A joint event was held today in Milan by Assolombarda and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support the internationalisation of companies operating in the Lombardy Region. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Assolombarda to promote the greater internationalisation of local enterprises, particularly in connection with the opportunities arising from the Expo legacy. During the event, a survey conducted by Doxa was presented regarding the level of awareness and use of Italian Economic Diplomacy.
“Today’s meeting confirms the close relationship between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Assolombarda in support of the internationalisation of companies of the Lombardy Region”, said Secretary General Michele Valensise, who attended the conference. “It is part of the economic diplomacy activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in which dialogue with business associations and local companies plays an essential role. There is a need for companies to be made more aware of the assistance the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its network can provide overseas and for us to refresh our knowledge of what our companies require internationally through direct contact with them”, continued the Secretary General.
Businesses benefit from EXPO 2015 contacts
“Thanks to Expo Milan we now have excellent synergy between private and public sectors and we have been able to showcase our enterprises above all,” said the General Commissioner for Expo Milan 2015 Bruno Pasquino, during the Assolombarda conference. “We organised meetings with 300 foreign delegations, many of whom Assolombarda took on visits in 18 Italian regions. We also promoted 400 panel discussions on specific issues, along with 500 business forums involving 2,300 companies, that also took part in B2B meetings. These were attended by some of the 62 heads of state we welcomed in Milan”.
The Commissioner General recalled the challenges posed by the Olympic Games if they are held in Rome and the imminent opening of the Triennale. They would benefit from the successful experience of the Expo synergy model.
The Doxa survey
“A recent survey conducted by Doxa, which we are presenting publicly today, has highlighted the satisfaction of small and medium-sized enterprises which have benefited from our support in the internationalisation process, but also the need for us to communicate better who we are and what we do, in order to reach a greater pool of users.
Today we are reflecting with companies from this Region on the legacy of Expo Milan, a showcase of Italian excellence in the agro-food sector and beyond, which put Italy, and Lombardy in particular, back in the spotlight, and proved to be such an excellent business opportunity for companies”, concluded Mr Valensise.
The event was attended amongst others by Gianfelice Rocca, Chairman of Assolombarda-Confindustria Milan Monza and Brianza; Vincenzo De Luca, Director General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
