#GED2023: Veronafiere teams up with AEFI for the international development of Italian trade fairs
Veronafiere is ready to play an active role to promote the Italian trade fair system abroad in support of Italian companies. This undertaking responds to the call to action launched today by AEFI (Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association) in Rome, occasioned by celebrations for the World Trade Fairs Day organized by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.
Maurizio Danese, AD di Veronafiere
“The Italian exhibition sector involves 190 companies with 3,700 employees and generates value amounting to 1.4 billion euros/year,” explained Maurizio Danese, President of AEFI. “This sector is an extraordinary vehicle for the growth of Italian companies but is still not all that active abroad, where only 9% of total turnover is generated. This is why the challenge facing it will involve creating a tool capable of supporting the growth of Italy’s leading events even outside the country.”
The goal is to create a “Club Deal” platform to bring together Italy’s main trade fair operators and their top events. Once the target markets, reference institutions and industry sectors have all been identified, Italian trade fairs will be in a position to organize coordinated international initiatives to promote companies and products under a single banner and coordinated management.
A project that perfectly matches Veronafiere’s international action plan which between January and February this year, with Vinitaly, implemented an important road show comprising 13 venues in 9 countries after making its début in May with the Wine to Asia b2b exhibition in Shenzhen, China. All in all, this leads up to the appointment in Brazil in September, with Wine South America, and again in Asia, with the Vinitaly China Road show, before closing in October in the United States with attendance at the International Wine Expo in Chicago.
Federico Bricolo, presidente di Veronafiere
Brazil confirms its strategic status for Veronafiere not only for wine but also in the natural stone sector, thanks to involvement in the Vitória Stone Fair and the Cachoeiro Stone Fair: b2b exhibitions organized by Veronafiere do Brasil backed up by the know-how acquired by Marmomac, the historic Veronafiere natural stone, design and technology exhibition.
“Veronafiere is delighted to give its full backing subscribes to AEFI’s proposal,” said Federico Bricolo, President of Veronafiere. “It is vital that the trade fair sector should come forwards in unity abroad, while equally involving the pertinent ministries and institutions we already collaborate with profitably. And staying within the scope of healthy cooperation, now is the time to join forces to expand the Italian trade fair system’s share of markets worldwide and accompany the country’s companies abroad even more effectively, especially SMEs that are not so well structured in terms of international promotion. This strategy responds in full to the development outlines in our business plan, which aims to promote Veronafiere and its brands on an increasingly global scale. After China and South America, where Veronafiere already operates with two subsidiaries, we are now ready to take root even in North America, with a new project for expansion in the wine sector based in Chicago with the aim of becoming a landmark for markets in the United States and Canada.”