In the framework of the Annual General Assembly of Confindustria Marmomacchine, held today in Milan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation presented a preview of the exhibition “MARMO. Carving the future”, an integrated promotional initiative supporting the internationalisation of the Italian marble industry set up alongside Confindustria Marmomacchine and the Italian Trade Agency.
The exhibition, with its trans-media format ensuring a highly scenic impact, will offer the international audience a journey across the Italian world of the marble industry, from quarrying techniques, to machinery for the artful processing of stone, to finished products and the latest applications of artificial intelligence. The exhibition project, developed together with several partner companies of Confindustria Marmomacchine, will embark on a world tour starting next autumn, thanks to the network of Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes, that will specifically focus on high potential markets for Italian exports.
“The MARMO project – said Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio – is the first example of a new format for the integrated promotion of Italian excellence (in this case of production chains, based on the dialogue between art, science and business) capable of presenting the know-how, traditions and heritage of the marble industry to the international public, highlighting an evolution featuring research and innovation, advanced technology and creativity. An experiential and emotional tale of Made in Italy excellence,” he stressed, “that enriches the nation branding campaign ‘Italy is simply extraordinary: be IT’ and adds to the measures put in place through the Pact for Export, aimed at supporting Italian companies.”
The Honorary President of Confindustria Marmomacchine, with Delegation of Authority for Institutional Relations, Flavio Marabelli said: “We are honoured to be the first supply chain selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to develop this important integrated promotion project, which triggers a new way of promoting the excellence of our manufacturing industry by intersecting different areas, such as the technological, entrepreneurial, cultural ones, with the institutional one. We have always liked to call ourselves ‘ambassadors’ of the best Made in Italy excellence”.
The initiative “MARMO. Carving the future” is part of the new, integrated promotion strategy of the Farnesina, which aims to consolidated the strong links between culture, territory, creativity, quality and innovation that distinguish the uniqueness of Made in Italy products.
The nation branding campaign “Italy is simply extraordinary: be IT” presented by Minister Di Maio last November, heads in the same direction, aiming to strengthen the image of the country, its traditional values and its technological innovations, while supporting the recovery of exports, primarily focusing on digital channels and the younger generations, new users and promoters of Made in Italy excellence.
Integrated promotion and its contribution to supporting Italian exports were explored in depth during the panel “A normality called emergency: internationalisation and integrated promotion for constantly changing scenarios”, attended by the Central Director for Integrated Promotion and Innovation of the Farnesina’s General Directorate for the Promotion of the National Economic System, Min. Plen. Cecilia Piccioni, by Italian Trade Agency President, Carlo Maria Ferro and by Confindustria Vice President for Internationalisation, Barbara Beltrame Giacomello.
The marble sector in Italy is indeed important. Figures speak for themselves: with over 3,200 enterprises and over 33,800 employees, the stone industry, including raw materials and machinery, recorded exports totalling 2.9 billion Euros in 2021; that’s roughly a 20% increase compared with 2020.