An important milestone on the road towards EXPOdetergo International 2022, the convention organised by Assofornitori – traditionally held in the year before the event – was attended on 2nd of October by over 100 operators, testifying the desire to reset after the difficult period that we have passed through and restart by driving the recovery. The same as the advertising motto of the event states: Reset. Restart. Together.
Giuseppe Conti, the President of Assofornitori, made the honours. He emphasised the “18 months of suffering due to the health crisis”, the importance for companies to subscribe the early booking, in a particularly advantageous way until the 31st of October, but also the fruitful cooperation between Assofornitori and the category associations during the past two years.
Taking the floor, Expodetergo’s President Marco Sancassani outlined the “success figures” of the last editions of the exhibition, as well as the new contract signed between Expodetergo and Fiera Milano, valid for 2022 and for the next editions. President Sancassani traced then “the road to success”, symbolically synthesizing in the image of a staircase the four basic steps to reach the goal.
The Vice President of Expodetergo, Paolo Fumagalli, talked about “Detergo Communication System”, a communication instrument composed of: the magazine (with new content, new sections, and a continuous innovation keeping the things already done in the past), the website, which has been thoroughly revised in the last year, and Detergo’s social networks. He also talked about the new green magazine, which from September 2021 is made of recycled paper, “making a choice that os not only formal but also substantial”.
The next speaker, the magazines’ Editor, Marzio Nava, illustrated the figures for the Detergo communication system: 42 thousand monthly issues of the magazine (printed and digital), the Detergo website, visited by 40.600 people in the last year, and finally, the extraordinary success on social networks, which in the last twelve months has had 268.954 contacts. These are eloquent numbers that are speaking for themselves. He continued discussing about the evolution of the publishing market, emphasising the need to conceive and create (a process already in progress) an editorial product that is characterised as a “System”, and cannot be reduced just as Magazine but that is evolving towards a multimedia offer. The running direction has already been drawn.
A great care was then dedicated to the presentation of the event, illustrating the state of art of the project, the important numbers of the last edition, that confirms its value in the world, and the news regarding the services offered by Fiera Milano – described Paolo Pizzocaro, the Exhibition Director of the trade.
“The next edition places us in the front of a great challenge: to confirm the leading role of EXPOdetergo International, as it will be the first international textile care exhibition in Europe of after the re-openings” – started Pizzocaro. “It has finally arrived the time to return doing business without the filter of a video, as shown by your presence here , but also by the numerous events that we have inaugurated in the last weeks at Fiera Milano.” – he added – “The results of the activity of our quarters have exceeded our own expectations, proving that the implementation of the security protocols is not a limitation, on the contrary, it allows the exhibitors and the visitors to experience the shows and events with plenitude and serenity. We hope that in one year from now on, when the trade will take place, we will have had returned to a full normality, but I think it could be useful for everyone to remember today that Fiera Milano is prepared to deal with any circumstance”.
THE KEYWORDS OF THE PROJECT
There were reconfirmed during the conference, the guidelines around which the project of this trade is developing:
- Sustainability and green: because the low environmental impact and the energy efficiency are both goals for the entire sector, increasingly required by the entire industry. The trade will pay attention to the progress and innovation both referring to the machines sector, pointing more and more on the energy and water saving, and on the chemical additives, too.
- Ergonomics and digitalization: two topics that are literally revolutionizing the sector. The increasingly widespread use of the digital tools capable of monitoring and making the entire line more efficient, helps to make the work safer and more efficient, but at the same time it is changing working methods, including remote management and systems that guarantee greater ergonomics at workstations. From touch screen interfaces to software, at the exhibition it will be possible to find the entire innovation world, that is changing the sector.
- Hygienisation and sanitisation: are nowadays processes that are more sought after than ever in the “new normality”, that we can find ourselves living in, and that sector can stand for, thanks to the long experience of the companies that animate it. Techniques, products and machines for the fabrics treatment, used in sectors such as health care or Ho.Re.Ca., where, today more than ever, the sanitisation is essential, will be the protagonists of the trade.
WHERE ARE WE?
One year after the trade, the response in terms of the company participation is excellent, with one third of the available space already occupied.
“The companies registered until now are on the same line, regarding the numbers and surface requested, with those who, four years ago in the same period, were preparing themselves for the previous edition. This should not be taken for granted: the world has changed in the last two years, but the effects of the pandemic are not having any particular impact and the exhibitors are still joining the trade with their usual enthusiasm and interest” – explains Pizzocaro.
HOW THE TRADE IS CHANGING IN THE DIGITAL AGE
During the conference were named also the innovations related to the digital services: thanks to the new advanced technological solutions designed by Fiera Milano, it will be possible to experience the trade in a “phygital” way, before, during and after the days of the trade. An ecosystem of services and tools that are defined as Fiera Milano Platform.
One of the first novelties is the new exhibitors’ portal from where the registered companies will be able to place any order and manage every aspect of the construction of their booth. A tool designed to manage their presence quickly and practically.
Another great new tool is Expo Plaza: the digital catalogue that evolves enriched with new functions presenting itself as a portal full of useful information that exhibitors can share with the visitors. Documents, catalogues, stories, videos and much more can become a wealth of information that visitors can draw on to prepare their own visit to the trade. Through Expo Plaza it will also be possible for the exhibitors to get in touch with the visitors already before the trade show, thanks to a dedicated chat and video chat platform, and to schedule appointments through the Open Agenda.
But the digital communication will be also an experience facilitator during the days of the trade. The digital signage, thanks to more than 80 high-definition LED walls inside the exhibition center, will provide information in real time, helping visitors to find their way around the exhibition spaces and discover the details of the event.
The strong identity of the project, the determination with which Assofornitori and its members are looking to the future of the market, and the innovations implemented by Fiera Milano create the conditions for an edition full of opportunities and content, ready to reaffirm itself as a global reference point for the professionals in the sector.
31st OCTOBER 2021 EARLY BOOKING DEADLINE
To register for EXPOdetergo International and take advantage of a particularly convenient fare, it is necessary to subscribe your registration by the 31st of October 2021. An incentive that, by encouraging registration way in advance, will allow, already in the coming months, to have a clear idea of the major brands present, allowing to present
immediately to the world market the project of EXPOdetergo International 2022, its protagonists, strong points and contents.
By Marzio Nava
Detergo Magazine – Number 10, October 2021
