INTERVIEW TO GIUSEPPE GARRI, SICUREZZA 2014 EXHIBITION MANAGER

With only 5 months to go till the opening of SICUREZZA, scheduled for 12 to 14 November at Fiera Milano, we interviewed Giuseppe Garri, Exhibition manager of the show3.

SICUREZZA 2014, the international exhibition of security and fire prevention, will open its doors next November  in Milan. Please, could you give us an update? 

All the pre-requisites are in place to suggest that this year’s exhibition of SICUREZZA will be a resounding success and will confirm itself as the only true landmark event for the industry in Italy. The numbers are very positive: till now, 75% of the available exhibition space has already been allocated to companies from 21 countries and the exhibitors are up 35% compared to the same pre-show period in 2012.An extremely positive result, which is a combination of companies which have always attended the exhibition and a large number of exhibitors who are returning to SICUREZZA after a gap of a few editions or are brands being presented for the first time.A strong sign of credibility, trust and loyalty. So I can say, without doubt, that visit SICUREZZA will be a good opportunity for trade operatives from all over the world, that will have the occasion to see first-hand the higher level of innovation, reliability and attention to design of the “Made in Italy” products.

How did you obtained this goal?

We’re very proud of this achievement, which is the result of the extremely positive figures obtained at the last exhibition, but also of the strong commitment we have made in terms of listening to many of the companies and associations in the sector and collaborating with them, which began many months ago. Talking to people who have daily experience of the market, listening to positive praise but also to constructive criticism, and investing to create an exhibition which really responds to their effective needs is a strategy which is certainly paying off. So this will be a larger exhibition, but also more representative, not only in numerical terms but, more particularly, in terms of quality. The top names will be present, there will be a large number of new features and previews and, as well as a very strong offering in the CCTV and access control segments, there also will be a wide range of products and solutions in the sphere of fire-prevention, passive defence and building automation.

What the novelties?

Leaving aside the great number of new product innovations available to the visitors, I would like to give you an update about the highly innovative servicesdeveloped both for exhibitors and visitors.

Trade professionals interested in attending the exhibition for the first time will not only be able to pre-register, but also to buy their ticket online. They just have to fill in the form on the exhibition website and make the on line transaction, which is absolutely secure. After that, they will be sent a pdf file with a bar code which can be scanned by the turnstiles at the entrance to the exhibition, or they can show it on their smartphone or tablet.

Exhibitors, on the other hand, can take advantage of the new, streamlined version of the E-service, the virtual store, which they can use to hire fittings and equipment. Not only that, but this time they will also have access to a new system track the trade professionalswho visit their stand, enabling them to identify ‘live’ the operators visiting the stand by simply using an app on their smartphone.

Moreover, to help exhibitors in their search for new customers in Italy or abroad, SICUREZZA have devised the EMP (Expo Matching Program), the innovative platform designed by Fiera Milano which enables them to contact the Buyers before the event has even started and to arrange goal-oriented meetings with them. Exhibitors can use the platform to consult and evaluate the profiles of potential Italian buyers, especially from the South of Italy, but also of 100 top foreign buyers, who have been selected and invited by Fiera Milano, from the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Russia, Turkey and North Africa.

Do you offer also travel facilities?

We studied solutions both for those that come from abroad and for visitors from southern Italy.

Thanks to a deal with Lufthansa Group Partner Airlines, that  offer a comprehensive global route network linking major cities around the world, we offer special prices and conditions to reach Milan by flight.

Moreover, along with Fiera Milano official travel agency and Trenitalia, we propose competitive rail + hotel  ‘turnkey’ packages: by making a simple phone call you can not only organise your journey to the exhibition but save money too.