Fiera Milano Foundation, 350 million for the future of the city

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Archived a 2023 record for the subsidiary’s accounts Fiera Milano Spain the control rooms of the Fiera Foundation, upstairs, it is time to look to the future with the ambition of being able to play a leading role within the Milan system, not only in terms of management of the real estate assets andintangibles” exhibitions.

In fact, the Foundation is planning over 350 million investments in the coming years, ranging from the project to relocate Rai to the old exhibition center to the Winter Olympics Milan-Cortina 2026passing through the expansion of the Mico conference center with the construction of a large hotel, training, self-production energy projects and the creation of a student residence and a post-university campus at Portello.

As already known, pavilions 13 and 15 of the Rho Pero Fair will be transformed into a 7,000-seat facility capable of hosting the Olympic competitions in two years’ time. Speed Skating while pavilions 22 and 24 are for women’s hockey (creating a 5,000-seat facility). The choice of the exhibition site has the advantage of being at zero cost for the public coffers. It is a’operation worth around 17 million (15 for speed skating, 2 for women’s hockey) totally paid for by the Foundation. Once the Olympics are over, the pavilions will return to the functionality of the Fair but will be able to host large international conferences, indoor concerts or sporting events thanks to the approximately 10 thousand parking spaces available and the direct connection to the Metro.

Also the Rai transfer from the historic headquarters in Corso Sempione to Portello, it is an operation entirely financed by the Fiera Foundation, with an investment of around one hundred million. Public television will move with its offices and production center into a new, modern facility from beyond 60 thousand square meters, thus enhancing its assets in Milan. The definitive design is currently being defined. Delivery forecast of the new Rai citadel: mid-2028.

The internationalization of the trade fair system

Then there are the projects to support the Italian trade fair system with the creation of Italian Exhibition (IT-EX), a new association that brings together the most international Italian fairs of which the Foundation is a founding member and facilitator. The Italian trade fair market is small: it is worth around 1.1 billion in turnover but the impact on the national territory is equal to 23.2 billion euros. There is therefore a need to find talents and skills. Hence the idea of ​​creating a real postgraduate school on the world of trade fair organisations. Last year the Foundation also launched an international master’s degree on event and fair design. So far they have been trained 500 kids who already work in many of the most important fairs.