Pier Luigi Streparava, General Commissioner of the exhibition.
Can you please tell us more about the event?
EMO is the reference exhibition for the manufacturing world industry as for machine tools, robots and automation. It is held alternatively in Milan and in Hanover, thus proving the main roles, played by both Italy and Germany in the international scenario of this sector.
Italy together with Germany on the roof of the world…
You got it right. The fact that EMO, the world’s basic industry exhibition for most of manufacturing processes is held in Italy is a proof of appreciation towards our companies, working in this sector. It proves our ability to work in the international market and to suggest wide and varied offers and managing to satisfy the most diverse needs. The Italian offer for machine tools goes all over the world and the whole world meets in Italy at EMO to verify the technological progress achieved in the sector.
So, the team is already working?
At the closing of the German edition last September, the ball passed to us, Italians, in charge of setting up EMO MILANO 2015, scheduled from October 5 to 10. The arrangements for what is considered the most important event for the operators of the global manufacturing industry have already begun and the team of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, the Italian reference association, owing to its over 10 years’ experience (editor’s note 1979, 1987, 1995, 2003, 2009) has already set the intervention lines, as well as the first scheduled activities.
EMO MILANO 2015 will be held during EXPO 2015?
Yes. The world exhibition of machine tools will be held exactly in conjunction with the final part of the expo. EMO MILANO 2015 will have at its disposal the whole exhibition fairground of fieramilano, near which the implementation of the expo space is being completed. This territorial and time proximity will only favour our event, which will benefit, for example, from all the improvements, performed in the city as well as in the surroundings.
Are there any initiatives scheduled in collaboration with EXPO?
The topic is rather delicate. Actually, we have already offered our availability to cooperate with expo and set up some common initiatives. Unfortunately, we haven’t received any answer yet. The idea we have is that the expo machine at the moment is focusing on the implementation of the hard part of the project: spaces, big tenders for services, such as restaurants, road systems, building; the promotional partnerships, unless strictly connected to food, are at a standstill, but, of course, we do not give up.
Let’s say that, in view of the slowness encountered, as organizers of EMO MILANO 2015, we decided to focus our efforts on the definition of all those activities, which may transform the conjunction between the two events in an actual opportunity for our operators. I’ll give you a practical example. We immediately realised that, considering the presence of tourists for the expo, the availability of accommodation during the days of the events (and, on those immediately before and after the event) in Milan and in the surroundings, might have worried our exhibitors as well as our visitors a little bit. For this reason, starting from December, we have activated several agreements, which, by means of the event website www.emo-milan.com, allow to make room reservations in the city and in the metropolitan area. The service is constantly updated, as we acquire new partnerships with hotels, both belonging to big chains or small hotels. The goal is that of welcoming everybody as well as of satisfying each type of client.
What about promotion activities instead?
I can say that the schedule is very full and wide, both in terms of time and in terms of variety of initiatives. The traditional road show of press conferences will start next July and cover all the main capitals of world industry: from China’s Beijing to Shanghai, from Chicago to Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, from Tokyo to Taipei, passing by Bangalore, Moscow and Abu Dhabi. These are only some of the destinations, which will add on to all the European cities. Besides this, we also planned to perform a detailed promotion and communication activity on the main international sector publications, together with a well-thought and efficient online promotion activity, supported by online magazine websites, sector exhibition events websites, on social channels, most suitable for the reference target. Without forgetting all the communication activities that we are already carrying out by means of media and general and specialised information means. Nothing will be left to fate and, I must say that our team, even owing to the experience acquired in the last Italian edition of EMO, is focusing much of its resources on the use of new technologies.
Finally, I would like to ask you for an outlook on the market…
Granted that making forecasts is always very difficult, besides being risky, I can say that EMO MILANO 2015 introduces itself under good auspices. Italy, the host country as well as an important market as for consumptions, besides being determining for setting the trends of the sector, together with Europe, is about to exit the crisis, which has involved the old continent for many years now. The data tells us that 2014 will be the year of the recovery, which, for Italy as well as for the European Union, will be increasingly stronger in 2015 and 2016. EMO MILANO 2015 will benefit from this situation as well as all those who will be attending. Of course, the preconditions are better than those we had for EMO MILANO 2009, which was held right in full crisis, and, yet, covered 96,000 square metres of exhibition surface and had 1,400 exhibitors. We wish to do better than that. We will try our best.
Image courtesy: UCIMU, images shows the previous edition of EMO MIlano 2009
