Issue 1/2009
01/02/09
LIFT 2008 successful despite economic woes
Milan is Italian’s second largest city and the capital of both the Milan Province and the Lombardy Region in Northern Italy. 1.3 million people live within the city’s limits. The Province is home to about 4.8 million while about 7.5 million people reside in the Grand Milano metropolitan area.
Category: Issue 1/2009
Posted by: Editor
Milan lies in the Po Valley and is bounded on the west by the Olona River, by the Lambro to the east. Canals, known as theNavigli and engineered in part by Leonardo da Vinci, join the city with the lakes in upper Italy and the rivers in Lombardy. They were of vital importance to Milan’s business activities right through to the first half of the twentieth century. Milan has been chosen as the site for the 2015 World’s Fair (Expo).
This city is plainly Italy’s premier industrial metropolis and is among the leading industrial areas in Europe. About half of the country’s 200 largest firms are headquartered there.
Milan is Italy’s center for business, fashion, design and mass media. The city is known for many things, including its Gothic cathedral, the Scala Opera House, numerous art treasures, and the AC Milan and Inter Milan soccer clubs.
The eighth international trade fair for the elevator industry – LIFT 2008 – was held there from November 12 to 15, 2008. Some 220 companies showed their products on about 7,000 square meters of exhibition floor space at the Fiera Milano fairgrounds. Foreign firms accounted for about 20 per cent of all exhibitors. Elevators, escalators, parking systems, elevator components, cars, doors, suspension ropes, control and display elements, hydraulicequipment and accessories were on display.
The number of visitors rose by 0.04 % when compared to the 2006 event. This was true even though the international business crisis had already become fully discernible and although workers were on strike at the Milan Airport.
A trade congress was held in parallel to the fair itself. On Thursday the topic was “Elevators in Apartment Blocks – Responsibilities of Owners and Elevator Companies”. Among those speaking on this subject was Michele Mazzarda, General Secretary of ANACAM (Associazione nazionale imprese di costruzione e manutenzione ascensori).
On Friday the events at the congress were organized by Fiera Milano International. The subjects here were national and international markets, situations and trends. The speakers included Zhang Lexiang – General Vice-Secretary of the Chinese Elevator Association, Sefa Targit – Business Manager at AYSAD (Turkish Elevator and Escalator Association) and Giuseppe Lupo – Business Manager at the ANIE (Italian Elevator Association).
In the afternoon the lecturers delved into the new laws and regulations applicable to organizations in Italy. Among the lecturers here were Mario Alvino, Minister of Labor, and Vincenzo Correggia, Minister for Economic Development.
Speakers on Saturday turned their attention to the development of directives and regulations governing vertical conveyance.
The events in the evenings were once again true highlights of the event. On the eve of the fair the fair organizers invited the press and representatives of the associations to dinner at a small restaurant. Many different mozzarella and ham specialties were served, including the famed buffalo mozzarella. These delicacies were accompanied by select Italian wines that were explained in detail by the servers.
Dr. Giuseppe Volpe and his son Matteo had once again extended an invitation to a highly successful evening at the renowned restaurant Bagutta, the venue at which the fi rst prize for literature in Italy was awarded in 1927.
The closing words were spoken by the trade fair organizers who, in view of the current economic situation, feel that the fair’s results formed a solid foundation for the next version of the LIFT in the year 2010.
1/2009
