Today the Roadshow “Italy for companies, spurring SMEs towards foreign markets” is in Bologna, closing this year’s first phase of activities, which are due to resume in Milan next 21 September.
Today’s Roadshow can be summed up as follows: global markets, both European and extra-European, still offer ample opportunities; geopolitical uncertainties must be overcome by diversifying target-Countries; in order to conquer foreign markets it is necessary to have a clearly defined strategic project and products of excellence.
At domestic level, Italy’s production and business system has great potential and, in order to better tackle global markets, it must leverage all the instruments currently available, including the innovative Corporate Network Agency and the best consulting services offered in Italy.
On the other hand, all public and private players involved in the internationalization process must give a united image, avoiding sporadic and fragmented initiatives and pursuing a systemic promotion system coordinating different capabilities and cooperating in promoting Brand Italy with all its positive and multi-faceted potential.
The opening statements were made by Tiziana Ferrari – Director General of Unindustria Bologna – while the technical session featured a keynote speech by Alessandra Lanza – the Prometeia Partner – who gave an overview of the international scenario, followed by a presentation by Fulvio D’Alvia – Director of RetImpresa.
The session moderator was Vincenzo De Luca – Director General of the Directorate General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – with contributions by Antonino Laspina – Director of the Marketing Coordination Office of ICE-Agenzia, Pierluigi Viti – Senior Account Manager of SACE’s Centro Nord Rete Domestica and Carlo De Simone – Area Marketing and Business Development – SIMEST.
“It is now a given fact that the dimensional factor is still one of the main drawbacks reported by companies approaching foreign markets,” said Mr De Luca. He went on: “An effective way to overcome this critical point is certainly a model aggregating networked contracts: effective teamwork in order to more forcefully approach foreign markets while maintaining the peculiarities of single enterprises….It is teamwork that, in recent times, has also underpinned the public institutions’ Brand Italy promotion activities.”
“Much has been done in terms of promotion and coordination and the Situation Room is proof of this. However, I think that much still needs to be done on another two fronts: on the one hand, in networking the public and private sectors so that companies can rely on us even more; on the other hand, in networking the companies into a system and spurring them to aggregate in order to increase their size so that they can improve their competitiveness and successfully penetrate international markets.
The Foreign Ministry is convinced of the value of these aggregations and has long established an important partnership with RetImpresa: in May of last year we co-organised an important event at the Farnesina to illustrate the benefits of the aggregation model but also to explain the support given by another global network – the network of Embassies and Consulates – to the corporate network.”
Antonino Laspina – Director of the Marketing Coordination Office of ICE-Agenzia – made the following comment: “The 38th lap of the Roadshow for internationalization held in Bologna was dedicated to Corporate Networks. In Bologna, as in Venice a few months ago, in addition to defining the Government’s instruments to support the internationalization of ICE, SACE and SIMEST, the Roadshow illustrated the legislation, incentives and tax rates applicable to Network Contracts, which are intended to spur companies to freely aggregate in order to increase their market competitiveness and their capacity to create innovation. Indeed, Network Contracts can constitute an effective solution to the limited dimensions of our companies, enabling them to better meet the challenges of internationalization.”
“SIMEST, together with SACE, offers Italian companies a range of products covering the whole internationalization cycle,” said Carlo De Simone – Area Marketing and Business Development – SIMEST. “For example, Italian companies can also rely on SIMEST as a minority partner in the foreign company established or in the company in which they hold a stake, with a view to reinforcing their presence in the foreign Country.”
SIMEST’s peculiarity is that it acts as a financial partner, meaning thereby that it “does not participate in managing the company and, in addition, it assists the entrepreneur for a longer period of time than a private equity fund would do,” Mr De Simone concluded.
After the Question and Answer session, Ruben Sacerdoti – Head of the Regional Help-Desk for the Internationalization of the companies of the Emilia-Romagna Region – illustrated the instruments made available by his Region to companies intending to internationalize their activities.
Lastly, Ivano Corsini – President of AUTEBO and 01 NET Corporate Network – illustrated the success story of Corporate Networks in providing a competitive drive towards internationalization.
The afternoon session from 1 to 6 p.m. gave attending businessmen the opportunity of meeting individually with officials of ICE and of the other organizations taking part in the initiative, with the aim of outlining customized internationalization strategies.
The Roadshow “Italy for companies, spurring SMEs towards foreign markets” is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and is promoted and supported by the Ministry for Economic Development. In addition to ICE-Agenzia, SACE and SIMEST, the event was also promoted by Confindustria, Unioncamere and Rete Imprese Italia.
