ZOPPAS (ICE): TRADE FAIRS ARE STRATEGIC FOR BUSINESS MATCHING
BRICOLO (VERONAFIERE): LONG-TERM TEAMWORK WITH INSTITUTIONS VITAL FOR SUCCESS
DANESE (VERONAFIERE): DISCUSSIONS ALREADY BEING HELD WITH IMPORTERS FOR THE 2024 EDITION
Chicago, 22-23 October 2023 Vinitaly USA 2024 comes to life in Chicago. System Italy is making a clear statement at the International Wine Expo underway in the capital of the Midwest region - with 70 million inhabitants and Italian wine imports worth 200 million dollars. The event this year is co-signed by Vinitaly with more than 200 companies presenting 1000+ labels for tasting.
"Long-standing teamwork with institutions has proven us right. We have overcome an important and complex challenge to bring together all the projects within the scope of the Vinitaly brand and create an emphatic promotional occasion for the Italian wine sector in the USA," said Federico Bricolo, President of Veronafiere during the opening ceremony.
Confirmation of this also came from Matteo Zoppas, President of the ICE Trade Agency: "Trade fairs are strategic for business matching, especially for small-medium companies. Alongside Veronafiere and Vinitaly, which have already moved with care on this market, ICE is evaluating together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Assocamerestero, all in attendance in Chicago in recent days, the project to make Vinitaly USA 2024 the main strategic event for this fundamental market."
A strategic bridge between Italy and the world's largest market ("made in Italy" exports to the USA in 2022 were worth 1.8 billion euros). "Vinitaly USA 2024 will also follow the indications of the new importers' committee with whom we will share strategies and common interests for the development of Italian wine. The objective is to make relationships with the market even more profitable given its current great interest in premium wines at the same time as looking for new proposals. Italy and its 540 grape varieties is ideally placed to offer a unique selection of wines capable of satisfying the needs of the ho.re.ca sector, importers and distributors," said the Managing Director of Veronafiere, Maurizio Danese.
The choice of Chicago as the venue for the new trade fair initiative in 2024 is by no means accidental: it is the agri-food centre of the USA, “there are more than 100 Italian companies in the area, including large food groups, and Midwest is an area that still offers considerable potential for development for Italian companies," said the Italian Consul General in Chicago, Thomas Botzios.
All the more, pairings with Italian cuisine are also fundamental for promoting wine and the Italian community is rather large and well established in this part of the United States of America.
“It is a marvellous opportunity for Chicago to host a promotional event such as this. There is nothing of comparable size and quality in the USA. And the culture of food is a formidable driving force for wine. In this case, Italian cuisine is an extraordinary driving for Italian wine labels," said Bill Terlato, CEO of the Terlato Wine Group.
This year's exhibition debut for Vinitaly in the United States came about thanks to collaboration with Italian Expo, the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce of Chicago and the Midwest and the ICE Trade Agency in Chicago and New York. These realities have strong roots in the political and economic fabric of Illinois. The Gala dinner was attended by high-profile figures including the Vice Governor of the State of Illinois, Juliana Stratton, and the Secretary of State of Illinois, Alexi Giannoulias.
Event link: www.internationalwinexpo.com/;
24 October 2023
