Marmomacc Focuses on “Made in Italy”

ROME – Marmomacc – traditionally an global stone event – will have an more-international look during its 50th edition late this month, thanks to the special “Made in Italy” promotion.

Click image to enlargeThe multi-part plan, launched by the Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development in collaboration with ICE-Agency for International Promotion/Internationalisation of Italian Companies and Confindustria Marmomacchine, took the spotlight during a presentation on n Monday.

Representatives of the ministry and trade associations, along with the president/CEO of event promotor Veronafiere, offered details during a press conference at the ministry’s Tapestry Hall in Rome.

The project, involving a total investment of €2 million gross provided directly by the ministry, develops the idea of business internationalization associated with Made in Italy products – be they equipment, technology, unhewn blocks, semi-finished or finished items – thereby promoting incoming attendance by qualified operators from overseas, technical training events, b2b meetings and visits to companies and production districts, as well as presentations of excellence in technology and natural stone.

The focal point is the 50th edition of Marmomacc, scheduled at Veronafiere in Verona, Italy, on Sept.  30 – Oct. 3. with more than 1,500 exhibitors (569 Italian and 933 international from 55 countries) occupying a net area of 77,100 m². More than 60,000 professional visitors from 140+ countries are expected to attend.

 “It is an innovative promotion plan because it is based on an integrated approach involving all the players in a sector such as natural stone,” said Giuseppe Tripoli, Head of the Ministry’s Department for Business Internationalization. “It also enhances the role of ICE at the service of companies and officially acknowledges the role of the Italian trade fair system and excellence with events such as Marmomacc and a fine platform for accelerating the internationalization of companies and the country-system.”

Roberto Luongo, Director General of the ICE-Agency, noted that two select foreign trade delegations will be at Marmomacc as part of the promotional plan. One group involves 100 top buyers interested in Italian technologies and machinery; the other includes 100 architects, planners and designers seeking Made in Italy marble and natural stone to use in large-scale projects abroad.

International operators taking part will attend the Italian Stone Technology & Design Conference, as well as a series of workshops and visits to local companies through Oct. 6 as a way to improve knowledge and understanding of Made in Italy natural stone products and machinery.

Another central aspect of Marmomacc 2015 is “The Italian Stone Theatre” project, housed in Veronafiere’s Hall 1, to outline Italy’s institutional vocation and at the same time highlights flair and content.

This is a large and spectacular celebratory event involving not only the material but also machinery and technology in a full-scale area dedicated to innovation: the ingenuity of designers, including international figures, will be paired with the professionalism, construction skills, technical and productive expertise of Italian companies and machinery.

The program  in the hall’s Forum Area will include conventions, seminars, lectio magistralis (formal lectures), awards, architecture and design presentations, education projects and university research. Set up in the heart of the Hall to welcome internationally renowned architects and designers, it will enable meetings and dialogue with an audience of professionals, sector operators, students, professors, technicians and engineers.

Lastly, the International Stone Summit makes its debut – the first in the world ever dedicated to natural stone bringing together the main international natural-stone associations and an equal number of trade press representatives from the countries involved with the goal of developing content and stimulate discussions and debate about natural stone.

The Summit is scheduled to start on Sept. 20 in the presence of the Ministry of Economic Development, Veronafiere and delegates from Confindustria Marmomacchine to illustrate the main sector dossiers and the projects developed by the Italian Government on a worldwide scale.

“This result rewards the manufacturing sector and the excellence of the Verona district in terms of machinery and production technologies, as well as product processing,” said Giovanni Mantovani, Veronafiere President/CEO. “The 50th edition of the show will be inaugurated on Sept. 30 with a major international summit and consequently stands not so much as a point of arrival but as a new departure.”

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