Information Supermarket The Atrium

Interview with Yuri Volodin, PR/event-manager

Before making an interview, Yuri Volodin and I had visited an interesting presentation: “Social FormArt” by Andrew Vasilenko – an exhibition, installation, research – all-in-one. Yuri, as a PR/event-manager has a professional interest, and I was just a curious spectator. This exhibition made a great impression for me, so I will describe it in my next review.

And our topic for today is the Personality. The Personality and the Place. And some delicacy in the end. 

The Personality.

Yuri, we know each other for a long time. But tell about yourself to our readers.

Yuri Volodin, PR/event-manager of the Information Supermarket “The Atrium”.

My way, or how it is called now “lifestyle”, can be described in two words “Zen and Ken”: Japanese fencing with the Buddhism in its soul. These two things have a great importance at all my life and also at my professional realization. They form, first of all, the discipline, the inner attitude to the very fundamental things like life or death, like the possibility of “victory” and “defeat”. What is more important for you: how many times have you fallen down or how can you rise you up? What is your attitude to the things which should be over inevitably? Realizing of this inevitability in your life helps you to feel the real taste of life, how bright and colorful life is, to evaluate the importance of every day of it. And you clear understand that every day should be filled with action and progression, self-knowledge and self-evolution. Zen motto for the Iaido: “Always being on the Path”.

More...

For how many years are you perfecting yourself in Kendo and Iaido?

Strange feeling: the more time I dedicate to the sword, the stronger feeling I have, that this time decreasing. After 5 years of trainings I’ve felt myself as if studied for 3 years; after 10 years I feel myself as 1-year trainee.

What is your profession? In what quality did you came to “The Atrium”?

I am a psychologist and it helps me a lot when working as a PR-manager. And my second profession is a medic. Sounds strange, but it is also helps me: to react quickly, to finalize every business, to enjoy with every success, even the smallest one… 

The Personality and the Place

Tell me about your place in the project

I am now working as a PR/event manager at information supermarket “The Atrium”, and I start at the very beginning of this project. The key idea and the main interest of “The Atrium” activities is creation of number open interest-clubs and forming of the “Live stage” – an auditorium of people, meeting in real life without virtual internet frameworks. “The Atrium” constantly organizes events, stipulating people’s communication, socializing and covering very wide range of interests. We have literature and psychological clubs, business-school, hand-made club, concerts of different bands and groups of different music styles, public readings and meetings with writers and poets, exhibitions for painters and sculptors.

Yuri, if say the truth, do all these events affect at increasing of selling books and other merchandises in the supermarket?

Sure! All these events really help us to reach our main task: to create a group of “The Atrium’s” regular customers. We want them to see our supermarket as a good place to spend time with friends or relatives. And then all the work will be done by word of mouth. This place has a lot of things which people are buying with pleasure and it is good to let them know, where do they can find they interests. Moreover, people can come to our café just to read the favorite book or to look through magazine. Many visitors prefer this pastime better than trying to read when sitting at home because household very seldom allows concentrating.

“The Atrium” has a lot of stylish fashion features and also it has conservative things for different ages. We are now living in interesting time – time of making your own choice and forming your own style. And we are ready to help when making this choice.

I think, you have had formed your own aims both in your professional and personal life. Could you tell me about it?

Yes, with pleasure. About profession:  I have an understanding, that PR and event – is now a huge stage for activity and cognition. To work successfully in this field you need constantly increasing your knowledge in marketing, politics, psychology, design, and all these spheres are developing fast. The main aim – is to develop our project and to implement a wide row of interesting plans and ideas which helps to promote the project; to attract new readers and fans to “The Atrium”.

About life aims: to continue discover new horizons at self-perfection and self-knowledge. I want to understand by myself and to pass my experience to my children, show them my mistakes and my understandings. I want them to live with the piece of my knowledge and to be aware of many important things. Zen, as a way of forming this life attitude, fixedly moves me forward.

The final delicacy.

 What is your favorite book?

“Zen’s Flesh and Bones”. And in this book favorite section “The 101 Zen Story”. This is real collection of wisdoms and funny stories of Buddha monks and laities for all ages and all situations, without decorations, without religious fanaticism and formality, without excessive philosophizing. My deep bow to ancient Japanese and Chinese!

Can I bay this book in “The Atrium”?

Sure, here you are!