Sudba
The 20th edition of Marca closes with a visit from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Minister for Cohesion Raffaele Fitto and ICE – Agency General Director Lorenzo Galanti. Unprecedented success for the only Italian event dedicated to the Private label. More than 20.000 visitors, 1.100 exhibitors, 24 Retail brands, 7 halls covering a net area of 26.000 square metres and more than 250 hosted buyers from 30 countries.
Curtain come down on the twentieth edition of Marca by BolognaFiere and the number of visitors is exploding: more than 20.000, up 18% compared to the last edition. Record numbers that match the growth in exhibitors – 1.100 in total – for a net exhibition area of 26.000 m2 (+26%). In the International Buyers Lounge more than 2.400 business meetings were organised and surveyed between the 250 foreign buyers attending the event and the exhibiting companies.
Organised in collaboration with ADM – Associazione Distribuzione Moderna and under the patronage of the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Bologna Chamber of Commerce, Marca by BolognaFiere is the highlight of the private label market, which in 2023 posted a record turnover of 25.4 billion euro, or 31.5% of the turnover of the Modern Distribution market.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, together with the Minister for Cohesion Raffaele Fitto, Deputy Transport Minister Galeazzo Bignami, and ICE Agency Director General Lorenzo Galanti, arrived on the occasion of the visit to confirm the centrality of the sector. Other speakers on the opening day included Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (video-message), Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister for Business and Made in Italy, and Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region. The heads of the main trade associations were also present, including Ettore Prandini, President Coldiretti, Maria Grazia Mammuccini, President FederBio and Nicoletta Maffini, President AssoBio.
“There is truly great satisfaction for this twentieth edition of Marca by BolognaFiere,” says Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere, “This important milestone was greeted by numbers beyond the most optimistic expectations, with packed halls and conventions always attended. Surprising, and very stimulating for the future, was the quantity and quality of the exhibition proposal, confirming the excellence of Made in Italy.
I would like to thank ADM, Marca by BolognaFiere’s historical partner, and ICE-ITA Agency, which supports us in our drive for internationalisation and growth. A heartfelt thank you to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for coming to visit us and above all to the professionals, brands and companies that wanted to be part of this extraordinary success”.
“We are very satisfied with the progress of the twentieth edition of Marca, which closes today. The visit by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Minister Fitto and Deputy Minister Bignami, after the speeches by Deputy Minister Valentini and President of the Emilia Romagna Region Bonaccini and the messages by Ministers Urso and Lollobrigida, further emphasises the closeness of the institutions to this event, a meeting point between the companies of the Italian production chains and modern distribution companies. As President of ADM, I am particularly satisfied with the success achieved, as witnessed by the large increase in the number of exhibitors and the large presence of operators from a market, the Private label one, that is constantly and steadily growing,’ said Mauro Lusetti, President of ADM.
The 2024 edition of Marca also had record numbers in communication: over 750 journalists accredited to the event, the website counted 150.000 visits in the last six months from 70.000 unique users, and in the first 15 days of January alone, 2 million page views. The Exhibitors’ Catalogue was consulted 400.000 times. Social views exceeded 350.000 impressions in the last quarter. Finally, Marca by BolognaFiere is the leading agrifood exhibition in Italy on LinkedIn.
The meeting with the next edition of Marca by BolognaFiere is 15 and 16 January 2025.
