Vinitaly 2021 is still on the calendar from June 20-23 in Verona, registrations extended to April 12

Vinitaly 2021 is still on the calendar from June 20 to 23 in Verona (with “Opera Wine”, the great wine tasting by the American magazine “Wine Spectator” on June 19), despite the great uncertainty and the difficulties of the pandemic. The deadline for companies to sign up has been extended to 12 April (and, according to WineNews, in case of cancellation of the event after this date due to force majeure, reimbursements or vouchers would be provided for 2022, ed.), so that in a couple of months there will be a clearer perspective of the situation from the point of view of the health emergency and the possibility of travel. Thus VeronaFiere, which is relaunching its most important fair, and the main event dedicated to Italian wine. “An event for restarting in the sign of business, with an international scope and highly profiled that calls together the world of wine, in a secure exhibition area of 300,000 square meters. This is the planning synthesis of Vinitaly n. 54”, explains a note from Veronafiere, which underlines that it will be an edition focused on the relaunch of the sector and the resumption of commercial relations in attendance.
“It will be a unique Vinitaly”, commented the President of VeronaFiere, Maurizio Danese, “in which everyone will be called upon to play their part in highlighting the centrality of Italian wine in the world: organizers, companies, institutions and the media who wish to participate will be able to do so in the awareness of the importance of taking part in a live event”. Veronafiere, which continues to observe the evolution of the scenarios on the reference markets through the network of its partners and foreign representatives and in constant contact with the competent authorities, has extended the deadline for participation in the event until April 12 and is developing its action along two lines. The first is the incoming of buyers and operators.
“Vinitaly, in partnership with the Ice Agency, is making considerable investments in a flexible project that can be modulated on the basis of scenarios and is capable of intercepting all the changes on the international front that may occur over the next four months. Vinitaly 2021 has as its primary objective an important incoming action of operators and buyers from the main target countries of the EU area. The focus will also be on the recovery of the domestic market with the involvement of buyers and stakeholders from strategic supply chains for the sale and consumption of Italian wine”.
For Veronafiere CEO Giovanni Mantovani, “Vinitaly 2021 remains strongly focused on business2business, appropriately selected and invited. Italy and Europe are the markets of greatest production and consumption in the world. If conditions are favorable, we are already ready to intervene also on non-European demand, starting with the USA. Planning has already begun with Ice for incoming and the objective is to ensure the presence of buyers and operators at the event. The entire month of March will be dedicated to meetings with companies and the development of relations with the markets”.
The other guideline is that of a free consultancy and assistance service for the safe redesign of exhibition spaces and areas. The watchword at the fairgrounds and among the stands is and will continue to be safety, in total observance of the provisions envisaged by the protocol drawn up by Aefi (Association of Italian Exhibitions and Fairs) adopted by all fair operators and further integrated and strengthened by the Spa in Viale del Lavoro. The layout of Vinitaly 2021, from the event layout to the stands of individual companies, will also comply with the criteria established by the safety care protocols. Moreover, a free consultancy and assistance service has been set up for exhibitors, with a team of architects for the safe design of exhibition spaces and areas, also using innovative methods. In addition to this, explains the fair, there is also a program for the safe management of daily entrances. Continuous sanitization of the halls and equipment, 400 surveillance cameras and anti-aggregation monitoring linked to an operations center, a medical diagnostic center in real time and equipped with all the necessary services, guarantee the physical presence in the exhibition area in safety. Finally, the air conditioning system has been technologically integrated, allowing the control of temperature, humidity throughout the internal exhibition area, with air changes managed according to the highest standards.
So VeronaFiere and Vinitaly, like the entire Italian trade fair system, are trying to restart and manage 2021 that is clearly very complicated. Waiting, as explained to WineNews by the president of Aefi and VeronaFiere Maurizio Danese, for the European Union to resolve the issue of “de minimis” that, in fact, makes relief for the major Italian fairs substantially useless to date, despite the fact that the overall economic endowment envisaged is such as to allow important relief on the loss of -80% of turnover estimated at 1 billion euros, that is, the total turnover of the Italian fair system, which remains a fundamental driving force for the business of Made in Italy, in Italy and worldwide.