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| Matteo Marzotto, vice president (left), and Lorenzo Cagnoni, president, of the newly formed Italian Exhibition Group |
Two Italian trade fair companies, Fiera di Vicenza Spa and Rimini Fiera Spa, have merged to form the Italian Exhibition Group. Fair representatives said Friday that this alliance makes the new entity a “top player in Italy” in terms of directly organized shows with 61 fairs in its portfolio (90% own by the trade fair organizations) and 160 other events and congresses.
The company also says it is the first example of a merger between trade show enterprises in Italy.
The new entity will be the promotion and internationalization platform for the entire “Made in Italy” production chain, meaning products will be designed in such a way that it will meet the needs of users in many countries, the companies said in a joint statement.
Fiera di Vicenza in Italy’s Veneto region serves as the home of VicenzaOro, the Italian jewelry industry’s largest trade fair, held three times per year. It is one of the 61 trade shows the combined organization hosts at three venues in several product categories including Food & Beverage, Green Investment, Technology, Entertainment, Tourism, Transport, Wellness, and Lifestyle & Innovation.
Rimini Fiera Spa, located in the coastal city of Rimini in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, has two facilities: Rimini Fiera and Palacongressi Rimini.
There was no mention in the joint announcement of how the merger will affect individual trade fairs. However, Italian Exhibition Group said there are no changes planned with either the names of the distinct fair venues or their operations.
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| The new Italian Exhibition Group logo |
Perhaps the boldest statement by Italian Exhibition Group is its goal to be a publicly listed company and to act as the unifying element for other trade show organizations.
While the merger is being billed as a coming together of equals, it appears that Rimini will be the dominate player of the two. Lorenzo Cagnoni, president of Rimini Fiera will now serve as president and CEO of Italian Exhibition Group. Matteo Marzotto, president of Fiera di Vicenza, has been named vice president. In addition, the announcement was made in Rimini Friday.
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