The ‘widespread fair’ system that serves the country

“In the early 2000s, I was a councillor in the Albertini administration and found myself in New York on an official mission. We were received by the then Mayor Giuliani, who reminded us that he had previously met with the delegation from the Lombardy Region and then that from the Province of Milan: many years have passed, but that episode has always stuck in my throat.” An anecdote that explains better than many studies how Italian institutions operate abroad in a strictly haphazard manner and which – as Giovanni Bozzetti explained whilst taking stock of his first year at the helm of Fondazione Fiera di Milano – our country can no longer afford. And even less so can an organisation such as the trade fair sector, which boasts a centuries-old tradition but is held back by parochialism that must be overcome swiftly if we are to compete with Germany, which can count on a sector three times larger than ours. The answer can only lie in working as a unified system, as our foreign competitors know how to do, and Milan – Italy’s leading trade fair with 4.5 million visitors and international centres of excellence such as design and craftsmanship – is positioning itself to lead the ‘Made in Italy’ trade fair sector. The task is challenging, but we are not starting from scratch: it has been three years since the agreement was signed between Milan’s Tuttofood and Parma’s Cibus, which made its mark on the agri-food sector; this was followed by the collaboration between Milan and Bologna in the perfumery sector, and now an even more significant partnership is taking shape between Milan and Verona, the wine capital, to tackle the most challenging foreign markets with greater vigour, starting with the German market. 

The path has been mapped out, but that is not enough. According to Bozzetti, we need to think in terms of a system – or better still, a ‘widespread trade fair’ – for which the programme must be agreed upon collectively. One example concerns the construction sector, where there are three long-established trade fairs in Milan, Bologna and Verona: if we can align them on the calendar, there is a chance that buyers will be able to visit them all – something that is difficult if they are scheduled months apart. In this way, simply by coordinating the dates, we can triple the value. We then need to broaden the scope and involve other sectors that contribute to culture and promote ‘Made in Italy’: between 16 and 21 October, Milan will host CES Unveiled Milan, the official European leg of ‘Road to CES’, the world’s leading trade fair for technological innovation organised by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which takes place annually in Las Vegas. The Foundation’s president wanted the event to move beyond the confines of the exhibition halls and extend into the city. This initiative involved the Regional Government, the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, Confcommercio, Assolombarda and Anitec-Assinform: yet another example of how to foster collaboration. 

Reviewing the work carried out over these first 12 months, Bozzetti highlighted three major projects. Firstly, the new RAI headquarters, comprising 12 production centres spread over 65,000 square metres, 70 per cent of which is built using recyclable materials, and which is due to be completed in October 2028. Next is the Live Dome, where work has begun on the stage tower: it will become Europe’s largest venue for sporting events, conferences and, above all, music events in terms of capacity, able to accommodate up to 45,000 spectators, bringing Italy into the circuit of major music events not only in summer but also in winter. Finally, the Fiera Ice Arena, “the only – and I say this without fear of contradiction – tangible Olympic legacy in Milan, obviously from a sporting perspective. We are giving the people of Milan back their ice rink and providing a home for Milan’s newly formed ice hockey team, Hockey Club Milano”. The Foundation will own 25 per cent of this club, whilst the Italian Ice Sports Federation will own 75 per cent. The venue will have a capacity of 4,000, and the opening is scheduled for 9 October.