Écho Italia 2008: the authenticity and know-how of the Italian territory in the spotlight!

For a fifth consecutive year, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada is proud to present Écho Italia, the star event of its calendar, celebrating the authenticity of Italy and promoting its amazing territory.

Écho Italia is the art of Italian living, quality and know-how. It’s the North American window to the best of what Italy has to offer; it’s the declination of Made in Italy through unique, captivating and specialized activities that showcase Italy’s excellence and richness.

In 2008, on top of unveiling the know-how of Italian delegations representing Italy’s multiple regions, organizing business meetings and offering a range of superior quality activities to the general public at the Windsor from May 31 to June 3, 2008, Écho Italia’s calendar will also include additional must-see satellite activities in May, June and September.

Écho Italia’s programming will get underway on May 7 at Place des Arts with a prestigious event illustrating Italian art and culture in all of its splendour. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada will present the premiere and the stage performances (May 7 to 11) related to the Arlecchino de Goldoni anniversary event, a collaboration of the TNM, Place des Arts, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Piccolo Teatro di Milano and the Chamber.

From May 31 to June 3, at the Windsor, Écho Italia will feature the authenticity of Italian territory at its best: historic tourist destination offering new circuits, extremely rich millennium culture, emblem of worldwide gastronomy, birthplace of many innovations and unequalled art of living. Major function of Made in Italy, Écho Italia will thus be presenting the many faces of Italy through exhibits, workshops, conferences, symposiums, food samplings, shows and several other activities that you won’t want to miss, featuring renowned guests from around the world!

One of the most anticipated activities of Écho Italia’s program is the presentation of Travel Italia, an international private exposition featuring Italy’s foremost tourist destinations through an unparalleled collection of over 200 vintage posters and paintings from 1920 through 1960, commissioned by the Italian National Tourism Agency. A reception in honour of Republic Day, on June 2, will also be part of the celebration.

Later on, on September 25, the competence centres of the Campania region will be at the forefront and will take part in symposiums, conferences and other B2B activities dealing with innovation in their field of excellence. Experts, spokesmen for high-tech sectors in Campania including biotechnology and biomedicine, information technology, transportation, environment and composites, will share their know-how with respect to innovation and discuss matters with their cross-Atlantic counterparts. Considering the importance of the topics addressed, the competence centres will receive great media coverage when they come through. Also, to celebrate this exchange period, a Gala will be organized that will include representatives from the university milieu, as well as decision makers and guests from the Quebec and Campania technological sector.

A key economic meeting

Along with providing Quebecers with an opportunity to enjoy an authentic Italian experience, Écho Italia’s goal is to promote commercial trading and investments between Quebec and Italy. Along those lines, major Italian political figures will travel to Montreal for the occasion, while the Italian representatives taking part in the event will be joined by their most productive Quebec counterparts. As it has been the case for four years, several individual discussions, group meetings, work meetings, workshops, round tables and symposiums will be organized as part of Écho Italia 2008 and will surely result in institutional partnership agreements, new commercial agreements or joint research protocols.

For Italian organizations, Écho Italia represents a wonderful opening onto the North American market and an exceptional opportunity to showcase their areas of expertise. For Quebecers, it’s a unique opportunity to discover Italian know-how and to create solid and lasting economic ties with a country at the heart of the European grid.