Wednesday July 5 ended the 18th Meeting of the general secretaries of the Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad organized by Assocamerestero, the Association that brings together the 78 Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad (CCIE), private, foreign and market entrepreneurial entities with the aim of providing, through the 140 offices present in 54 countries, an action of strategic direction for the activities carried out by individual CIIEs around the world and to support the internationalization of SMEs and the promotion of Made in Italy.
The initiative, which represents the most important annual operational meeting of the network of Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad, was held in Rome from 3 July to 5 July and saw the active participation of over 80 managers of the CCIE network from Worldwide.
An event not to be missed, as he underlines Matthew Lazzarini, representative of the general secretaries of the CCIE: "The meeting of the general secretaries has now been an important appointment for 18 years in which the directors of the Italian Chambers abroad reflect together with the subjects of the promotion and elaborate strategies, service responses and innovative solutions to support Italian companies that want to go abroad”.
Numerous topics were discussed during the meeting, linked to the growth of the Italian entrepreneurial system abroad as well as to the new frontiers of exports, such as the development of services and innovation in internationalization and the enhancement of authentic Italian food products in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
EXPORT AND INTERNATIONALIZATION
Important topics in a historical period in which, after years of crisis, internal demand is still proceeding slowly and exports can become a fundamental opportunity to consolidate and expand, while simultaneously exploiting the enormous possibilities that Made in Italy offers to Italian companies .
“If the country system remained standing during the years of the crisis – he explained to FIRSTonline Gian Domenico Auricchio, president of Assocamerestero – owes it above all to the companies that resisted and exported. I believe that the companies that have continued to operate since 2008 despite everything, focusing on internationalization and exports, have made an enormous contribution to Italy, supporting the economy”.
Words also confirmed by the latest data published by Istat, according to which in May 2017, compared to the previous month, trade flows to foreign countries and in particular to non-EU countries, recorded an increase of +2,2% . On an annual basis, the increase is equal to +13,9%, a percentage which testifies to the numerous outlets offered to Italian companies and heralds major improvements for the future. Not surprisingly, based on estimates, Italian exports could grow at an average annual rate of 4% between now and 2020 compared to the +1,7% recorded in the previous four years.
Not only. As Auricchio points out, “internationalization is important for the very survival of companies large and small, but also of the country. In recent years, the world has learned to appreciate certain sectors of Italian manufacturing such as food, furniture, design and the car. These are sectors that represent a great driver for Made in Italy which was and continues to be appreciated all over the world. It is an extraordinary opportunity for all those who look outside the Italian borders and who want to take advantage of internationalization and the great opportunities provided by abroad to develop and innovate”.
Exports and internationalization of companies are therefore the two paths to take for growth.
“Companies are already doing a lot – continues the president of Assocamerestero – but the institutions must also do their part. In this context, the Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad are doing a great job and will continue to do so in the future. As president of Assocamerestero I represent an extraordinary network and a set of people who live abroad, know the area and want to put themselves at the service of those who want to operate in places that our associates live in every day and where they can play an important "bridge" that allows individual realities to grow and develop.
THE 18TH MEETING OF THE CCIE
Returning to the meeting of the general secretaries of the 78 CCIE present in 54 countries around the world and Unioncamere, the session of 5 July focused on the role played by the Italian business communities present at a global level such asobjects of a new governance for the promotion of Italy, founded on civil commitment and the business community's ability to “network”.
The debate, inserted in the context of the presentation of the book “Edoardo Pollastri. Civil commitment and action strategy at the service of Italian networks in the world”, saw the participation of key interlocutors belonging to the institutional and economic world: from Marco Fedi, Deputy for Foreign District to Laura Garavini, Deputy for Foreign District, Renata Bueno Deputy elected for Foreign District , Francesco Giacobbe, Senator of the Foreign District and Francesca La Marca, Deputy of the Foreign District; again from Colomba Mongiello, Vice President of the Anti-Counterfeiting Commission, Chamber of Deputies to Giuseppe Tripoli, Secretary General of Unioncamere as well as qualified representatives of the institutions, of the Italian and Italian Chamber System abroad and of civil society.
THE CHAMBER MENTORING FOR INTERNATIONAL GROWTH PROJECT
During the meeting in Rome, the "Chamber Mentoring for International Growth" project promoted and co-financed by Unioncamere and coordinated by Assocamerestero in collaboration with the network of Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad and the Italian chamber system was presented.
An initiative created for the purpose of offering a free path of internationalization mentoring to a selected group of entrepreneurs and managers of Italian companies interested in opening up or consolidating on foreign markets.
Over 110 successful mentors, managers and entrepreneurs will provide guidance and assistance to companies intending to open up to foreign markets and who will have the opportunity to take advantage of the professional experience that their interlocutors possess on international markets in the fields of mechanics, automotive , agri-food, insurance and finance, energy, ICT and business services.
As Assocamerestero explains in a note: "each mentor places his experience free of charge at the service of mentees, i.e. entrepreneurs or managers of Italian companies eager to share with mentors the corporate challenges of internationalisation, market, development and innovation and to strengthen their entrepreneurial and decision-making on foreign markets".
To date, there are already 29 Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad and 51 Italian chamber structures involved in the initiative for a total of 112 partnerships. There is great interest in Moscow, Barcelona and Zurich (which carries out the project in collaboration with the CCIE in Prague).
The potential offered by the "Chamber Mentoring for International Growth" is highlighted by the president Auricchio who underlines how "the new mentoring project that aims to strengthen the entrepreneurship and managerial capacity of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs Italians comparing them with the expertise of as many managers and entrepreneurs of Italian companies abroad, who are part of that business community that the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad aggregate. This certainly constitutes an added value in terms of availability and sharing of the objective proposed by the project”.
