Memberships
Veronafiere is well aware of the central role of trade fairs as tools for the growth of economies, relationships and communities.
The world trade fair system generates business worth more than 250 billion euros every year, connects 300 million professionals and employs 3.2 million people.
This is why Veronafiere is convinced of the importance of contributing to the development of the sector by sharing its experience, values and history within the scope of the main national and international sector associations.
Union of International Trade Fairs
Founded in 1925, it is the only organization in the world in the trade fair industry. UFI is an apolitical and non-profit organization. Its main purpose is the promotion of international trade through its members. Its objectives include studying organizational problems and development methods for sector trade fairs and events organized by its members. The overall aim is to optimize this important media and improve the effectiveness of its service on an international scale. The World Association represents organizers, exhibition centres and associations. In all, 551 members come from 84 countries and attract more than 150 million visitors to over 4,500 events with 40 million square meters of net exhibition area occupied every year by over 700,000 exhibitors.
The CEO of Veronafiere, Giovanni Mantovani, is a member of the Board of Directors and also holds the position of first vice president of the European Chapter.
European Major Exhibition Centres Association AISBL
This is the association of the main European trade fair organizations. Founded in the 1990s, Emeca aims to raise awareness and promote the potential of the trade fair system as a driving force for the economy of the continent. The association brings together the twenty-one most important owners of exhibition centres: Basel/Zurich/Lausanne, Barcelona, Bologna, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hanover, Lisbon, Lyon, Madrid, Moscow, Milan, Nuremberg, Paris, Poznan, Rimini, Stuttgart, Utrecht, Valencia and Verona.
Italian Association of Exhibition Centres and Trade Fairs
The Association represents the interests of the Italian trade fair system: there are 34 members in the trade fair organization field (representing more than 1,000 events/year). AEFI operates on their behalf actions at Parliament and Government levels to ensure that the Italian trade fair system is better able to respond to international competition. AEFI implements place initiatives designed to expand the international status of Italian trade fairs and promotes exchanges with similar associations on an international scale. Every year, in collaboration with the Ministry for Economic Development, AEFI publishes the official calendar of internationally recognized Italian trade fairs.
Veronafiere is a member of A.E.F.I. – Italian Association of Exhibition Centres and Trade Fairs as well as a member of the Board.
The European Federation of Agricultural Exhibition and Show Organisers
Eurasco is the association that, since 1966, brings together 33 events in the agricultural and agro-food sectors in 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Serbia, Ireland, Romania, Greece, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary and Bulgaria. Its aim is to promote and improve contacts for European agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions.
In this context, Veronafiere has held the role as General Secretariat since 1 January 2007
Confindustria Agency for Trade Fairs
The Industry Trade Fair Committee – CFI was founded on 20 November 1985 to represent the organizers of specialized trade fairs in the industrial sector. Article 2 of the Statutes outline its activity as follows: “Within the framework of the institutional purposes of Confindustria and the best implementation of these aims, the Industry Trade Fair Committee has the task of ensuring for the Confederation system the best conditions of activity in the trade fair sphere and in particular: the exercise, on behalf of Confindustria, of exclusive general policy representation of the Confederation system in trade fair matters.
CFI thereby also has an agency role with the dual purpose of representing the Confederation system and as an Association of trade fair organizers.
The CEO of Veronafiere, Giovanni Mantovani, was elected a member of the CFI Board of Directors in October 2016.