Milan, 21st November 2013 - Satisfaction with the most important biennial event for wine-making and bottling machinery, showing the best in technology available in the world of wine. Five full days of training and information with a number of updating sessions for operators in the international wine sector that have been a great success. The International Conference alone, the highlight of the event, drew over 3,500 pre-registered attendees.
Significant and growing presence of foreign operators and buyers from all over the world: 70% from Europe, 11% from America, 14% from Asia, 3% from Africa and 2% from Oceania who accounted for 30% of the total number of visitors. This data confirms the international leadership of the event, a worldwide reference point in terms of exhibitions focusing on the wine, oil and beverage industry.
“We are very satisfied with this edition of the two events, with which we wanted to remember and celebrate in particular the 50-year history of SIMEI. SIMEI has confirmed its strong commitment to internationalisation and its representativeness of an industry whose exports now total 2 billion, with double-digit growth rates over the past decade and a 14% growth in the first seven months of 2013 alone – said Domenico Zonin, Chairman of the UIV, Unione Italiana Vini, organiser of SIMEI-ENOVITIS - An even more significant success in view of Expo 2015. An effective contribution to the positioning of the wine industry and related technology to raise the awareness of Italian excellence in the world. We have also addressed the issue of sustainability, the theme of SIMEI-ENOVITIS 2013 - Zonin continued - with a special conference, certainly among the most qualified in Europe, thanks to the numerous and influential global experts from the scientific community, providing companies with concrete, feasible solutions”.
"An edition to remember - says Francesco Pavanello - General Manager of Unione Italiana Vini - because it has marked a turning point in its own history. The appeal of a trade fair becomes concrete when it takes on a serious relevance in terms of training and information and SIMEI-ENOVITIS 2013 has demonstrated the ability to provide useful tools and content, promoting not only the technology but also the very way of making wine, meeting both demand and the new dictates of the market. "
SIMEI-ENOVITIS opened on 12th November and closed on 16th November. It managed to keep up its numbers and confirm its role as a unique platform for discussion and exchange and as a benchmark for workers and companies in the wine sector, drawing the big international players.
The Hon. Paolo De Castro MEP, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development – guest at the opening - emphasised how the agro-food sector is now the most dynamic, and how in 2013, the wine sector alone represents the key to success in overall agro-food exports. “The wine industry is growing in exports, technological innovation and employment. A good deal of European funds are given to the agro-food sector, and of these, a good part are given to Italy. There is a substantial package of resources for the promotion of wine and technologies related to it in third markets alone, a practical response to the 550 million European consumers of wine."
There have been numerous events on the full calendar of the 2013 SIMEI-ENOVITIS: conferences, seminars and study and exchange sessions between the leading players of this important market.
The 2013 focus for both events was the sustainability of the industry, an essential asset in particular for the wine sector, from production technology to the finished product. This was the theme of an important international Conference organised by the UIV, which took place over two days entitled “Sustainable viticulture and wine production: Steps ahead toward a global and local cross-fertilization”.
Attended by an audience of high profile international experts both from the scientific community and the world of production, in the course of the two days, interesting discussions took place exploring the theme of sustainability in the vineyard and the cellar from all points of view, highlighting the critical issues and opportunities in the sector.
The concepts of the reliability of indicators measuring sustainability and the various parties involved in the communication process concerning sustainability emerged and how to increase sustainability. Addressed too was the important problem of the climate, insisting on the need to contain energy costs (only 70% is used in refrigeration) and an overall change for the protection of the environmental capital. A series of challenges were then put forward to wineries to reduce water consumption and energy in running their businesses and the use of pesticides and herbicides to help reduce pollution as well as benefit biodiversity and the necessary bidirectional communication between operators in the industry and environmental policy.
On the morning of 14th November, the first Tergeo Convention was held with a preview of the Tergeo Winery Matrix for self-assessment of sustainability, the real heart of the project, which enables companies to carry out self-evaluation. A model inspired by the one in California that consists of a grid to be considered unique and effective in that it is shared, multidisciplinary in content, aimed at a broad user base, and finally, that builds a link between the players involved and the issues dealt with. In conclusion, the self-evaluation model helps companies to understand their level of sustainability and how they can improve it.
To this regard, the Forum for the Environmental Sustainability of Wine was recalled. This was formed on 19th February 2013, strongly backed by the UIV and Gambero Rosso in order to group together events, work together and launch innovative challenges, highlighting the pitfalls that lead to a lack of rules, sustainable culture and therefore the need for a cultural change.
Unione Italiana Vini has been committed to the theme of sustainability for many years now and this is embodied in TERGEO. The project was presented in plenary for the first time at this event designed for all players in the wine industry, hence the direct and sole partners in terms of the acquisition and dissemination of innovative, technological and managerial solutions able to improve the sustainability of wine companies
In perfect consistency with this theme, for the first time in Italy in an exhibition context, a very modern technology, part of the CONTAG project has been used. This involves the acquisition, from the totems placed in the stands, of all promotional information, business cards, brochures, conference proceedings, which can then be downloaded from visitors' email accounts, thanks to a microchip on the badge holder given at the entrance to each individual visitor. The numbers are significant here too: 4,726 videos, 66 802 brochures, 88 704 business cards, a sign of strong demand for data and information from a professional, active audience. An innovative system also useful to track the actual passage of visitors and so helping the correct measurement of visits.
Worthy of note is the "Lucio Mastroberardino" Innovation Challenge Awards given to a selection of companies in the wine industry who have stood out in innovation. A Technical Committee composed of leading figures from the world of vine-growing and wine-making, the scientific community and wineries that are members of the UIV, assessed the entries. Among the Italians, twelve researchers from two CRA centres and eight universities and as many directors of some of the most important companies in the sector in Italy. Prominent names among the foreign members too, including Sakkie Pretorius, Macquarie University of Sydney, Fernando Chivite Lopez, Spanish researcher, Christopher Savage, E. & J. Gallo Winery (USA).
The wine industry is growing, therefore, in terms of exports, innovation and relevance, a clear affirmation of the value of a growing industry, in sharp contrast hence with other industries. An industry that well represents the Made in Italy brand that is demonstrated in this last event organised by the UIV, the oldest and most representative national association of companies in the wine sector that now has about 500 members who account for 70% of the value of Italian exports in the sector.
