Ulttyq Ónim is Kazakhstan’s largest annual exhibition of domestic manufacturers, organized by the Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund under the Baiterek National Managing Holding. The 2026 edition, the ninth in the series, was held from May 22 to 24 at the EXPO International Exhibition Center in Astana. It became the largest in the exhibition’s history, bringing together more than 600 companies from across the country—nearly double the previous year’s participation—and welcoming over 36,000 visitors. Total sales reached KZT 147.9 million, with 316 memorandums of intent signed and 14 planned contracts worth KZT 1.705 billion initiated. Behind the displays of food products, machinery, textiles, furniture, and craft goods from every region of Kazakhstan, a specialized workforce makes the exhibition function: interpreters, stand assistants, hostesses, and models.
Hostesses and Stand Assistants: The Operational Core
At Ulttyq Ónim, the line between hostess and stand assistant often blurs. The event is fundamentally a national showcase—part trade fair, part public festival—where companies sell directly to consumers while also seeking distributors, investors, and government partners. Staff working the booths must therefore handle two distinct visitor types: ordinary shoppers and business professionals.
Professional stand staffing services in Astana describe the role in clear operational terms. Stand assistants are responsible for working at reception, greeting guests and managing registration, advising visitors and distributing informational materials, actively attracting visitors to the stand, exchanging promotional materials for business cards, and representing the company in interactions with the public. They are expected to maintain an attractive appearance, demonstrate energy and knowledge, and possess politeness along with foreign language skills.
The linguistic dimension matters at Ulttyq Ónim because the exhibition draws international guests. The 2026 edition welcomed visitors from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and France, along with representatives of international financial organizations. Hostesses and stand assistants who can communicate in Kazakh, Russian, and English—and in some cases Turkish or other regional languages—provide direct value to exhibitors seeking cross-border partnerships.
Models: Visual Anchors for National Brands
Exhibitions like Ulttyq Ónim differ from purely industrial trade shows in their emphasis on national identity and consumer appeal. The event features food products, traditional delicacies, national costumes, gold and silver jewelry, home textiles, and handcrafted interior items alongside machinery and industrial goods. Models and promotional staff serve a visual function that aligns with this consumer-facing dimension.
Agencies providing models for exhibitions and events in Astana and Almaty describe their personnel as professional women available for presentations, promotions, and celebratory events, with experience spanning exhibitions, business forums, and advertising campaigns. At Ulttyq Ónim, where a fashion show of national clothing is part of the program and live zones allow visitors to observe production processes, models contribute to the overall atmosphere of a dynamic, modern national showcase.
Interpreters: Bridging Business and Language
The interpreting demands at Ulttyq Ónim are shaped by the exhibition’s dual character. The business program includes panel sessions with international experts, top managers of banks, and representatives of international organizations, covering topics such as entrepreneurship development, digitalization, and artificial intelligence in business. B2B meetings connect Kazakhstani manufacturers with foreign partners.
For these functions, interpreters must navigate technical vocabulary across diverse sectors: food production, light and heavy industry, chemical manufacturing, mechanical engineering, furniture and construction, and now for the first time, the service sector including medicine, education, tourism, IT, and the creative industry. The range of terminology is unusually broad for a single exhibition.
Exhibition service providers operating in Kazakhstan list interpreters and booth assistants among their core offerings for companies participating in international exhibitions in Astana and Almaty. The standard is not general language proficiency but the ability to facilitate commercial discussions accurately across multiple industry contexts.
Practical Considerations for Exhibitors
Exhibitors planning staff for Ulttyq Ónim should recognize that the exhibition’s audience is genuinely mixed. Visitors include government officials—the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy attended the 2026 opening—alongside ordinary consumers purchasing products directly at producer prices. Stand staff must be capable of shifting between these two modes.
Budget planning should account for the three-day duration, with exhibition hours from 08:00 to 18:00. Standard rates for professional stand hostess services in Astana start from approximately 9,600 tenge per hour, while professional models for exhibitions and presentations start from around 12,000 tenge per hour.
The investment in staff quality directly affects outcomes at an event where sales are measurable and partnership agreements are signed. Ulttyq Ónim is not merely a display of products but a working platform for domestic business development, import substitution, and export expansion. The professionals who staff its booths—interpreters, stand assistants, hostesses, and models—are the human interface between Kazakhstani manufacturing and the audiences it seeks to reach.
Ulttyq Ónim 2026 was held May 22–24 at the EXPO International Exhibition Center in Astana, Kazakhstan.
