The inauguration yesterday was attended by Minister Lollobrigida, the Governor of Illinois, Pritzker, the President of ITA Trade Agency, Zoppas, the Mayor of Verona, Tommasi, and the Presidents of agricultural and wine organizations Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, Unione Italiana Vini, Agivi and Federvini. Video message with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tajani, represented by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guariglia.
Chicago, October 21st, 2024. The first edition of Vinitaly.USA opened yesterday at the Navy Pier in Chicago with more than 1,500 accredited buyers, HoReCa and retail operators, welcomed by 230 Italian companies, five regional group shows (Calabria, Campania, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Latium and Sardinia joined by institutional representatives of the Veneto and Umbria Regions) ... and 1,650 labels for tasting! The debut of the two-day event transformed the famous pier in Chicago into a business center for Italian wine, thereby achieving the objectives announced for the first stage of the project to establish a permanent presence on the American market.
During the inauguration of the event - organized by Veronafiere and Fiere Italiane in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with the support of ITA-Italian Trade Agency - the President of Veronafiere, Federico Bricolo, highlighted: "Vinitaly.USA sees us further intensify promotion of the flagship trade fair brand for Italian wine around the world. The first edition of the event comes forward as the top Italian wine exhibition in the USA. Extraordinary attendance by institutions and agricultural & wine associations confirms the massive attention paid to the wine sector - one of the main ambassadors of Made in Italy. We are active with trade fairs and events on the main target markets to facilitate the internationalization process of companies. In the current complex geopolitical scenario where new evolutionary challenges as regards demand and consumption of wine on a global scale are coming to the fore," Bricolo concluded, "Veronafiere, by taking Vinitaly from Verona to the world and back again, increasingly seeks to become a lever for competitiveness and growth in the sector. This is also the direction taken by all the alliances set in motion with institutions responsible for optimizing promotional tools, thereby avoiding fragmentation and dispersion of projects and resources."
The Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, also spoke at the inauguration. He recalled "the strong bond between wine and Illinois, where high-quality wine production goes back more than 150 years. This is why," Pritzker went on, "we are so delighted to share days like this with you, because I think that the spirit of success you have achieved in Italy should also be shared here, with us. The USA is the largest market for Italian wine. Yet that is not the only reason why our bond with you is so strong. Chicago is an authentic testament to the impact that Italians have had here, in our country. From food to art, culture, architecture and agriculture. There are many connections which can be found all over our city."
The debut of Vinitaly.USA in Chicago has the full support of all Italian institutions responsible for Made in Italy promotion and internationalization policies as well as the collaboration of the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest - Chicago.
During the opening of the event, the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, highlighted: "Vinitaly in the USA is our response to demand for quality expressed by consumers all over the world, which Italy can certainly offer. Clearly, it is not enough simply to have exceptional products. We also need to know how to promote them through synergy. We can already say that this initiative and the many buyers attending the event is a challenge won, so much so that even the French asked to take part. Inasmuch, Italy is opening new routes and even others - previously considered to be those who dictated the line - in some cases would like to join us in a market proposal offering quality."
The alliance on behalf of growth in the sector and wine companies was at the heart of the video message by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, who emphasized that, since the beginning of his mandate, he has launched " intensive efforts for the diplomacy of growth to promote exports and wine plays a leading role in this commitment. Initiatives such as Vinitaly.USA," Tajani concluded, "are virtuous examples of public-private partnerships and exceptional tools for promoting our skills."
Matteo Zoppas, President of the ITA Trade Agency, confirmed "the major efforts by the country system on such a fundamental market for products created with considerable expertise by Italian enterprise. The strategic vision of this shared project has been rewarded."
"Vinitaly, for us, is a marvelous experience. Verona City Council itself is the main partner of Veronafiere," said the Mayor of Verona, Damiano Tommasi, in his speech “I believe that this is a wonderful opportunity for Verona but also a great responsibility. We are here representing Italy and the incredible excellence of Italian wine. Just as Vinitaly in Verona has become a full-scale experience for buyers, producers and wine lovers, I hope that this will also be the case in Chicago, starting from this first edition. And I hope to see you all again at the next Vinitaly."
The inauguration of Vinitaly.USA was also attended by: Maurizio Muzzetta, President of Fiere Italiane; Riccardo Guariglia, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Mario Alberto Bartoli, Consul General of Italy in Chicago; Marco Rago, legal advisor to Minister Tajani; Marco Verna, Director, ICE Chicago; Mario Pozza, President of Assocamerestero; Fulvio Calcinardi, Secretary General of the Italian-American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest–Chicago; Francesco Rocca, President of the Latium Region; Marilynn Gardner, General Manager, Navy Pier. Sector organizations in Chicago were represented by Lamberto Frescobaldi and Micaela Pallini (respectively the Presidents of Unione Italiana Vini and Federvini, Marzia Varvaglione, President of AGIVI (the UIV young wine producers group), joined by agricultural associations with Ettore Prandini, President of Coldiretti, Luigi Scordamaglia, President of Filiera Italia, and Annamaria Barrile, CEO of Confagricoltura. And for Veronafiere: Maurizio Danese, CEO of Veronafiere, Vice-Presidents Matteo Gelmetti and Romano Artoni, and General Manager Adolfo Rebughini. Other participants also include the deputy CEO manager of Banco Popolare di Sondrio, Mario Erba, and Paolo Barletta, CEO of Arsenale S.p.A. and Gruppo Barletta, as well as Steven Hartenstein, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
Media & Institutional Relations
Director Carlo Alberto Delaini T. 045.8298242-427| M +39 3357367388
Veronafiere Press Service
Francesco Marchi T. 045 8298350 | M. +39 33426560174
Giorgia Dusi M. +39 3316406192 | E-mail: dusi@veronafiere.it
E-mail: pressoffice@veronafiere.it
Web: veronafiere.it
Ispropress
Benny Lonardi (393.455.5590 direzione@ispropress.it)
Simone Velasco (327.9131676 simovela@ispropress.it)