To resume Italia Legno Energia

Interview with Raul Barbieri, CEO of Piemmeti Spa, a Veronafiere company that organizes Progetto Fuoco and Italia Legno Energia.

The return of «Italia Legno Energia», from 25 to 27 March in presence at Fiera di Arezzo.

But not only. A special issue of PF Magazine dedicated to the French market and above all the online debut of the most complete round-up of wood and pellet stoves, fireplaces, boilers and kitchens.

These are the main new communication tools being used by Piemmeti, and they make up a communication strategy that goes beyond the exhibition and will accompany the relaunch of the biomass-fuelled heating sector 365 days a year. Raul Barbieri, CEO of Piemmeti, has given his assessment of the situation facing exhibitions in 2020 and goes into detail about the new opportunities for companies in the industry.

There’s a lot of uncertainty around exhibitions, will Italia Legno Energia take place?

«Autumn is here, people are starting to use heating, and we are ready: Italia Legno Energia will be the first in-person event at which the whole wood-powered heating sector has come together since the last edition of Progetto Fuoco. In Arezzo from the 4th to the 6th of February of next year, it will be a time to present new products and new technologies and get back in touch with sales teams. All the big brands in the sector (see here) have already signed up, which shows the faith they have in Piemmeti, but it also shows how much they want us to meet again in person.

2020 has definitely been a year of great uncertainty, especially for the exhibition sector, which, by losing its ability to bring people together in person has unfortunately lost some of its value. But despite everything we have managed to find a positive side to this: this is exactly the right moment to plan the exhibition of the future, to redefine how to organise spaces and how to do business, as well as redefining our habits and our safety. Safety has become a fundamental consideration not only for the exhibitions of tomorrow but also for the exhibitions of today. Disinfectant distributors, signposting, differentiated pathways to allow for social distancing, body temperature checks: for Italia Legno Energia we have implemented a complete anti-Covid protocol, to ensure maximum safety for the exhibitors, visitors and employees who will be at the exhibition in Arezzo».

How is the biomass-fuelled heating sector getting back on track?

«The pandemic has hit the biomass-fuelled heating sector hard, but we seem to be over the worst part now, and the market is now ready to get back on track, due in part to the action taken by AIEL, which thanks to our support is offering “Rottamare ed Educare”, the new scheme to scrap old products that are ready to be traded in for state of the art models. These new purchases will be facilitated by the use of Conto Termico, a government incentive package which is the most effective way to kick-start the market. And, in this area, I can proudly say that Piemmeti is playing an important role. During the period of inactivity caused by the Coronavirus, we never actually stopped working. In fact, we continued supporting the sector as always by publishing PF Magazine, which even had a French language edition that has helped enormously at a time when taking products abroad continues to be problematic».

PF Magazine is now also a digital product…

«Yes, as well as taking the usual care over the print edition of the magazine, we have implemented a digital version too, a platform full of content which is active all year round and can be found at www.pfmagazine.it. It’s a meeting place for everybody in the industry, somewhere where you can find out about the latest developments in the world of biomass-fuelled heating. The website is useful for companies that want to boost their visibility, but also for professionals in the industry who want to stay up to date with events, regulations and innovations, as well as for consumers who want to become more knowledgeable about the sector».