Europe
IEG puts growth plans into action in Italy and beyond
EW looks at how Italy ’ s expo engine is firing on all cylinders
I
EG – Italian Exhibition Group – is certainly not looking back to Covid times and is driving forward an ambitious Industrial Plan 2022-2027 for development of its show portfolios , including internationalisation , digitalisation , investments and more action on sustainability .
IEG ’ s stated strategic ambition is to act as a Community Catalyst , through events organised in Italy and around the world , in the process supporting the development of client companies as well as that of the sectors that gravitate around the events .
The group is moving forward , closing 2022 with 51 organised or hosted trade fairs and 122 congress events . Revenues were € 161.9m (+ 58 % over 2021 ).
On the domestic market , IEG ’ s priority is to increase the accessibility and exhibition capacity of its Rimini and Vicenza Expo Centres .
Management says it is continuing to cultivate new events and making acquisitions .
On the international front , through its ‘ 4x4 Strategy ’, IEG aims to export its most successful brands to the four non-European continents via commercial partnerships with global operators and focusing on acquisitions . The aim is two-fold : to grow the presence on foreign markets and develop domestic products internationally .
New results IEG has achieved its first results on the global stage through its subsidiary IEG Asia . At the beginning of 2023 , IEG acquired Café Asia , Sweet and Bakes Asia and Restaurant in Singapore , completing its Food & Beverage portfolio together with the first edition of Sigep China , the latter organised in Shenzhen in partnership with Koelnmesse . All four events were held in May .
The acquisition of the Singapore International Jewelry Expo , meanwhile , will see that event make its debut next July .
The luxury sector had already been a focus of IEG ’ s expansion strategy in 2022 with the launch of Jewellery , Gem & Technology Dubai , in partnership with Informa Markets . While the Green & Technology sector saw the first edition of Ecomondo Mexico take place in 2021 and then repeated in the following two years , as always in partnership with Deutsche Messe .
In Italy , the Solar Exhibition & Conference and Green Med Symposium events were further additions to the calendar , while the Green Scape and My Plant & Garden brands – the latter the result of acquiring V-Group – are major players .
Sustainability Sustainability has long been at the heart of IEG ’ s development strategy , ever since the design and construction of Rimini Expo Centre in 2001 , conceived under the banner of low environmental impact . The same criteria were applied when constructing Rimini ’ s Palacongressi in 2011 .
The first environmental certification , ISO 14001 – Environmental Management System Certification – was obtained in 2017 and , since 2018 , IEG has been a participant of the UN Global
Above : Corrado Peraboni , IEG CEO
Compact . And in 2022 , IEG obtained an ISO 20121 certification for its Ecomondo event and for the Rimini and Vicenza Expo Centres . IEG ’ s goal is to also certify the Rimini Convention Centre by the end of June .
Key spin-off Last March saw the spin-off of Key Energy , an event that became independent of IEG ’ s Ecomondo - The Green Technology Expo , with which it had been staged concurrently for 15 years .
The growth of Key Energy and of the event ’ s core themes , convinced IEG to propose the first stand-alone event with a new format and a new spring-time positioning .
So , the new K . EY - The Energy Transition Expo made its debut in Rimini last March with double the exhibition area and attendance . More than 300 foreign buyers visited , along with 23 International Associations .
“ We are confident that strengthening our business model , together with the solidity of our capital and financial structure , will enable us to face the economic and macroeconomic complexities of the times ,” says IEG CEO , Corrado Peraboni .
Peraboni noted that IEG ’ s quarterly figures were extremely positive and signalled a return to profitability . “ Turnover in the first quarter of 2023 amounted to € 77m against the € 38m in 2022 , with organic growth in every line of business ,” the CEO said .
Peraboni added that , for the past three years , IEG had been collaborating on events abroad , from the Arab Emirates to Mexico , Singapore and China , with global players such as Informa , Deutsche Messe and Koelnmesse . “ Our strategic relationships with our colleagues have led us towards a faster than expected recovery for our sector .”
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