ITALIAN TRADE FAIRS: DRIVING INDUSTRIAL AND ENERGY POLICY NATIONALLY
Today, all over the world, the spotlight is on the trade fair sector thanks to the international Global Exhibitions Day initiative.
Coming into existence last year following a proposal from UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry – Global Exhibitions Day is a unique occasion to showcase the trade fair sector and highlight its positive impact on employment, businesses, innovation and local investment.
The global theme chosen for the second edition of Global Exhibitions Day is “Think Global, Act Local”, supported worldwide by 38 associations representing the same number of countries.
For the occasion, the AEFI – Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association has organised the “Opening Italian Excellences to the World” programme of events in Rome, based around various moments during the day and supported by many initiatives at individual trade fairs with the aim of amplifying the message, proliferating attention to the sector.
“With Opening Italian Excellences to the World, we have prepared a highly effective series of events aiming to promote networking among the key players in the market and create opportunities for dialogue among the stakeholders: trade fairs themselves, the regions and the ministries involved, in addition to the Chamber of Commerce,” commented Ettore Riello, AEFI President. “The aim is to bring out the characteristic traits of our country: the history, the areas the people, the products and the vision of the future“.
The morning began with the “Exhibitions and Italian Excellence between History and Future” Conference, organised in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency, which opened with the video presenting the trade fair sector through an overview of Italian excellence. A journey that expresses the history, the people, the areas, the unique products and the future of our Italy, which trade fairs support and promote.
“The Italian Trade Agency and AEFI have worked jointly for years in an effort to present, showcase and promote our finest Italian output worldwide, an effort which is closer, more effective and more efficient year after year,” added Riello.
“With the ‘Internationally Important Italian Trade Fair Backing Plan’, launched as part of the Special Italian Manufacturing Promotional Plan for Made in Italy called for by the Government,” stressed Chairman Michele Scannavini “in 2015–2016 the Italian Trade Agency supported 89 editions of trade fairs which saw the attendance of 19,200 selected buyers, the organisation of more than 250,000 b2b meetings and a 125% increase in foreign visitors”. Excellent results which are also being confirmed in the first months of 2017.”Michele Scannavini continued: “Italian trade fairs have always been an important vehicle for excellence within our production structure and contribute to reinforcing the presence of our companies in foreign markets, with positive effects also on employment levels. We are therefore committed firstly to supporting the dominant position of the most important Italian exhibitions, in both the consumer goods and capital goods sectors, without forgetting those internationally renowned niche events that drive the spread of Italian excellence worldwide”. To conclude, Scannavini stated that “it will be necessary to work on three main points: reinforcing activities running in parallel with events; promoting coming together to increase the competitiveness of the trade fair system, number two in Europe and four in the world; combining digital innovation with the conventional and well-established tools of trade fair promotion. Only in this way can we acquire leadership in the sector and contribute increasingly to the growth of our companies in global markets.” The day represents a dual opportunity: showcasing the potential of Italian exhibitions abroad, so as to attract foreign exhibitors and visitors, and raising awareness among national institutions of the role of trade fairs as an instrument in the country’s industrial policy.
It must never be forgotten that the sector at a global level is a genuine driver for development, also corroborated by the 49 billion dollars that the global exhibition industry is worth.
Another aim of Global Exhibitions Day is to celebrate those who work in the sector: according to UFI figures, the trade fair industry employs 680,000 people globally. If you consider allied industries, including the transport, hotel and catering sectors, the figure reached is 1,800,000 jobs.
AEFI President, Ettore Riello, recalled in his opening contribution the fact that every year, all over the world, trade fair events involve 260 million visitors and 4,400,000 exhibiting companies and that visitors and companies spend about 98 billion euros every year to attend fairs, with about half the money going directly to the trade fair sector and the rest to local tourism-related businesses. In this context Italy takes a leading role, taking second place in Europe in terms of the sector’s value, after Germany. With 200 international events on the 2017 calendar, 258 national in character and another 400 regional or local, it’s a sector which occupies an important place in the Italian economy.
As far as our country is concerned, Ettore Riello, went on to stress that Italian trade fairs create 60 billion euros’ worth of business, generating 50% of the exports of our companies and that for 75% of Italian SMEs, the tool of the ‘trade fair’ represents a fundamental means of development outside the country. “An extraordinary asset that should receive robust support,” added Riello.
Global Exhibitions Day and this morning’s conference are also an opportunity to take stock of a sector that “evolves continuously, in line with changes among consumers. Trade fairs have long ceased to be mere exhibition spaces and become business development partners for companies. Above all where the dimensions extend beyond national borders,” commented Riello. Greater participation on the front of participants remains a priority for the future: “We need to focus on the creation of increasingly targeted and customised events, and this operation must of necessity involve revolution in the look and feel of the locations and transformation of the formats, with content that offers the public brand new experiences.”
The processes of association and mergers are also among the forms of innovation. “I believe they are one of the methods that can reinforce the Trade Fair System to become increasingly international and competitive with respect to foreign rivals. Coordinating the resources of the system remains a priority for all,” continued Riello.
Internationalisation remains a fundamental theme because “‘coordinating the system’ today means above all the objective of going abroad, offering the exhibitor the opportunity of having an important support from the Italian market and at the same time being the vehicle, with limited costs and minimal risk, for the foreign market, the distant and difficult to reach one, also in terms of culture,” continued Riello. The Special Italian Manufacturing Promotional Plan launched by the Ministry of Economic Development thanks to the vision of the former Deputy Minister Carlo Calenda has seen significant development with respect to this sector. This recognition of the sector is of distinct importance, though much work remains to be done before all of its potential is realised.
Professor of Economic History at the University of Milan Giulio Sapelli, in his talk “Italian Trade Fairs and their Contribution to Growth and Internationalisation” stressed that the trade fair system needs all types of trade fair, and that even the smallest exhibition needs to feel part of the system. He went on to add that in the context of the international commercial crisis, trade fairs play a fundamental role as a factor in the development of the country’s economy. Sapelli inspired the representatives of the Trade Fairs and the Italian Trade Agency, bringing out excellence Made in Italy, the characteristic traits and values of our country that are its history, land, people, products and future.
The debate saw the involvement of Barbara Blasevich, Member of Veronafiere’s Board of Directors; Franco Boni, Chairman of BolognaFiere and Vice President of AEFI, Lorenzo Cagnoni, Chairman of Italian Exhibition Group and Vice President of AEFI, Matteo Marzotto, Executive Deputy Chairman of Italian Exhibition Group, Giovanni Laezza, General Manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi and Vice President of AEFI, and Giovanni Sacchi, Director of the ITA’s Made in Italy Office.
The meeting ended with the round table dedicated to the perception of our trade fair system on the part of the international operators who attend our exhibitions.
Global Exhibitions Day continues at 5 p.m. at the Hall of the Temple of Hadrian, Chamber of Commerce in Rome with the meeting to present Italian territorial businesses to foreign operators and the general public: “Think Global, Act Local: The Value of Italian Exhibitions“.
AEFI – Associazione Esposizioni e Fiere Italiane, a private non-profit Association, was established in 1983 with the goal of generating synergies between the most important Italian exhibition districts. AEFI would like to be seen as a privileged partner for operators and institutions alike, and its role is to support members through the development of activities and programmes in the sphere of training, marketing, promotion and research, as well as to provide services for trade fairs through the activities of its Committees: Exhibition Hub Technical Committee, Legal-Administrative Committee, Internationalisation Committee and Trade Fairs Network Committee.
On the internationalization front, AEFI supports members thanks to agreements with strategic markets. To date, partnerships have been agreed with Iran, Taiwan, Lebanon and India and a memorandum of understanding has been signed with AmCham, the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy.
AEFI, together with CFI-Confindustria, CFT-Confcommercio and Unioncamere, has promoted the foundation of ISFCert, the Certification Institute for Exhibition Industry Statistics which, through rigorous methodologies, enables Italian organisers to present and recognise standardised data, in the name of transparency and reliability.
AEFI represents Italian trade fairs in UFI – Union of International Fairs. Chaired by Ettore Riello, AEFI includes 35 member exhibition districts, which organise over 1,000 events a year over an overall exhibition area of 4.2 million square metres. 95% of international trade fairs, and 85% of all trade fairs, which take place each year in Italy, are held in AEFI-member exhibition districts.
www.aefi.it/Aefi/site/en/index
The Italian Trade Agency, for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies, has been operating since 1926 with the remit of facilitating, developing and promoting Italian economic and trade relations with other countries, with particular attention to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Through its Rome office, Milan office and worldwide network – currently comprising 65 Offices and 14 Business Units – the Agency provides information, support and promotion to businesses and institutions and training to businesses and young graduates, supporting cooperation in the industrial, agricultural, agri-food, distribution and service sectors.
To provide the greatest boost to the image of Italian products worldwide and Italy as a destination for foreign investment, ICE-Agenzia operates abroad within Italian Diplomatic Representation and within Italy in close collaboration with regions, chambers of commerce and business organizations, ensuring coordinated support to businesses and national networks engaged in the process of internationalization. The Agency carries out its activity according to the guidelines and strategic direction of the institutional Steering Committee.
www.ice.gov.it