"The great satisfaction shown by the exhibitors at this 28th edition is proof that SIMEI is not only a benchmark in the sector, but it is a trade fair that continues to grow and improve. This year, the fair has been particularly successful in terms of its international flavour, high-level training events, great personalities and the ability to create business. The target profile of visitors was very specific and hence provided a really interested audience of prospective customers, thanks also to the digital mymatching platform which made it possible to plan and offer concrete opportunities for meetings. While maintaining its "verticality" in the world of wine, SIMEI 2019 perfectly integrated the world of liquid foods and similar supply chains that, with oenology, increasingly share processes, production practices and, therefore, technologies and accessories. Great participation for the training events too that brought leading figures to the Fair, from the famous French architect of the wineries Olivier Chadebost to the first world convention of Le Donne del Vino, and innovative themes such as the evolution and the future of the use of wood in the cellar and the new techniques to develop sustainability at every production level. We are therefore very satisfied with this edition that has opened up new dimensions and new scenarios, confirming the fair as one that anticipates the future of what the market requires for the sector ".

This is how Ernesto Abbona, President of the Unione Italiana Vini, summed up the 28th edition of SIMEI, the leading international exhibition of winemaking and bottling technologies, which closed yesterday on 22 November 2019 at Milan Fiera - Rho. An edition with special international guests and large numbers, counting over 33.000 visitors from all over the world, that is an increase of 5% compared to the last edition of the fair in Milan in 2015, more than 500 exhibitors and over 500 delegates from 90 countries.

SIMEI was the stage for the future of wine and technological innovations in the wine sector, which are decisive for continuing to increase the quality of the production chain and providing new guidelines to respond to a market that is continuously evolving and changing. In 2019, in addition to wine, the Fair also opened its doors to the world of liquid food, oil, beer and spirits, with the organisation of important meetings and tastings, including the convention organised in collaboration with the French Spirits Valley on the excellence of the distilling industry and the Italy/Spain comparison on packaging and the visual design of olive oils.

And that's not all. It was also an edition that will go down in history for having hosted the first world convention of Women in Wine. "An exciting experience, exceeding expectations - commented Donatella Cinelli Colombini, president of Le Donne del Vino association. I am sure that the next editions of the Fair will see an even greater presence of women, especially in consideration of the data that has emerged for wine purchases, which today see women first among world buyers, also in the premium segment".

Among the most successful training events, in terms of audience and interest,  the double appointment with the wineries' architect and engineer Olivier Chadebost and his teachings on the relationship between architecture and wineries. While maintaining their essential usefulness and functionality, they should not, he emphasised, neglect the beauty aspect and they should represent the identity and the union between the earth and man. "I should like to thank the Unione Italiana Vini and SIMEI - the archistar commented - for giving me the opportunity to live this incredible experience together with an enthusiastic and curious public, in a territory, Italy, that I love very much, with which I have always worked, from which I expect a lot and that in the future, I trust will see me at the head of equally ambitious and beautiful projects."

So, the 2019 edition of the biennial fair SIMEI closed with the unanimous satisfaction of exhibitors, visitors and guests alike, standing once again as the international showcase for technology dedicated to the wine sector. The next edition of SIMEI will be in 2021.