About Fairs
SPS ITALIA, A GOOD START SPS Italia continues along its growth and development path proposing new and more targeted business opportunities
W
ith the start of 2014, preparations the fourth Italian automation trade fair get into full swing. After an incredible 2013 packed with events and partnerships, such as the Forum Telecontrollo, the second FIMI, the celebration of Messe Frankfurt Italia’s 15th anniversary and SPS Italia’s involvement in the German SPS event, 2014 promises to be another amazing year. The new year has in fact begun with an increase in the number of exhibitor registrations which, four months ahead the event, is already 10% higher and expected to rise to 15%. The new layout with a “double pavilion” connected by an “open bar lounge” will facilitate the flow of visitors and make their visit to the trade fair more comfortable. The customary meetings with the main participants at SPS Italia, ahead of the event in May, will also begin in February. At the end of February there will be the meeting with the end users to whom SPS Italia will once again be dedicating plenty of attention this year, following the 37% increase in end user visitors last year. In fact, the 2014 edition will see the launch of the “Doppio Fil Rouge” operation which will see end users from the Food and Pharma & Beauty sectors respectively take part in two Round Table events (21 and 22 May) in which they will be able to meet and talk with industrial automation operators. Meanwhile, the well-established “Open Panel” will be taking place in March and will be a chance to meet all exhibitors taking part at SPS Italia 2014. This fourth edition will also include the areas dedicated to Special Projects: Linking University, System Integrators and Innovation-Research and, for the first
time, also Industrial Software. Given the increasingly important role of software in all automation applications, an ad hoc exhibition area will be set up. In support of this project, on 21 January a blog called “Conversazioni SPS” was launched. It deals with Simulation & Analysis, Internet of Things, Big Data and Business Intelligence, i.e. the scientific issues that will be examined at the Round Tables taking place at the trade fair on 21 May. An additional opportunity to gain a complete overview of the players, the trends and the technologies available. It is important to underline that the R o u n d Ta b l e w i t h e n d u s e r s f ro m the Food sector will be organised in association with Cibus Tec-Food Pack and will involve representatives from the companies that attended the 2013 Round Table. As for the Beauty & Pharma Round Table, various managers from leading businesses in the sector will be present, including Erbolario and Novartis, to discuss topical issues in these particularly dynamic and important sectors of the Italian economy. It promises to be an exciting year for SPS Italia, a trade fair which also exists outside of the three-day event thanks to a whole series of meetings, transversal partnerships, associations, e-magazines and blogs designed to encourage networking and the exchange of knowledge and opinions in the
www.tecnalimentaria.it
industrial automation sector. For example, not only was the partnership with ANIE Automazione established at SPS IPC Drives Italia, but it also resulted in the Forum Telecontrollo event which took place on 6-7 November in Bologna attracting large numbers of visitors. In the wake of these successes, 2014 will see the launch of a new itinerant format: Forum Meccatronica. This event, which will take place in 2014 at Kilometro Rosso on 24 September, was strongly promoted by the companies that form part of the ANIE Automazione Meccatronica Group. In fact, Forum Meccatronica was developed in response to the needs of machine manufacturers and end users that require further technical information on motion applications. Forum Meccatronica aims to be a highly technical/application based event in which the real focus will be on the participants, who will be able to ask questions and request further information. In conclusion, SPS Italia continues along its growth and development path proposing new and more targeted business opportunities always denoted by the slogan: “Let’s Work Together”.
Aprile / April 2014 BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
103