Atlanta (GA) – For the first time in the state’s history, Georgia hosted the Made in Italy Expo, a week entirely dedicated to Italian excellence: fashion, film, cuisine, design and business. An event that brought together more than 1,000 live attendees in one week and more than 30,000 online.
The setting could not have been more significant: over the past decade, Georgia has experienced labor productivity growth of 11.2 percent and an increase in real value added of more than 34 percent, consolidating itself as one of America’s most dynamic industrial and logistics hubs. Atlanta, the economic capital of the Southeast, is now the ideal crossroads for a comparison that overcomes stereotypes and tells the story of Italy today.
Italy already plays a leading role in this growth: contributing more than $4 billion in sales and employing more than 6,000 people in Georgia, the Italian community is an integral part of the state’s productive and social fabric.
“A great success,” said Davide Ippolito, President of IARL (Italy America Reputation Lab), “that confirms our mission: to strengthen Italy’s reputation in the United States. Georgia represents a strategic hub for tomorrow’s America, and our commitment is to build here a solid and lasting bridge between Italian excellence and American development. This is not an event, but an investment in reputation and long-term relationships that goes along with the Media Powerhouse project launched two years ago.”
Davide Ippolito, Presidente di IARL, e Nicola Vidali, Managing Director della Camera di Commercio Italiana in Georgia
The week offered a rich and cross-cultural program: an Italian film review, a fashion show curated by Cassandra Wilson, activations in Italian showrooms and restaurants, business talks with international guests, tastings and showcases involving institutions, entrepreneurs and the public.
“This Expo,” stressed Nicola Vidali, managing director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, “was an opportunity to enhance the Italian manufacturing realities already rooted in the area, and to position Atlanta and Georgia on the national radar as a highly specialized region open to international dialogue.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by representatives of the State of Georgia, the City of Atlanta, business leaders and diplomats, including the Honorary Consul of Italy in Atlanta, Filiberto Calascibetta, who remarked on “the importance of initiatives capable of strengthening cultural and economic relations between two communities that share a vision of growth and innovation.”
Congratulations also came from delegations from other countries, including France and Japan, confirming the international scope of an event that showcased the best of Made in Italy in a booming economy.
The event was made possible thanks to the initiative of IARL, in collaboration with the Southeastern Chamber of Commerce-Georgia Chapter, and with the contribution of entrepreneurs who have been promoting Italianism in the area for years: Carolina Rossini, Marco Rebuffi, Riccardo Ullio, Pietro Gianni, Antonio Pedrina, Ryan Kurtz and Emilio Rinaldi.
Made in Italy Expo in Atlanta is the first step on a path that aims to transform the American Southeast into a strategic platform for Italian businesses in the United States.
The article Georgia’s Made in Italy Expo told by the protagonists comes from TheNewyorker.
The post Georgia’s Made in Italy Expo told by the protagonists appeared first on Good Morning Italy.
