PUNTOITALY N°2 - July - December 2012

TO DIALOGUE from what are called the emerging countries. To this end we have already set up links with some states of Brasil, and we anticipate that particularly important visitors will be coming over from there. We are thinking for example of the first and second generations of emigrants from the districts of Belluno and Treviso, who have set up very promising gelato enter- prises. They represent a very attractive target for Italian pro- ducers both of equipment and of gelato ingredients. We are also developing new contacts in other countries, such as the Gulf area (Qatar, Dubai) and Australia, even if our main focus remains the countries of central and eastern Europe, and we expect the greatest increase in visitor numbers to be from there. Mig’s prime foreign market however remains Germany, opening out also to Austria and Holland. The Mig expo is becoming increasingly identified as a centre for the study and promotion of authentic Italian artisan gelato. What initiatives have been taken in this regard and what plans are there for the future? The “Centre for documentation and information about artisan gelato” is an initiative that Longarone Fiere launched on the occasion of Mig 2011. Through this centre we intend to pro- mote a series of activities supporting the world of artisan gelato. We are particularly thinking of collecting and regularly publicising news from the world of artisan gelato, and pro- cessing statistical data useful for understanding the dynamics of its growth. We are receiving more and more requests for in- formation on gelato activities from press organisations and businesses both in Italy and abroad. The Centre is managed by Paolo Garna, and organises conferences and meetings to spread information on topics related to the entrepreneurial growth of gelato making. Last year, Longarone Fiere also completed its project of es- tablishing a fully equipped gelato lab, which is now at the disposal of those wishing to organise training and profes- sional refresher courses, or for people interested in entering the world of gelato making and setting up a business of their own. The first course was held in January, on an initiative from 15 THE ITALIAN MAGAZINE FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS IN GELATO, PASTRY AND TRENDY FOOD-AND-DRINK Confartigianato, the artisan confederation, of Bolzano, with the collaboration of the business support centre, the Centro Consorzi of Belluno, which in its turn has just run a second course a few days ago. What is Mig’s role in the campaign to create a European Artisan Gelato Day? The artisan gelato season was officially opened this year too in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, when on 13 and 14 March Longarone Fiere stood alongside Artglace, the Con- federation uniting the representatives of artisan gelato makers operating in the EU, to collect a sufficient number of signa- tures to establish an official “European Artisan Gelato Day”. The idea of establish a day dedicated to the celebration of gelato dates back to 2008 on the occasion of the 49th edition of the Mig expo, and took shape in the following three years thanks to the active involvement of the European parliamen- tarians Iles Braghetto, Giancarlo Scottà and Antonio Cancian. This year the idea has been sponsored by the Hon. Sergio Sil- vestris, who officially presented to the European Parliament the written submission to establish an official “European Ar- tisan Gelato Day”. Today, we have nearly reached the goal of collecting the necessary number of signatures. •