Progetto Fuoco, 45 thousand operators at the fair in Verona

Progetto Fuoco, 45 thousand operators at the fair in Verona

05.03.2024

Appointment for the next edition in 2026

The President of Veronafiere, Federico Bricolo: «The success of this edition attests Veronafiere as the world capital of innovation linked to energy production from woody biomass. The exhibition confirms itself as a meeting platform between the excellence of Made in Italy production and foreign demand»

 
A 2024 edition that certifies rediscovered confidence on the part of the market and strong interest on the part of professional operators: 45 thousand came to the Verona Exhibition Centre, with a significant growth in attendance from abroad (+12%). The fourteenth edition of Progetto Fuoco, the world's most important event dedicated to heating appliances and energy production through biomass, closed today, 2 March, at the Verona Exhibition Centre. From stoves to fireplaces via boilers, barbecues and wood and pellet stoves: 550 exhibiting companies were present at Progetto Fuoco, including 200 from 35 foreign countries. The event promoted by Veronafiere is held every two years and will therefore return in 2026.
«The success of this edition of Progetto Fuoco certifies VeronaFiere as the world capital of innovation linked to the production of energy from woody biomasses – commented the President of Veronafiere, Federico Bricolo –. The exhibition confirms itself as a meeting platform between the excellence of made-in-Italy production and foreign demand, with 45,000 operators arriving from 66 nations, in particular from target countries such as France, Germany and Spain».
«Proposing more and more innovation and high-tech products to the specialised public works and Progetto Fuoco is proof of this with a 12% increase in foreign operators at this edition – explains Veronafiere CEO Maurizio Danese – We are supporting the recovery and development of a sector that for Italy is worth more than 4 billion euro and is confronted every day with the challenges of safeguarding the environment and protecting our forest heritage».
«We are extremely satisfied: Progetto Fuoco repeats the good result of 2022, which was by no means a foregone conclusion given the turbulence that has affected the biomass market over the past year – commented Raul Barbieri, Veronafiere sales director– We have had the opportunity to experience the recovery of confidence in the sector, and the response of exhibitors, operators and trade professionals has been overwhelmingly positive».
Exhibitors’ comments
«The fair went well, the presence of our Italian dealers and partners from abroad was important – explains Mario Muraro, owner and general manager of Klover – We are glad to have had the opportunity to meet and talk to them. The concern remains, we have to be very attentive to market developments in the coming months. However, I have seen positivity and this is a sign that gives us hope for the future».
«From this edition we bring home many positive signs and many interesting insights for the future,' comments Gianni Ragusa, CEO of La Nordica Extraflame – The number of visitors, the interest in the new wood and pellet solutions, and the quality of the contacts generated, are all important indications that bode well for a positive market recovery. Progetto Fuoco confirms itself as the European appointment of reference for our sector, and this is also thanks to the investments that groups like ours dedicate to this event, demonstrated again at this edition with the La Nordica Extraflame stand».
«The balance is positive, we are very satisfied. We talked to our customers who appreciated the innovations and gave us confidence – comments Gino Rossi, Thermorossi sales director - The wood and pellet product is seen as an opportunity to save energy, what is being sought is technology, innovation and energy efficiency. By stimulating the network thanks to the new technologies we are presenting, we think we will positively surpass 2024 and reach 2025 on the numbers of previous years».
«This edition is confirmed with important numbers, in line with the previous edition. Our aim was to convey confidence and optimism to retailers and partners, and we succeeded in doing so - emphasizes Massimo Bernardi, sales director of Caminetti Montegrappa – For our part, we are definitely satisfied».
The winners of the «Give me fire – Progetto Fuoco Startup Award»
The pellet consists of recycled coffee grounds from plastic and aluminium capsules mixed with a small percentage of recycled wood. A product with a higher calorific value than traditional wood pellets. With this proposal, the startup RCoffee won the «Give Me Fire – Progetto Fuoco Startup Award», the prize - promoted by Progetto Fuoco and Blum, in collaboration with Aiel - awarded to the technological solution deemed to have the greatest impact by a jury of experts. In second and third place were BiStems and N2Air respectively. While the special prize awarded by the public went to Goojob, the portal that connects the user with craftsmen and professionals through a system of filters and geolocation.
Five start-ups, as well as a special project, were selected for the Progetto Fuoco Innovation Village, an area where the most significant innovative companies could tell their ideas and present their products to potential partners and investors. The prize-giving ceremony, moderated by journalist and Blum co-founder Luca Barbieri, was attended by Giulia Patrassi Leopardi, CRC Lex, Annalisa Paniz, AIEL general manager, Bruno Giordano, vice-president for supply chain aggregations and start-ups for growth of Confindustria Verona, Gianfilippo Panazzolo, Veronafiere, Renzo Chervatin, UniCredit North-East Territories Development manager, and Francesca Ponzecchi, CEO of Blum.
Conferences and workshops
The event was also an opportunity to exchange views with decision-makers on the latest regulatory innovations in the field of energy efficiency and sustainable forest management, as well as offering a rich programme of conferences, workshops, round tables and professional refresher courses. As a technical partner of the event, AIEL (Italian Agroforestry Energy Association) enriched the debate by proposing a series of in-depth meetings. Such as the conference “Let's work together to improve air quality. First round table of the MASE-Regions-AIEL Memorandum of Understanding”, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security. And like the conference 'New tools for the forests of the future', in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture Food Sovereignty and Forestry. The initiatives organised by Assocosma (National Association of Stove Manufacturers) and the appointments organised by Anfus (National Association of Chimney Smokers and Chimney Sweeps) were also well attended
• Progetto Fuoco, to be held from 28 February to 2 March 2024 at the Verona Exhibition Centre, is the most important international event dedicated to the heating and energy production sector through the combustion of wood.