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SIGEP: ITALY TRIUMPHS AT THE GELATO EUROPE CUP

The Italian team triumphs at the Gelato Europe Cup, with the prize-giving ceremony taking place today, 23rd January, at the third day of SIGEP, the Italian Exhibition Group event, ongoing until Wednesday at Rimini Expo Centre. The Italian team, made up of Davide Malizia, manager, Vincenzo Donnarumma, pastry chef, and Rosario Nicodemo, gelato maker, has thus secured participation in the tenth edition of the Gelato World Cup, to be held at SIGEP in 2024, and which will see the participation of the teams selected from the Latin American Cup, held in Buenos Aires in June 2022, and the Gelato Asia Cup, held in October 2022 in Singapore. «I am delighted with this victory,» said manager Davide Malizia, «which we achieved by proposing tastings in the name of great Italian style and with a magnificent artistic sculpture created with innovative techniques. Now, in the first week of February, we will complete the team with an ice sculptor and a chef to immediately start training for the Gelato World Cup, which will also be held here, at Sigep, in 2024. It will be another exciting challenge.» Second place went to the German team, followed by Hungary and Austria, who will also be competing in the World Cup with Italy.

OUT-OF-HOME CONSUMPTION: THE GAP CAUSED BY THE PANDEMIC HAS NOW BEEN CLOSED

This morning the Vision Plaza at Sigep in Rimini hosted one of the most eagerly awaited events, organised by the NPD Group, entitled ´Out-of-home consumption in Italy, opportunities and future prospects´. In his speech, Matteo Figura, Director Foodservice Italy at NPD Group, began with a ´snapshot´ of the current situation. «The out-of-home food sector has completely restarted in terms of values. It is a market of around 60 billion euros and we are currently at +3% compared to pre-covid times in terms of expenditure. That level has not yet recovered in terms of attendance, which is at -5%. This can be explained by the increase in prices. Consumers tend to go out less than in the past for many reasons, including the feeling that not everything is finished in terms of restrictions. Less travel is obviously also affected by the price component and therefore, purchasing behaviour changes. At restaurants, the savings strategy can be seen in the menu through fewer choices. At the bar, on the other hand, the price increase has essentially been absorbed. In fact, spending values have increased and purchasing opportunities remain stable.» As for current trends, Matteo Figura pointed out two directions. «The first is sustainability. Consumers have understood that this is also a discriminating value in terms of purchases. They reward those who are committed and those who can explain it convincingly. The second trend is the range of purchasing opportunities, which are increasingly directed towards those occasions that, together with the product, convey values, and here it is the art of the Masters of Artisan dolce food products that makes the difference.» Lastly, a suggestion: «The digital transition is a concrete issue for entrepreneurs in the sector. The metaverse, NFTs and robotics are tools that could help business. Large segments of consumers are ready to pick up on these signals: we need to be faster at using them.»

SORBETS OF THE WORLD: THE BEST IS ´DARK CHOCOLATE, FIGS, RUM AND CINNAMON´ BY ANDREA BRUZZESE

The ´Dark chocolate, Fig, Rum and Cinnamon´ flavour, presented by Andrea Bruzzese, won first prize in the Sorbets of the World contest organised at Sigep 2023 by the Italian Gelato-makers´ Association. In second place was ´Ma.Ma´ flavour by Denis Scomparin, and in third place ´Apple and Caramel´ by Yoshro Makino. The first three winners will go on to the final stages of the Italian Gelato Cup. Prizes were also awarded to ´Il Moro di Venezia´ flavour by Remigio Jeans and Marco Piovani in fourth place, and to the ´Sahara´ flavour by Danilo Cinelli, which came in fifth.

SIGEP: SANTO PALAMARA WINS THE GERMAN CHALLENGE

With his Sfizio Calabrese walnut, bergamot and caramelised fig flavoured gelato, master gelato maker Santo Palamara, from Gelateria Zio Santo in Munich, won the first European leg 2023 of the Gelato Festival World Masters, which took place at Sigep in Rimini with 15 German gelato makers in the running. Held every four years, the prestigious gelato tournament is organised by Gelato Festival with Carpigiani Gelato University and Sigep - Italian Exhibition Group as strategic partners. Second place went to Adriano Di Stasio from Gelateria La Dolce Vita in Abensberg with his Sole Mio flavour and Rino Bernardi from Gelateria By Rino in Ochsenhausen came third with his Red King flavour. The three selected gelato makers will go on to the German Gelato Festival finals scheduled for 2024.

DIFFERENT VISIONS, BIG IDEAS: APEI´S EXCELLENCIES REWARDED

´Different Visions, big ideas´, those of the master gelato and chocolate makers who took turns on the stage of the Pastry Arena in the format organised by the great Master, Iginio Massari, President of APEI, Pastry Association of Italian Excellence, which presented several special awards at Sigep. Agrimontana and Molino Dallagiovanna were recognised as the best raw materials. Polin and Roboqbo were awarded for best technology. CierreEsse received APEI recognition at Sigep, while Davide Malizia was awarded the prize for the best innovative Christmas chocolate and the best chocolate panettone decorated with a Christmas theme. Davide Morrone was awarded for the best panettone with gelato, while Giuseppe Piffaretti won the prize for the best chocolate panettone.
Lastly, the ´Pastry Chef of the Year APEI´ award went to brothers Andrea and Nicola Pansa from Amalfi. «The trend in pastry, which is then given by the final result and the public´s recognition, is to move increasingly towards lightness,» explained Maestro Massari. «As far as raw materials are concerned, the use of pistachios came out on top, especially those from Bronte, which are a truly extraordinary Italian flag-bearer. For the future, I hope that the best Italian artisans in our sector can be publicly recognised for their quality by the Ministry of Agriculture.»

FOCUS ON SIGEP E AB Tech Expo 2023
Dates: 21-25 January 2023; Organization: Italian Exhibition Group SpA; editions: 44th Sigep and 7th A.B. Tech Expo; frequency: annual; event: international trade show; entry: trade only; info: www.sigep.it

PRESS CONTACT ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP
Head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; media@iegexpo.it

MEDIA AGENCY: MY PR Lab
Filippo Nani, filippo.nani@myprlab.it; Enrico Bellinelli, enrico.bellinelli@myprlab.it; mob. +39 392 7480967; Giulia Lucchini, giulia.lucchini@myprlab.it; Francesca Magnanini, francesca.magnanini@myprlab.it +393386910347 mob. +39 348 7853679.

FOCUS ON ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP
Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A., a joint stock company listed on Euronext Milan, a regulated market organised and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A., has, with its facilities in Rimini and Vicenza, achieved national leadership over the years in the organisation of trade shows and conferences. The development of activities abroad - also through joint-ventures with global or local organisers, in the United States, United Arab Emirates, China, Mexico, Germany, Singapore, Brazil, for example . now sees the company positioned among the top European operators in the sector.

This press release contains forecast elements and estimates that reflect the management´s current opinions (´forward-looking statements´), particularly regarding future management performance, realization of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the financial structure. For their very nature, forward-looking statements have a component of risk and uncertainty, as they depend on the occurrence of future events. The effective results may differ (even significantly) from those announced, due to numerous factors, including, only by way of example: food service market and tourist flow trends in Italy, gold and jewellery market trends, green economy market trends; the evolution of raw material prices; general macroeconomic conditions; geopolitical factors and evolutions in the legislative framework. Moreover, the information contained in this release, does not claim to be complete, and has not been verified by independent third parties. Forecasts, estimates and objectives contained herein are based on the information available to the Company as at the date of this release.