From sumptuous theme parks for adults and kids such as Disneyland and Legoland to historic European entertainment resorts, not to mention over 300 hundred fun fairs and 30 thousand temporary events each year, there is an important part of the Italian fair ride industry in every part of the world, and Veneto is its principal ambassador. The province of Rovigo, better known as Polesine, is a historic stronghold of the agricultural north-east and since the 1950s it has been the flagship of the made in Italy industry, though it has little to do with organic crops. The fair rides in this geographically limited, though densely populated areas have become a reference point for businesses throughout the country.

Today this region is known for the rollercoasters, Ferris wheels, free fall towers and bumper cars found in amusement parks around the world. The numbers for the entertainment games industry are very respectable: around 70% of global production takes place in Europe, with 90% of that made in Italy, 80% comes from the industry in Veneto. The turnover of the north-east’s production district is estimated at 150 million euro (250 million including related industries), with an average growth rate of 7.5% over the last three years. The driving force behind the Veneto fair ride district is the network of small and medium enterprises working in primary and related sectors. General production is linked into a parallel management and transport system, as businesses that deal with mechanics, lighting, assembly, design and transport gravitate to the Veneto’s fair ride and pyrotechnics industries.

“We have a unique and extraordinary heritage,” explains Franco Cestonaro, representative of the Veneto fair ride district, “which deserves to be boosted as much as possible by focusing on research, development, technological transfer and innovation. We intend to concentrate on cooperation and networking to achieve the best possible results. This is our plus point, and the result is a demand for fair rides from clients from all around the world”. Contrary to expectations, requests for rides have kept up even during the crisis. In Europe, for example, it is estimated that amusement parks receive over one billion visitors each year. The trend is also continuing to grow outside the continent, which is why exports from the Veneto district have stayed positive. In Europe the Italian fair ride manufacturers have retained their majority share of the market with a steady 47%. Outside of Europe, the markets shares are distributed as follows: the Middle East 11%, North America 10%, Latin America 5%, the Far East 4%, Central Asia 2%, Australia and New Zealand 1%. China is among the emerging markets, and various Italian players have chosen to locate production facilities there.