Italian Foreign Ministry promotes coordination among Italian Trade Fairs worldwide

As part of the Export Plan launched by the Italian Government - aiming to reach EUR 700 billion in exports by 2027 - the first roundtable on the internationalisation of the Italian trade fair system was held yesterday in Milan. The meeting was promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), in collaboration with the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy (MIMIT), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF), the Conference of Regions, the main institutional actors supporting trade fairs (ITA, SACE, Simest, and CDP), and the two key industry associations: AEFI (Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association) and It-EX (Italian Association of International Exhibitions), together with their respective members.

The presidents of the two associations, Maurizio Danesi and Raffaele Napoleone, expressed their commitment to working towards an agreement aimed at relaunching the sector internationally - both by strengthening national exhibitions and by promoting innovative projects in foreign markets. A similar spirit of cooperation was reaffirmed by Giovanni Bozzetti, President of the Fondazione Fiera Milano.

Participants agreed that, given the current uncertainty in global markets, systemic actions are essential to enhance the trade fair system's capacity to meet the needs of export-oriented production chains and to consolidate its international positioning. Italy currently ranks fourth in the world for covered exhibition space, after China, the United States, and Germany.

"The Italian trade fair system is a strategic pillar for the internationalisation of our businesses and a powerful multiplier of exports," stated Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, highlighting the importance of "teamwork among institutions - starting with MAECI and ITA - and the trade fair system, in order to pursue together the goal of increasing exports and reaching the EUR 700 billion target".