down her black garments. Looking at her, Mr. Astakhov's wife Svetlana could only say "God help us".

When Mr. Rovensky decided to come nearer to the entrance to personally greet Deputy Russian Interior Minister Alexander Yakovenko, two clowns on stilts picked him up. The clowns' costumes represented the Indian summer. After this episode Mr. Rovensky was in high spirits: he floated between tables and tried to greet each guest.

At last the guests were invited to sit at the tables. Ms. Paramonova was absent-mindedly walking toward the stage in search of her table when she was stopped by Mr. Yakovenko who suggested she sit next to him. "That's when you'd say 'and we never saw them again'", was political analyst Igor Bunin's comment. And Mr. Yakovenko and Ms. Paramonova really did spend the evening talking with each other not paying any attention to what was going on around them. While they were conversing, greetings telegrams were read out on the stage from Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Vladislav Surkov, and Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov. Alumni from the TV-show "The People's Artist" and a fire show served as the background for the guests' small-talk.