AEFI AND CENTREX:
AGREEMENT FOR THE INTERNATIONALISATION
OF ITALIAN COMPANIES AND TRADE FAIRS IN CENTRAL-EAST EUROPE
Rome-Budapest, 30th June 2017 - AEFI - the Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association and CENTREX-International Exhibition Statistics Union have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote reciprocal commercial relations between Italian companies and those of the countries of Central Europe (Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary).
The agreement was signed in the last few days by AEFI Chairman, Ettore Riello, and Executive Director of CENTREX, Ildikò Molnár and represents the culmination of AEFI’s twenty-year collaboration with the countries of Central Europe. The formalisation of this historic collaboration is another important goal achieved by the Association in support of the national trade fair system.
“As an association we’ve always been highly active in initiatives directed towards the internationalisation of trade fairs and the companies that attend them,” comments Ettore Riello, Chairman of AEFI. “Thanks to the agreement, we can intensify relations with CENTREX-member countries, of strategic importance for our trade, and thus offer new growth and diversification opportunities, above all for small and medium-sized enterprises. Poland, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic are countries where consumption is growing and that offer concrete business opportunities. We will also be able to implement our database with important information useful to direct our members in their expansion strategies.”
The agreement includes the sharing of sector research as well as the exchange of information on trends in the sector as well as the study and development of shared projects; reciprocal information on and promotion of the respective exhibition, through all available tools, including the web; carrying out analysis of issues of mutual interest; joint activities with the aim of reinforcing trade fairs with respect to the stakeholders; a fair price policy for activities, products and services offered by CENTREX and AEFI; the organisation of missions and promotion of meetings and seminars to favour networking and the generation of new contacts.
A strategic theme of this agreement is promotion of trade fair statistics transparency, also confirmed by a representative of CENTREX on the occasion of the AEFI conference on certification. “Through study and the adoption of common standards and rigorous control procedures, we will be able to provide data comparable at an international level, which will allow us to act to support the whole sector,” continues Riello.
“Internationalisation, cooperation possibilities with international trade fair partners and quality is of high importance to CENTREX. Activity, operation of AEFI is embodying everything what may mean value for CENTREX. That is why we think that closer collaboration between our organisations, members and our regions will widen the synergies which may simultaneously add up to the role and acknowledgement of trade fairs in respective economies.
Business including trade fair relations between Italy and Central Europe is not just tradition – it is a great opportunity in current times as well. Italy ranks even today No. 3-4 in our business relations and the ongoing internationalisation of Italian trade fairs – being present as leaders in many sectors of economy – can assist CENTREX members to explore trends of specialising into emerging niche markets in our countries. And also, through more intensive exchange of information and joint project opportunities Italian trade fairs will have a chance to attract SMEs from Central Europe in increasing numbers. We have great hope about it.” Quote from Ildikò Molnár, Executive Director of CENTREX
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AEFI - the Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association, a private non-profit Association, was established in 1983 with the goal of generating synergies between the most important Italian exhibition districts. AEFI would like to be seen as a privileged partner for operators and institutions alike, and its role is to support members through the development of activities and programmes in the sphere of training, marketing, promotion and research, as well as to provide services for trade fairs through the activities of its Committees: Exhibition Hub Technical Committee, Legal-Administrative Committee, Internationalisation Committee and Trade Fairs Network Committee.
On the internationalization front, AEFI supports members thanks to agreements with strategic markets. To date, partnerships have been agreed with Iran, Taiwan, Lebanon and India and a memorandum of understanding has been signed with AmCham, the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy.
AEFI has promoted the foundation of ISFCert, the Certification Institute for Exhibition Industry Statistics which, through rigorous methodologies, enables Italian organisers to present and recognise standardised data, in the name of transparency and reliability.
AEFI represents Italian trade fairs in UFI - Union of International Fairs. Chaired by Ettore Riello, AEFI includes 35 member exhibition districts, which organise over 1,000 events a year over an overall exhibition area of 4.2 million square metres. 92% of international trade fairs, and 85% of all trade fairs which take place each year in Italy, are held in AEFI-member exhibition districts.
www.aefi.it/Aefi/site/en/index
CENTREX International Exhibition Statistics Union, founded in 1997, is the non-profit organisation that represents the trade fair sector in Central-Eastern Europe. It works in the interest of its members and the sector, promoting transparency, reliability and the value of exhibition statistics as well as showcasing trade fairs as an effective marketing tool. CENTREX deals with maintaining the regulation of trade fair transparency statistics in Central and Eastern Europe in line with international standards, through a dedicated inspection service. CENTREX also distributes the statistics at an international level and supports the associates with information and research on the trade fair sector and with specific training programmes.
CENTREX has 12 members, representing 6 countries: Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary.
www.centrexstat.org
For further information:
AEFI Press Office CENTREX Union Secretariat
Image Building Tel: +36 30 619 76 46
Tel. +39 02 89.011.300, E-mail: E-mail: