Fu Bingbing

Through the years， IEG - Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A.， a joint stock company listed on Euronext Milan， a regulated market organized and managed by Borsa Italian S.p.A.， has， with its facilities in Riminiand Vicenza， achieved national leadership over the years in the organization of trade shows and conferences. The development of activities abroad - also through joint-ventures with global or local organizers， in the United States， United Arab Emirates， China， Mexico， Brazil and India， for example - now sees the company positioned among the top European operators in the sector. IEG organizes and hosts 48 expos and 190 conference events. Corrado Peraboni， CEO of the IEG is sincerely invited for our todays interview to share with us hinsights into the current industry development dynamics on this edition of our Column.

Sustainability is a Cornerstone

Corrado Peraboni tells the reporter that IEG has historically combined its trade show business with thriving congress activity. Rimini is one of Italys top destinations for congresses. The overall business is fuelled by its own infrastructure： the Rimini and Vicenza Expo and Congress Centres. One of the most significant prerogatives， however， concerns the ownership of the leading events， that is， the peculiarity of being direct organisers of the events they host， particularly in the six industries in which IEG is a leader： Food & Beverage， Jewellery & Fashion， Wellness & Sport， Tourism & Hospitality， Lifestyle & Entertainment and Green&Technologies. their foreign activities have also developed through joint ventures with global or local organisers， for example， in the United States， United Arab Emirates， China， Mexico， Singapore and Brazil， which have led them to become one of the leading European operators in the sector. As far as best practices are concerned， Corrado Peraboni believes it is important to remember that IEG has been a forerunner in the historical steps taken in the environmental field， not only because it includes Ecomondo， the largest circular economy exhibition in the entire Euro-Mediterranean basin， in its trade show portfolio， but because it has made environmental protection a cornerstone of its corporate mission. “At the Rimini Expo Centre， we have installed 114，000 square metres of photovoltaic panels. We save 23 million litres of water and， thanks to the “ice bank”， we have halved the energy used for cooling the premises. In 2021 we activated three new photovoltaic systems with a total installed capacity of 7，525 kWp， which allows us to produce 8.5 million kWh of clean electricity.” adds Corrado Peraboni.

Essential for International Cooperation

Corrado Peraboni states that as the global recovery of the trade show business is consolidating， compatibly with the geopolitical situation etc. They are confident because numerous economies are benefited from innovative processes. According to the most recent UFI Global Exhibition Barometer， in terms of turnover， Italy， along with the United Kingdom， Saudi Arabia， Turkey， South Korea and Japan， is among the countries that are performing well above average. The Italian governments support has focused on helping companies whose budgets have been challenged by the effects of restrictions. The Pact for Export has provided 60 million in funding with the aim of supporting the shows that most solidly support national production.

Moreover， IEG recently approved its Industrial Plan， which envisages investments of 135 million over the next five years， divided between trade show structures and products. They foresee that 2023 will be the year of a return to normality and they are therefore aiming at a turnover of 260 million by the time the Industrial Plan is completed in 2027.

“Im familiar with China， where IEG has already launched trade show projects， a great country that is included in the development strategy of every global player. IEG is working to constantly strengthen its position on foreign markets through the 4*4 project which aims to enhance the leading products in its portfolio by replicating them on the most attractive international markets. The last edition of Sigep， the global gelato， pastry， artisan bakery and coffee exhibition held every year in Rimini， presented the first edition ofSigep China， which will be making its debut， in partnership with Koelnmesse， at the Shenzhen World Exhibition （10th-12th May 2023）. Indeed， China is showing interest in the consumption of artisan gelato， also in the segment of Italian gelato parlour chains. According to Sistema Gelatos observatory， in 2021， China saw a 20% growth in the number of either directly managed or affiliated points of sale.Furthermore， on the green front， thanks to the know-how and expertise of Ecomondo， we will be organising the CDEPEChengdu International Environmental Protection Expo（30 March-1 April 2023）， the largest exhibition of environmental technologies in western China.” says Corrado Peraboni.

Business Process to be Digitalized

Corrado Peraboni points out， the pandemic forced a powerful acceleration in a process that had already started and was progressing. With the relaxation of measures， they were successful in proposing “hybrid”models. And now that they are back to normal， the legacy is an effective integration of the available services. Even now that in-person and irreplaceable trade shows are back， the process of digitalisation remains constant， designed with the aim of enriching the companies live moment， a flywheel for the involvement of the various communities. A real experience that visitors and operators can enjoy on several “stages”， tailor-made to the specifics of individual events.

In addition， on the innovation front， IEG has activated the Rubicon project， which will allow them to complete a digital transition with realistic and concrete objectives： business process digitalisation and better customer experience. They are working on an App with which the trade show admission ticket will interact with an increasing number of relationship opportunities. From the QR-Code for entry to a code for managing contacts at the fair.

Corrado Peraboni still indicates that the trade show world has always been able to suggest the direction of development. Companies recognise this extra characteristic and there are now numerous surveys that also prove the concrete advantage of trade fair participation. According to the UFI Global Exhibition Barometer， the exhibition industry is recovering rapidly， with revenues for the first half of 2023 expected to reach 87% of pre-pandemic levels （compared to 2019， the industrys record year to date）.

“During the pandemic， our industry showed a flexibility in being able to respond quickly and effectively to major disruptions. Our goal is to be an all-year-round reference for companies by becoming an authentic community catalyst： business facilitators， hubs for the exchange of know-how， training and innovation centres.” Corrado Peraboni comments.