GRUPPO 24 ORE AND FINANCIAL TIMES ANNOUNCEMAJOR SERIES OF EVENTS ON RELAUNCHING ITALIAN ECONOMY AND ‘MADE IN ITALY’ BRAND 

ll Sole 24 Ore and the Financial Times, two of the world’s leading financial and business news organisations, have announced a partnership to create a major series of digital events that will discuss the policies and business strategies required to relaunch the Italian economy and the global “Made in Italy” brand after COVID-19.

Leveraging the two groups’ authoritative journalism and broad experience in global events, the three-day series, entitled “MADE IN ITALY: THE RESTART – Relaunching the Italian Economy in a post-COVID world”, will be chaired by senior Il Sole 24 Ore and Financial Times editors and streamed live from Milan and London with Italian-English simultaneous interpretation.

The series, scheduled for 6-8 October 2020, will be one of the key initiatives highlighting the “New Deal” being formulated to relaunch the Made in Italy export sector. The first day will gather high-level government officials and representatives of key manufacturing sectors to discuss the steps that need to be taken to revive the economy and business activity post-COVID. The following two days will focus on industry verticals that embody the Made in Italy brand – firstly, the “3 Fs” of Fashion, Furniture and Food, and secondly, Italian excellence in manufacturing.

The opening day will be divided into two sessions. The first will involve government representatives and will be devoted to introducing the “New Deal” – the economic, export and technological innovation policies being discussed to revive the Made in Italy sector. The second session will gather institutional, business and finance leaders to discuss the key strategies being implemented, including communications for the rebranding Italy campaign, the use of  Maeci (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) funds, training for SMEs, the new Ice-Sace-Simest business development portal, development of marketplaces for e-commerce, virtual trade fairs and B2B, and subsidised financing instruments.

The digital event on the second day - The "3 Fs" of Made in Italy: Fashion, Furniture & Food - will begin by shining a light on Made in Italy Fashion & Luxury, with a special focus on the role of contemporary art and craftsmanship; the uniqueness of Italian manufacturing, from the top of range luxury brands to fabrics and other materials; and the resilience of the Italian fashion sector in the face of the pandemic.

This will be followed by a deep dive on restarting the Made in Italy Design sector, its key strength being its creativity. The panel will explore the areas to be developed and enhanced, the revolution within sale channels, generational change as a strategic lever for the relaunch, new strategies of internationalisation for Italian businesses, and the institutional support required.

The day will conclude with a session on Food & Wine, focusing on development, sustainability and innovation. Key sector representatives will discuss the restarting of the Hotel-Restaurant-Café [ho.re.ca.] channel, the wine economy, the role of designation of origin status [DOC / DOP] production, and the impact of the lockdown on exports.

The third day, “Italian Excellence in Manufacturing”, will focus on Italian technological excellence in the energy, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors and look in a more general sense at the recovery in Italy’s manufacturing sector, the second largest in Europe.

The series will be streamed via an interactive platform that will allow delegates to participate directly within a live chat session and respond in real time to polls launched during the event. The discussions will be in Italian and English, with simultaneous interpretation. A full recording of the event will be available afterwards in the Stream24 section of Ilsole24ore.com.

For further information, please contact:

Ginevra Cozzi, Gruppo 24 ORE Press Office manager

Mob. +39 335 1350144 email: ginevra.cozzi@ilsole24ore.com

Amy Brazewell, Head of Marketing, Luxury, Retail and B2C, FT Live

Mob., +44 7702 762170 email: amy.brazewell@ft.com