A dinner party at the Gostiny Dvor on September 1 opened a new business season. By tradition, the event was held in connection with an anniversary of Russia's first business television channel, RBC TV.

The new fiscal year is starting to rapidly gain momentum. This is undoubtedly an important event, which sadly still does not have an official status. However, there is no reason why there shouldn't be a celebration. Especially because there is a significant occasion: it was in September 2003 that the first Russian business channel, RBC TV, was launched. Chief executives of major Russian companies, politicians and public figures have been invited to the opening of the new business year. Among RBC TV's friends attending the function were Tatiana Paramonova, Alexander Yakovenko, Oleg Mitvol, Dmitry Zelenin, Yury Zhdanov, Vladimir Tarachev, David Yakobashvili, Vladimir Engelsberg, Mikhail Barshchevsky, Vyacheslav Zaitsev, Helen Yarmak, Nikolai Drozdov, Sergei Kapitsa, and other very important guests. This year, the television channel's birthday gathered a record number of around 2,000 people. Most of those attending were people who have been to RBC TV studios as guest speakers or experts. "This event is a gift from the business television channel to its partners and friends," RBC's General Director Yury Rovensky said. "Their number keeps growing with each year, which is a testament to the fact that our channel has found its viewer."

It is worth noting that the reception was put together in grand style: with champagne fountains, stilt-walking clowns, giveaways, exquisite appetizers and a fancy car show (the new-generation Audi Coupe TT was exhibited at the Gostiny Dvor). The dinner party began with welcome cocktails and sweepstakes. Dmitry Zelenin was one of the lucky winners of tickets to London. Nikolai Drozdov took home a holiday package at the Foresta Tropicana Hotel tropical resort in a Moscow suburb. Vyacheslav Zaitsev got an Audi collector's car. And Tatiana Paramonova won an Oranta insurance package.

The entire space at the Gostiny Dvor was decorated in autumn harvest holiday style, symbolizing the "Indian summer" - a season of harvest, the gathering of crops of the past year. Gostiny Dvor's grand hall was divided into two sections: guests entered the first area from the outside so they could get warm in its cozy atmosphere from all the muck of the streets. As for the second section, where tables were served, everyone was invited there later.

While waiting for the banquet to start, guests exchanged their forecasts of the upcoming business season. The evening's hosts (the channel's presenters Maria Stroyeva and Oleg Bogdanov) were on an optimistic note, giving fairly upbeat forward-looking statements. For example, here's what they said the news will be like on September 1, 2016: "Oil prices were down 2 percent down at today's closing. Though the market was still experiencing a correction, crude has settled at the resistance level of $360 per barrel." In other news, "the US Secretary of Finance is expected to arrive in Russia on his next one of a series of visits. The sides will discuss the United States' debt. As Russia has stated before, it is willing to forgive a part of the US' $2 trillion debt." And "Russia's largest mobile communications service provider "The Big Troika" has completed a friendly takeover of the company Vodafone and all the related rebranding. And now its striped egg brand may be seen in even the most remote regions of 'old Europe'".

However, Konstantin Borovoi was skeptical about the near-term outlook: oil prices have started to tumble, and we still do not have an efficient economy: "we are on a threshold of a great and serious crisis." Igor Bunich, the Director of the Center for Political Technologies, advised that attention be given to politics, where, in his opinion, "highly intensive activity" was in store." "The coming fall season will give the country's political life a new push," he said. "There will be a lot of intrigue, which will primarily affect the future of the country's political parties. The main intrigue will surround the fate of the Russian Party of LIFE. Another key object of concern will be the future of the Russian liberals. There is a danger that they may leave the political arena for an extended period. Right now, they seem to have lost their chances altogether, so a lot will depend on what the authorities will do about it."

Clothing designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev declined to give comments, granted that these were such serious matters, but he said that he just hoped that this would be another successful business year and wished the same for all those attending. This was when the guests were invited to take their seats, and the political debates were set aside. Congratulatory telegrams were read from the stage from those guests who due to their busyness were unable to be there at RBC TV's birthday. Such messages came from Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov; Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian President, Vladislav Surkov; and Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov.

Then the gala concert began with music by the legendary Sergei Mazayev and the Ivanov Brothers VIP JAZZ ORCHESTRA. The evening continued with performances by Bolshoi Theater stars and young Narodny Artist (the Russian "Pop Idol") project participants. Helen Yarmak presented her new collection. And the evening was closed with fireworks - or rather, a real fire show.