Marmomacc: key platform for sector exports
25.09.2014
49th edition of the event inaugurated yesterday morning at Veronafiere - open until 27 September
In conjunction with Abitare il Tempo to create an event increasingly focusing on the international contract sector.
Verona, 25 September 2014 - "The stone industry, with 3,300 companies and revenues of 4 billion euros, is growing thanks to exports responding to the needs of international markets. Our forecasts suggest an annual increase of at least 5% in the near future, with excellent prospects largely on markets such as Canada and the United States." So said Carlo Calenda, Deputy Minister for Economic Development, yesterday morning at the Veronafiere during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 49th Marmomacc, the landmark international event for the marble and granite industry scheduled until Saturday 27 September in conjunction with Abitare il Tempo - the exhibition dedicated to interior design, furnishing solutions and the contract sector.
"Marmomacc," Calenda added, "welcomes operators from more than 140 countries, 45 trade delegations and exhibitors from 58 countries. It is a vital event in terms of maintaining the strength and competitiveness of the sector. That is why in the special plan for Made in Italy will invest 2 million euros in this exhibition next year - after having identified it among the top 15 shows in Italy - to enhance incoming buyers and promotional activities abroad, thereby further expanding its already high international profile and status as a strategic tool for the country."
During the inauguration, Giorgio Squinzi, President of Confindustria said: "This is a fundamental show for the natural stone industry where Italy enjoys world leadership, ranking fifth in terms of production quantity but first for quality, innovation and technologies. I have attended this event for at least 25 years since it here is the entire value chain can express itself, from unhewn products extraction and processing technologies - not to mention, as of this year, Abitare il Tempo focusing on applications in design and decoration fields, two other sectors of Made in Italy excellence."
The opening ceremony was attended by Flavio Tosi, Mayor of Verona, Marco Ambrosini, Vice President of the Province of Verona, Massimo Giorgetti, Councillor for Public Works of the Veneto Region, and Ettore Riello, President of Veronafiere. Other guests included El Khdar Ahmed, Consul General of Morocco, Ali El Halawani, Consul General of Egypt, and Manish Prabhat, Consul General of India in Milan.
"Today we find further confirmation that exhibitions are an industrial policy tool for the development of Italy," said Riello, "and sharing projects with associations and institutions, beginning with those in and around Verona itself, can only bring benefits to companies operating in two Italian manufacturing sectors - natural stone and wooden furniture - of absolute excellence. These sectors are ideally represented and promoted by Marmomacc and Abitare il Tempo as complementary events in terms of the value chain and international promotion, especially in the contract world."
