We are with the protagonists of the cover of the collector’s issue of our magazine: the team – almost full – of Universal Marketing, made up of Chiara and Vanessa Cinelli, both CEOs of Universal Marketing, and Tommaso Ferazzoli, Universal Marketing’s Sales Director. The first lines are to comment on the incredible success of the Italian Pavilion here at the Summer Fancy Food Show, which with about 400 domestic companies confirms itself as the leading country of the event.
“We are delighted with this result, we have worked hard to get to such another level. By our side are the companies that have been supporting us in this market for more than 20 years, and it is a satisfaction for everyone to see what we managed to do this year, a push to do more and more in the future.” Chiara Cinelli said.
Such a result does not come by snapping your fingers. How have you built all this over these 20 years?
Vanessa Cinelli: “There is a constant commitment, we work on the Fancy Food events for a whole year. We stand by the companies throughout the preparation phase of the event, so we accompany them, we pamper them. We talk about very close relationships, some of them have been our exhibitors for 25 years now. The relationships we have established and all the relationships we have been able to consolidate over the years are our strength.
This is complex organizational work, in general how have you seen the demands of companies change over the years?
Tommaso Ferazzoli: “Yes, it is a very challenging work that takes us a whole year but gives us beautiful results. Over the time we have tried to always update, keep a youthful vision, adapt the arrangements and communication. We listen and are always ready to respond to market demands, always considering that Italy in the United States plays an important role.
How is Universal Marketing preparing for the Fancy Food of the future?
Chiara Cinelli: “This is a good question, we are checking how to be able to support more and more this great demand from Italian companies that yes, in the last period they found themselves a bit lost but that by coming back here they understood that the market, here, for them, continues.
New ideas for the future?
Vanessa Cinelli: “We invest a lot in this event, also in terms of side activities at the fair itself such as show cooking, seminars, workshops. The most important thing for us is to create moments of closeness with our exhibitors, to be all together to celebrate Italy as the partner country of this edition.
How has the trend changed in recent years? While pasta used to be seen more, today what products are pulling the most?
Tommaso Ferrazzoli: “Italy is certainly known for pasta, tomato, coffee, but if we take a tour inside the Italian Pavilion we realize how many different and quality products there are, there is everything in Made in Italy, the standard one, the niche one or processed with a packaging in a certain level. We are overjoyed because Summer Fancy Food is not just a fair, it is an event where all Italians care to get together.
The article Universal Marketing team at Fancy Food: “Our strength is relationships” comes from TheNewyorker.