Today is World Trade Fairs Day, which in Italy are worth 60 billion euros

Vinitaly in Verona for wine, Cibus in Parma for food, Macfrut for fruit and vegetables and Sigep for ice cream and pastry in Rimini, the Salone del Mobile in Milan for design and so on: there are many sectors in which the Italian exhibition system is among the world leaders. One sector, the trade fair sector, which, overall, represents a turnover of 60 billion euros per year in Italy, and one of the most affected by the Covid emergency, which tries to look to the future. A message that arrives on World Trade Fair Day “with the pavilions still closed. The emergency is followed by an uncertainty about the restart which is in contrast with our awareness that we can be decisive for the export of small and medium Italian companies. This centrality was first recognised by the presidents of Regions such as Veneto, Lombardy and Emilia Romagna, which together account for 75% of Italian international events, and now also in the decree law Liquidity, which is in the process of being approved, which finally establishes the strategic function of the trade fair system for the Made in Italy markets. But to date, as football restarts, umbrellas, museums and amusement parks reopen, we do not know when we will be able to reactivate our propulsive force in support of the country. We are counting on the timing of the reopening of the fair activities to be defined as soon as possible”. Words from President Veronafiere and Vice President Aefi, Maurizio Danese.
“Verona, Veneto and the whole country - continued the president - have the right to know whether the production sectors expressed by VeronaFiere, but also by the other exhibition centres, can immediately continue to be represented on the national and international markets”.
According to estimates, the fair lockdown has led to the cancellation or postponement of the events scheduled in the first half of 2020, with a damage to the fair realities of the three regions alone of 700 million euros plus the induced ones. VeronaFiere, the leading organiser in Italy for direct and owned events, was forced to cancel or reschedule more than 20 events, with a damage that will affect turnover in the order of 50% in 2020. A deficit that will also be reflected in the VeronaFiere city, which every year benefits from the trade fair industry to the value of 1 billion Euros, and in the Made in Italy sectors represented by VeronaFiere, for which the damage is even greater.
Among them, of course, Vinitaly, which has given the appointment to 2021 in Verona, while looking with confidence at the activities of the second half of the year in many countries around the world, and the appointment with the Wine2Wine Forum, scheduled for 23-24 November, which could be accompanied by a new format such as Wine2Wine Exhibition, and perhaps the 2020 edition of Opera Wine by WineSpectator, on which we are trying to work, as announced in recent weeks by dg Veronafiere Giovanni Mantovani, who explains: “VeronaFiere is ready to start again; in recent months we have redesigned strategies and tools to ensure business for our production sectors. Now we need answers from the Government: the certainty of the reopening date, the approval of the protocols presented jointly with the main players in the sector, adequate support to avoid a dangerous financial risk. But, above all, the work carried out by various parliamentarians who in recent months have brought our strategic function for the country system to the attention of the Government must be continued. Only on the basis of this assumption will it be possible to speak of a relaunch: a new vision and a timely ability to develop paths of internationalization with trade fair drive, with a direct online and offline presence in foreign markets shared and planned together with the institutions will be necessary”.
“The reopening of the pavilions - underlined the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia - will be a strong signal of the overcoming of the emergency and above all of the necessary restart of the productive world. Trade fairs are a strategic asset for the promotion of Made in Italy on international markets and a fundamental lever for the competitiveness of Italian SMEs. The appointments promoted by our exhibition centers have established themselves at a global level as showcases of extraordinary promotional and economic value for our territory, also in terms of induced activities with a strong appeal of millions of people. Let’s not look at what has been, let's think about what will be and turn it into a relaunch, because there is certainly no lack of willingness, ability and desire to proudly present the best of our industry and our excellence. It won’t be a walk in the park, but our fairs can once again be as strong and competitive as before”.
According to Aefi (Association of Italian Exhibitions and Fairs), there are 1,000 exhibitions organized by the sector every year (over 200 international and 89 those organized abroad). The annual turnover generated by the 200,000 Italian exhibiting companies and 20 million operators from Italy and all over the world amounts to 60 billion euros. 50% of exports come from contacts originating from participation in trade fairs.
On a global level, highlights Ufi, the worldwide association of trade fair and event organizers, the value of business generated by trade fairs for the reference sectors is 251 billion euros a year, for a return on investment of 8 euros for every euro invested.