SIGEP commented by the protagonists

The opinion of professionals and company representatives on the international exhibition artisan production of gelato, pastry, confectionery and bakery in rimini. Let’s discover why sigep is so successful.
 
QUESTIONS
 

1. What is SIGEP nowadays?
2. Why did you decide to participate?
3. What are the strengths of SIGEP?
4. And its weaknesses?

 
Adele Manca Head of marketing for Corman Italia
 

1. SIGEP is a great showcase, which gives companies a chance to reinforce their brand awareness. This fair is also an important opportunity for the sector to come together and interact. We might say that it is a huge ‘social’, luckily real and not online.

 

2. For Corman Italia, SIGEP is not so much a business occasion; especially because we do not sell directly but are present throughout the country thanks to our distributors. Although Corman is a brand leader in Italy, we take part in SIGEP because it is the only big and interesting exhibition in our sector.

 

3. It is an event that has kept up with the times from the perspective of its range of offer, which is increasingly diversified, just as it should be for polyfunctional businesses. The exhibition also strives to grasp the demands of certain foreign markets and create dedicated features linked to these. The competitions, of international standing, were used to capture the attention of many operators, associations and companies, who have then contributed to the growth of the entire sector.

 

4. I think that SIGEP has become a powerful player on the international exhibition scene, so much so that it costs a significant amount to take part. For that reason, I believe that the Exhibition could be improved in terms of organisation and the services offered to exhibitors.

 
Elena Gaggion Brand Manager for Icam Linea Professionale
Fabio Pian Italian Sales Manager for Icam Linea Professionale & Industria
 

1. Fabio Pian – SIGEP is the most evolved showcase available for the professional sector today. Compared to other exhibitions, it has a greater selection of exhibitors, each with their own stand organised in a logical system. SIGEP has the great advantage of being an exhibition that offers quality and the chance to interpret and research a market that is constantly evolving. Elena Gaggion – SIGEP is developing year after year towards a level of quality, it has become very attractive to foreign visitors too which promotes Made in Italy in the best possible way: an expression of quality, creativity and passion, the true representation of Italian culture. Attending the exhibition proved that levels of interest in Italian products from abroad are also high in the gourmet sector, which gave us further motivation to attend Expo 2015 with a stand in the pavilion for Italian Industry in the Cocoa and Chocolate District.

 

2. Fabio Pian – SIGEP has become an important occasion for comparison, confirmation of projects already undertaken and a stimulus for future plans. Attending the exhibition is a real chance to explore the current market, listen to clients’ needs and develop projects together as partners, not merely suppliers. It is the right place for communicating and discussing the quality we offer and our values with the aim of expanding the chocolate sector, both artisanal and niche for those excellent producers that prove themselves on the market. Elena Gaggion – SIGEP is an opportunity to catch up on trends in a developing market, to make our voice heard and place the figure of advanced artisan in the spotlight, a figure that will bring Italian excellence to the rest of the world. SIGEP also offers us an important occasion to hear and explore suggestions from clients, so we can develop exciting projects together. So it really is an event not to be missed!

 

3. Fabio Pian – The quality of the exhibitors, the chance for an overview of an industry in constant evolution, meetings with partners and clients, the development of new projects and positive results from those underway. Elena Gaggion – Contacts that strive for excellence, the means to give greater visibility to Made in Italy, projects aimed at international development for us and our clients and promotion of the whole food industry. Participating in an exhibition motivates you to find the right topics needed to have an exhaustive overview so you can respond to the main questions from clients. It’s not enough to just go there and set up nowadays, you’ve got to get your strategies out there. We are aware that the market is increasingly demanding sustainability: everybody wants to know what the environmental impact of your business is. So Icam, for whom sustainability has always been a priority, created an important communication campaign to explain what is ‘behind’ the chocolate.

4. Fabio Pian – Limited free tickets to offer to clients. After all, it is the companies that guarantee the attendance of a qualified and professional public. Elena Gaggion – Growing costs, which have little in relation to the economic context we work in. Nowadays, companies have increasing and more diverse needs. Participating in an exhibition alone is not enough, although it is important: companies have to adopt and keep up with different forms of communication, from the digital world to evolving foreign markets.

 
Luca Gennai Sales & Marketing Director Irinox

1. SIGEP is the most important showcase for companies operating in the Italian pastry and ice-cream market. It is an event that is increasingly growing in international prestige and becoming a promotional tool for Made in Italy business.

2. Because it is a chance to come face to face with the market, to share new products or new projects. SIGEP is also home to important shows and competitions that allow us to support and promote excellence in the world of pastry, bread and ice-cream. To summarise, for Irinox, sigep is a unique moment to show the market the quality of our offer.

3. The quality and notoriety of the companies in attendance, prestigious events organised during the exhibition, excellent organisation from a commercial and marketing perspective.

4. The only area where there is room for improvement, in my opinion, is internationalisation. Let me explain: other exhibitions in the industry, which are held in other countries, still today enjoy a better reputation and more notoriety at an international level. They enjoy greater prestige.I think this can mostly be blamed on our country’s system. As often happens, we are not capable of ‘joining forces’ to promote our business and excellence. SIGEP, which has done a lot of work toward this in recent years, will certainly achieve a very prestigious position in the future and perhaps help us companies to work together to seize increasingly important international opportunities.

 
Filippo Luxardo Marketing Italia Luxardo

1. It is a great showcase that represents the worlds of pastry, bread and ice-cream. In Italy, it is the most important exhibition in this industry. In recent years, the ice-cream sector has moved to the foreground to the detriment of pastry making. There has been more focus on the two worlds coming together.

2. We have been taking part for 36 years, our client code is 44. For Luxardo, it’s a fixed annual appointment, an opportunity to meet our clients, our importers and our sales team.

3. In five days you can meet the entire patisserie sector; it is motivation for discussion, dialogue and a chance to present the latest developments.

4. The fact that the number of exhibitors has increased and the sector of interest has been expanded; some of the focus on the patisserie industry has been lost. The risk is that the exhibition will lose its precise identity, which has always been its strong point.

 
Gianluca Fusto Pastry and chocolate consultant

1. Today SIGEP is the most important international exhibition in Italy, an unmissable occasion for all sector professionals and companies.

2. I am very emotionally attached to this event because it is a chance to see people who I have not seen for a long time, with whom I have grown over the years. SIGEP has always brought together the past, present and future: you remember who you used to be, understand who you are today and can get an idea of where you are going or want to go.

3. SIGEP has always believed and invested extensively in competitions, from which it has developed a larger turnout and more international appeal: this is a fundamental aspect for a country like ours, which is seeking to become more professional and export the renowned Made in Italy.

4. If things continue as they are, I think the biggest problem faced by SIGEP will be the space; when an event grows, the location must also evolve.

 
Danilo Freguja Pastry and chocolate consultant

1. I think SIGEP is a great showcase, a meeting place and an important point of contact between companies and operators, at both a national and international level. It is without, the best event in the sector in terms of events, competitions and the categories of goods involved.

2. Having participated for 35 years, I must say that my point of view has changed. When I was a young man I came to SIGEP with that curiosity, motivation and desire for innovation that drove me to grasp ideas and assimilate stimuli from everything I had around me, from the masters of the trade to companies. Now I am on the other side of things: I transmit my knowledge and experience to the young visitors and this makes me feel a much greater responsibility.

3. I think that SIGEP has helped the sector grow over these years, thanks to a myriad of events and worldwide competitions, its international appeal and involvement of similar sectors such as coffee, bakery and catering.

4. I am convinced that we need to break out of the traditional exhibition model nowadays. I believe we need places and times where we can go beyond superficial contact; where, in this age of disorienting values, we can explore human relationships, share moments of reflection beyond technical skill and linger on what we do and why.