Learning and networking at Carrara2

The curtains have fallen on the latest edition of Carrara², the widespread exhibition by IMM Carrara which was held from June 3 to 7, 2019 in the fascinating Tuscan town that is known worldwide for its precious marble and for the supply chain that develops in its region.

Once again, Carrara² returned this year with the two complementary festivals: White Carrara Downtown -- showcasing the artistic and productive excellence of the Carrara region, deeply bound to its marble; and Marmotec Hub – a professional business event focused on factory open days, B2B meetings and training opportunities for the growth of the marble industry. Thanks to the support of the Italian Trade Agency, 100 delegates from 28 countries were carefully selected to attend the business program -- involving buyers of technologies for stone quarrying and processing and buyers of stone materials from Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Brazil, the U.S., Georgia, Iran, Turkey, UAE, Vietnam, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as a delegation of architects coming from Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Holland and Poland.

The international buyers and architects were able to deepen their knowledge of the Italian companies by visiting them directly at their showrooms and experiencing innovative technologies at the firm’s headquarters. To complete the immersive experience of the territory, the foreign participants attended technical seminars in the quarries, particularly appreciated by the architects who could understand the multiple layers of natural stone directly in the mining site.

A crucial role in the frame of Marmotec Hub was played by the B2B workshop, which confirmed itself as a key moment to ensure highly successful business opportunities to the 31 Italian companies attending the program.

More than 1,000 meetings have taken place in the wonderful setting of the Sala dei Bassorilievi of the Academy of Fine Arts, in the heart of Carrara, with an overall level of satisfaction exceeding 80% as declared by sellers and buyers.

The players who participated in the event appreciated the quality of the meetings and, in the 80% of the cases, stated that they can continue the negotiations started at Marmotec Hub, turning them into real business opportunities. The success of Marmotec Hub was born in the months that preceded the event, in which sellers and buyers were able to take advantage of a technological platform to optimize profiling, express meeting preferences and launch direct calls to the most interesting players for their business.

During the “Like Session,” those in attendance expressed over 2,000 “likes.” This has made it possible to achieve a level of satisfaction of meeting agendas of over 90%.

A high satisfaction that was confirmed by the activism shown in the three days of the event, in which the participants were able to get to know each other better and start business negotiations.

A successful concept that combines the beauty of the Carrara area with business opportunities: a unique suggestion destined to capture the world for many centuries to come.