PUNTOITALY N°1 -January - June 2012

18 Interview What role does Sigep play in the international sector for artisan gelato and confectionery? For over 30 years Sigep has been the focal point for the whole sector worldwide. Its strengths are the complete coverage of all facets of the trade, its strongly international character, its practical business orientation, and the prestige of its compe- titions, plus the professional courses organised by various companies, and the conferences targeting the sector. What special factors explain its growing success in Italy and abroad? I attribute its success principally to the dynamism of the sec- tor, one of the triumphs of the made-in-Italy brand, and to the mastery and creativity of our gelato makers and confectioners, recognised all over the world as real “gurus” in the sector, and - permit me to say this with a touch of pride - also to an or- ganisational machine which runs as smooth as silk. People flock to Sigep to see, buy, learn, and swap ideas, in an at- mosphere that is unique mixture of high technology and gen- uine passion. I would like to name some of the many organisations who collaborate with us: Accademia Con .ve.it Pasticceria, Accademia Maestri Pasticceri italiani, Acib, Aco- mag, Aibes, Aiipa, Amira, Assipan, Cast Alimenti, CoGel-Fipe, Club Arti e Mestieri, Club de la Coupe du Monde de la Patis- serie Italie, Con.Pa.It., Consorzio Polidesign, Ica, Maestri della Gelateria Italiana, Nip, Siga, Sipan… Preparing each edition of the Sigep international exhibition means setting a huge, complex organisational machine in motion, right across the world. Lorenzo Cagnoni, President of Rimini Fiera tells us what this involves. INTERNATIONAL IN SCALE