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ITALY'S "SISTEMA FIERE ITALIA" TRADE FAIR SYSTEM
Roma - (Adnkronos Multimedia) - More than one thousand fairs a year - 195 recognized as international, 422 as national, and 113 regional. These are the figures that make Italy's fair system number two in the world, and that - with the recent start-up of the Fiera Milano exhibition centre (http://www.nuovopolofieramilano.it), located at the gates to the great Lombard capital - will soon allow Italy to claim absolute leadership. The first pavilions were inaugurated in early April, and by the first months of 2006, the entire facility will be in full swing thanks to Fondazione Fiera Milano's investment of € 750 million, totally self-funded. Once this occurs, Fiera Milano - and with it the entire Italian trade fair system - will be a facility truly on the cutting edge in its technical and architectural solutions, capable of accommodating important events in addition to those now held in the traditional district in the centre of Milan, and in particular technical ones that are larger in size and highly complex logistically. All the same, the convention centre and 125 thousand square metres of exhibition space will remain in operation at the old facility, giving Milan not only the world's most advanced trade fair system and one of its biggest, but also an exhibition potential organized in two large, inter-linked districts capable of best responding to the differing needs of events in the most diverse economic sectors.
The Italian trade fair system will thus be able to further develop its role and sway in the international landscape, and will see growth in the figures that have already brought it to a position of primary importance. The following are the data for 2003, which are sure to see considerable future growth: 39 exhibition facilities distributed throughout national territory; 200,000 Italian companies and almost 60,000 foreign ones taking part in trade fair events; 20,000,000 operators from Italy and every country on the planet; deals amounting to € 60 billion closed each year during Italian trade fairs; and about one half of Italian exporting originating from the contacts made by attending the events.
The sector (http://www.aefi.it) is in fact committed to increasing its competitiveness and efficiency in order to offer vital support to companies and make the fairs Italy's finest showcase to the world. Italy's trade fair sector is in a phase of intense development in response to new demands from customers - whether exhibitors, organizers, or visitors - in terms of strategic and organizational choices. This evolution has also seen the creation of multinationals for organizing fairs on every continent, and of new technologies with cabled systems, web integration, and modular set-ups. In addition to Milan, many other Italian locations are building and completing new trade fair areas and districts - larger and with higher-quality technical and support services than in the past - with approximately € 1.5 billion in total investment between Milan, Bologna, Rimini, Rome, and Padua. Also under way is a major improvement in the intangible aspects of Italy's trade fair offerings, aimed at establishing greater dialogue between organizers, districts, associations, public bodies, and all the major industry players - all making what has been defined as "Sistema Fiere Italia" emerge fitter and stronger. This has also been the setting for the numerous initiatives developed under international collaboration agreements, particularly with some countries in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean basin, that have made it possible to further raise the standing of Italian-made quality on major new emerging markets.
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