Introduce the Mediterranean ExhibitionsClub

Keen interest from organisers of exhibitions in Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey Fiera Milano, the Region of Lombardy, and the Milan Chamber of Commerce (through Promos, its firm specialised in internationalisation) have organised the Mediterranean Exhibitions Club.

The objective of the initiative is to promote ongoing, broad-based collaboration among the exhibition centres of the area, thereby intensifying trade across the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean Exhibition Club will have access to forms of financial assistance to participate in events in Milan organised by Fiera Milano. The initiative has received an enthusiastic response from the foreign exhibitions involved since it was announced at the workshop on Mediterranean exhibition systems, organised by Fiera Milano and the Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the region, in conjunction with the fifth annual Euro-Mediterranean Laboratory conference.

Held today at the Milan-Rho exhibition centre and introduced by Claudio Artusi, CEO of Fiera Milano, the workshop was attended by Danilo Maiocchi, director-general for Trade, Exhibitions and Markets for the Region of Lombardy, as well as by Andrea Bonalumi, head of innovative internationalisation services for Promos.

Other guests at the event included exhibition organisers from Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey, who underscored the importance of instilling systematic cooperation between the various exhibitions in order to reduce costs and facilitate widespread promotion and marketing for the events.

In particular, Sherif Salem, president of Egypt's General Organization for International Exhibitions and Fairs (GOIEF), expressed the need not only for the creation of the Mediterranean Exhibition Club, but also for the club be open to all nations interested, not just those attending the workshop.

Confirmation of the potential, in both business and cultural terms, of an ongoing dialogue between the various exhibitions was also seen at the workshop itself, which provided an opportunity to hold a series of bilateral meetings between the foreign guests and Fiera Milano companies that organise professional exhibitions.

"Fiera Milano is working to create a single home for the entire Mediterranean area in order to establish stable cooperation, provide continuity to the work already under way, and facilitate the sharing of skills and experience," explained Claudio Artusi. "A place in which to work together on projects and become more acquainted with each other's business. The roundtable discussion helped us to understand the needs of our guests here today, as well as how these needs can be met. We will be making every effort to facilitate relations and business between companies and organisations on both sides of the Mediterranean in a manner that is of benefit to all concerned."

"We are committed to this important initiative and to helping promote Milan's excellent exhibition system, which is making Milan famous throughout the world," added the Chamber of Commerce. "We will be providing our network of offices abroad so as to promote the initiative through concrete action."