Everything was ready for MecspeMecspe, the exhibition of technologies for innovation and Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing sector, was all set to open at the Parma exhibition centre with over 1,350 exhibitors in 60,000 square metres of exhibition space. The fair was due to open on 28 October, but the measures contained in thelatest Dpcm Article 9 of the measure issued on 25 October prohibits the organisation of "fairs of any kind".
Nardella, Senaf: extensive damage to the fair and related activities
Ivo Nardella, President of Senaf, Gruppo Tecniche Nuove, speaks of "a hard blow" suffered by both the Fair and the companies in the sector with the new DPCM, which "contradicted the previous one without taking into account the planning times of a professional event like Mecspe, which is, and remains, for the specialised mechanics sector an essential three-day work event for planning recovery. The mechanics sector accounts for 8.1% of the added value of the entire economy, 6.1% of employment and if we think that in Emilia Romagna alone, the region where the event is held, the mechanics supply chain accounts for 56.5% of exports, we can better understand the extent of the damage this decision will cause to the sector".
Nardella also points out: "It is our understanding that no discussions have been scheduled with Confindustria or with Aefi . A trade fair that has a professional impact on almost 90,000 workers, including entrepreneurs, skilled workers, technicians and engineers, and that drives a strategic sector for the country's recovery, cannot and must not be treated in the same way as a village festival, without taking anything away from these events".
The Fair had been confirmed by the Prime Minister's Decree of 18 October and had already started activities on 24 October to install about 60,000 square metres of exhibition space in 6 pavilions, following all health protocols to welcome the public in safety and ensure full compliance with government anti-pandemic regulations. This would have been the last edition staged in Parma, as from 2021 Mecspe will move to the BolognaFiere exhibition centre.
"We hope to be summoned by the Minister for the Economy and Finance, Roberto Gualtieri, to assess the extent of the damage and we would like to thank all the companies, sectoral and territorial associations that have decided to be part of Mecspe, apologising greatly for the inconvenience caused by the decision announced yesterday by the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte," concludes Nardella.
