MACFRUT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN

This is the week of Macfrut, the historic Italian trade fair taking place in Cesena, this year for the first time in early October. This exhibition, whose figures makes it the second biggest in Europe for the fruit and vegetables sector, used to be held in early May, but now the organizers have decided to play a new card: to stay off from Fruitlogistica, placing the fair between the end of the summer products' campaigns and the beginning of the fall/winter season. The economic downturn affects the industry and is not favourable to this bold change. We assume that the change of date is a good thing. But let's not assume the rest as well. Today fairs are struggling more than ever, and they should feature their own identity strongly. They should attract exhibitors and visitors by finding appropriate formulas, new meanings and contents. Macfrut has grown outstandingly for about twenty years, then the exhibition had to face, as all, the changing world. Specialization and internationalization, the two key words of this challenge, must be certainly played with a look around. And if we look around we see that there are a lot of exhibitions, too many, but throughout Europe and the Mediterranean only one is successful: Fruitlogistica. What is this success due to? Its formula? Its geographical location? Its managerial skills? Its financial resources?

Surely it is due to all these factors. But Fruitlogistica, while moving to conquer Asia, doesn't take the risk yet to enter the complex and difficult Mediterranean scene. There, within the Mediterranean region, Macfrut has still a space, before someone else has found the formula, skills and resources to enter this crucial scene for the fresh produce market and all the supply chain. Should this Mediterranean exhibition come up - and it will do - without Macfrut being one of its promoters, this would be a big trouble not just for Cesena, but for the whole Italian trade fair system. The fruit and vegetables sector in Italy handles a turnover of 22 billion euros, it involves tens of thousands of businesses, the best of which are internationalized and are looking with increasing interest to the Mediterranean region as well as to other large areas. The challenge for an exhibition that looks at the future is to stand by these companies, by creating a strategic meeting point in the heart of the Mediterranean. But can Macfrut do this? We still hope so.

Antonio Felice
Green Med Journal editor

Sentence of the week

"In 2040 Europe will host only 4 percent of the world population and its economy will be a tiny 5 percent of the total, while China and India will come to have 34 percent of human people and their economies will be extended up to reach 52 percent of the world economic activity." (Robert Fogel, American, Nobel Prize for economics in 1993)

MACFRUT E IL MEDITERRANEO

Sono i giorni del Macfrut, il tradizionale appuntamento di Cesena, giorni di fine estate, per la prima volta. La fiera, che per numeri è la seconda in Europa per il settore ortofrutticolo e che si teneva all'inizio di maggio, gioca la carta di allontanarsi dal calendario di Fruitlogistica e insieme quella di collocarsi alla fine delle campagne dei prodotti estivi e all'inizio delle campagne dei prodotti autunnali e invernali. La crisi economica tocca il settore e non gioca a favore di questo coraggioso cambiamento. Diamo per scontato che il cambiamento di data sia un fatto positivo. Non diamo però per scontato tutto il resto. Oggi le fiere faticano più che mai e debbono darsi una forte identità; il loro richiamo deve allettare espositori e visitatori, trovando formule adeguate, significati e contenuti nuovi. Macfrut è cresciuta in modo straordinario per circa vent'anni, poi ha dovuto fare i conti, come tutti noi, con il mondo che cambia. Specializzazione e internazionalizzazione, le due parole chiave della sfida, vanno ovviamente giocate guardandosi attorno. E se ce si guarda attorno si scopre che di fiere ce n'è tante, troppe, in giro, ma che tra Europa e Mediterraneo solo una ha successo: appunto Fruitlogistica. A cosa si deve questo successo? Alla formula? Alla collocazione geografica? Alle capacità manageriali? Alle risorse finanziarie?

Sicuramente lo si deve a tutti questi fattori. Ma Fruitlogistica, mentre muove alla conquista dell'Asia, non si arrischia ancora a entrare nello scenario complesso e difficile del Mediterraneo. Lì Macfrut ha ancora uno spazio prima che qualcun altro trovi la formula, le capacità e le risorse di entrare in questo scenario cruciale per il mercato dei prodotti freschi e per tutto il loro indotto. Se dovesse sorgere questa fiera del Mediterraneo - e sorgerà - e Macfrut non ne fosse il promotore sarebbe un grosso guaio non solo per Cesena ma per lo scenario fieristico italiano. L'ortofrutta in Italia muove un fatturato di 22 miliardi di euro, coinvolge decine di migliaia di aziende le migliori delle quali si stanno internazionalizzando e guardano con crescente interesse al Mediterraneo così come ad altre grandi aree. La sfida per una fiera che guarda al futuro è stare al loro fianco, è creare uno strategico puntio d'incontro nel cuore del Mediterraneo. Ma questo, Macfrut, lo può fare? Ci auguriamo ancora di sì.

Antonio Felice
Green Med Journal editor

Frase della settimana

"Nel 2040 l'Europa ospiterà solo il 4 per cento della popolazione mondiale e la sua economia rappresenterà un minuscolo 5 per cento del totale, mentre Cina e India arriveranno ad avere il 34 per cento dell'umanità e le loro economie si saranno estese fino a raggiungere il 52 per cento dell'attività economica mondiale". (Robert Fogel, americano, premio Nobel per l'economia nel 1993)

MACFRUT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN

This is the week of Macfrut, the historic Italian trade fair taking place in Cesena, this year for the first time in early October. This exhibition, whose figures makes it the second biggest in Europe for the fruit and vegetables sector, used to be held in early May, but now the organizers have decided to play a new card: to stay off from Fruitlogistica, placing the fair between the end of the summer products' campaigns and the beginning of the fall/winter season. The economic downturn affects the industry and is not favourable to this bold change. We assume that the change of date is a good thing. But let's not assume the rest as well. Today fairs are struggling more than ever, and they should feature their own identity strongly. They should attract exhibitors and visitors by finding appropriate formulas, new meanings and contents. Macfrut has grown outstandingly for about twenty years, then the exhibition had to face, as all, the changing world. Specialization and internationalization, the two key words of this challenge, must be certainly played with a look around. And if we look around we see that there are a lot of exhibitions, too many, but throughout Europe and the Mediterranean only one is successful: Fruitlogistica. What is this success due to? Its formula? Its geographical location? Its managerial skills? Its financial resources?

Surely it is due to all these factors. But Fruitlogistica, while moving to conquer Asia, doesn't take the risk yet to enter the complex and difficult Mediterranean scene. There, within the Mediterranean region, Macfrut has still a space, before someone else has found the formula, skills and resources to enter this crucial scene for the fresh produce market and all the supply chain. Should this Mediterranean exhibition come up - and it will do - without Macfrut being one of its promoters, this would be a big trouble not just for Cesena, but for the whole Italian trade fair system. The fruit and vegetables sector in Italy handles a turnover of 22 billion euros, it involves tens of thousands of businesses, the best of which are internationalized and are looking with increasing interest to the Mediterranean region as well as to other large areas. The challenge for an exhibition that looks at the future is to stand by these companies, by creating a strategic meeting point in the heart of the Mediterranean. But can Macfrut do this? We still hope so.

Antonio Felice
Green Med Journal editor

Sentence of the week

"In 2040 Europe will host only 4 percent of the world population and its economy will be a tiny 5 percent of the total, while China and India will come to have 34 percent of human people and their economies will be extended up to reach 52 percent of the world economic activity." (Robert Fogel, American, Nobel Prize for economics in 1993)

Ce sont les jours de Macfrut, le rendez-vous traditionnel de Cesena : des jours de fin d’été, pour la première fois. L’exposition, qui est seconde en Europe en termes de chiffres dans le secteur des fruits et légumes et qui avait lieu au début du mois de mai, joue la carte de l’éloignement du calendrier de Fruitlogistica ainsi que la carte de la fin des campagnes des produits estivaux et du début de la campagne des produits d'automne et d'hiver. La crise économique touche le secteur et ne joue pas en faveur de ce changement courageux. Nous considérons comme acquis que le changement de date soit un fait positif. Mais tout le reste n’est pas considéré comme tel. Aujourd’hui les expositions se fatiguent plus que jamais et doivent se doter d’une forte identité, leur rappel doit allécher les exposants et les visiteurs, en trouvant des formules adéquates, des significations et de nouveaux contenus. Macfrut a grandi de manière extraordinaire en a peu près vingt ans, après elle a dû faire les comptes avec le monde qui change, comme nous tous. Spécialisation et internationalisation, les deux mots clé de la compétition, ils sont évidemment utilisés tout en regardant autour. Et si on regarde autour, on découvre que des expositions il y en a beaucoup, trop, mais entre l’Europe et la Méditerranée, une seule a réussi : Fruitlogistica, à juste titre. A quoi doit-elle ce succès ? A la formule ? A l’emplacement géographique ? Aux capacités managériales ? Aux ressources financières ?

C’est sûrement dû à tous ses facteurs. Mais Fruitlogistica, pendant qu'elle bouge à la conquête de l’Asie, elle ne se risque pas encore à entrer dans le scénario complexe et difficile de la Méditerrannée. Là, Macfrut a encore un espace avant que personne ne trouve la formule, les capacités et les ressources pour entrer dans ce scénario crucial pour le marché des produits frais et pour tout leur induit. Si cette exposition surgit en Méditerranée – et elle le fera - et que Macfrut n’en est pas le promoteur, ce serait un gros ennui pas seulement pour Cesena mais aussi pour le scénario des expositions en Italie. Les fruits et légumes en Italie font un chiffre d’affaires de 22 milliards d’euros, impliquent des dizaines de milliers de firmes, meilleures que celles qui s’internationalisent et qui considèrent avec un intérêt grandissant la Méditerranée comme d’autres grandes aires. La compétition pour une exposition qui regarde vers le futur, c’est créer un point de rencontre stratégique au cœur de la Méditerranée. Mais ceci, est-ce que Macfrut peut le faire ? Nous espérons encore que si.

Antonio Felice
Green Med Journal editor

Phrase de la semaine

"En 2040, l’Europe n’accueillera que 4% de la population mondiale et son économie représentera un minuscule 5% du total, alors que la Chine et l’Inde réussiront à avoir 34% de l’humanité et leurs économies se seront étendues jusqu’à atteindre 52% de l’activité économique mondiale." (Robert Fogel, américain, prix Nobel de l’économie en 1993)