THE SECOND EDITION OF EXPERIENCE PIEMONTE LUXURY DESIGN WELLNESS TASTE (8-9 NOVEMBER 2023)

After the resounding success of 2022, the b2b event that brings together Piemonte's excellence in consumer goods with international operators is back at La Venaria Reale with twice as many foreign buyers and 60 per cent more b2b meetings. The beauty, the well-made and the taste of Piemonte products are on show to conquer new markets and high-end consumers.

Torino, November 8, 2023 - La Venaria Reale reopens its doors to made in Piemonte luxury creations, taste and wellness: today and tomorrow (8 and 9 November) Experience Piemonte Luxury Design Wellness Taste returns with its second edition. Furniture, design, fashion and accessories, textiles, agrifood, cosmetics and wellness and, new for this edition, jewellery, are the sectors of excellence of the 88 Piemonte companies attending the event. Europe, USA, Canada, Gulf countries, Southeast Asia are the origin areas of the 83 foreign operators, including representatives of world-famous brands such as Carolina Herrera and Gabriela Hearst (luxury fashion and accessories) and the Darwish Group (jewellery) and 4 media players from Azerbaijan, France, Poland, UK. More than 750 b2b meetings will take place over the two days. Overall, this edition records +20% of Piemonte companies, +85% of foreign operators and +60% of b2b organised compared to last year: these are the growing numbers that confirm Piemonte and its high quality and niche products as a business destination for foreign luxury operators. The initiative, supported by Regione Piemonte (Regional Government), is organised by Ceipiemonte within the framework of "Fashion - Luxury - Design", "Agrifood", "Textile" and "Health and Wellness" Integrated Supply Chain Projects, promoted by the Regione Piemonte and co-financed under the 2000-2020 Development and Cohesion Plan.

The two-day event was inaugurated by a conference that took an in-depth look at consumer goods market trends in the international scenario, with the participation of institutions and experts in the field who shared their experiences, strategies and visions. The importance of these segments in Piemonte is confirmed by the latest data for the first half of 2023 related to the productions of the high-end, textile, agrifood, cosmetics and wellness sectors, which recorded exports of € 7.8 billion, i.e. approximately 24% of the regional total, with a growth of 9% compared to the first half of 2022 (Istat data).

The conference started with the institutional greetings by Fabrizio Ricca — Regional Minister for Internalization of Regione Piemonte, Paolo Bertolino — Secretary General of Unioncamere Piemonte and Marco Gay — President of Confindustria Piemonte, followed by Dario Peirone — Chairman of Piemonte Agency and the keynote speech by Alberto Cirio — President of Regione Piemonte.
President Cirio emphasised that "Piemonte invests in its excellence in a concrete way and with several initiatives. Here is an example of our companies' great potential and the ability and talent of our entrepreneurs, presented to almost 100 buyers from all over the world, whose presence is a source of pride, but above all of economy, wealth and job opportunities in such an important sector as luxury. The difference” he added “is always made by the people, who put their artistic ability and inventiveness into these sectors. It is therefore no coincidence that the biggest luxury brands have chosen to be in Piemonte because there is so much excellence here”.
Regional Minister Ricca claimed that “the increase of Piemonte companies and international buyers confirms how Piemonte and its high quality and niche products are a business destination appreciated by foreign luxury operators. In light of these premises, the Region intends to confirm its policies and instruments to support the internationalization of its economic system".
"Experience Piemonte" stated Chairman Peirone "wants to offer concrete opportunities to the companies in our region, and the fast-growing numbers of buyers and participating companies are an important sign. We organised this second edition by leveraging on Piemonte Agency teams' ability to match Piemonte's offer with international demand, and the more than 80 important foreign operators attending are the result of a matchmaking work on more than 20 countries".

Two panels moderated by Andrea Cabrini — Editorial Director of Class CNBC, enlivened the morning. The first, entitled “Piemonte: Excellence you will always remember”, saw the participation of Lamberto Vallarino Gancia — President of Brainscapital, Licia Mattioli — CEO of Mattioli spa and Alfredo Russo — Chef of the Dolce Stil Novo restaurant. Together they took the audience on a journey through Piemonte excellence, illustrating the territory's increasing role at world level in such a demanding segment, where consumers combine the concept of luxury with the experience, which in Piemonte is a winning combination of taste, craftsmanship, creativity, high-level manufacturing, and quality in the choice of materials.
This was followed by the second panel “Luxury is what lasts: in between tradition and innovation”, which focused on this winning combination that characterises high-end products as a long-lasting element and at the basis of consumers' choices. The interesting discussion was held by: Diana Heredia — Fabric Director of Carolina Herrera; Paolo Garella — Founder and CEO of MAT - Manifattura Automobili Torino, Ginevra Rossello Paglieri — Board Director of Paglieri, Dario Casalini — CEO Oscalito and founder of Slow Fiber. Product research, customisation, sustainability: these were the key words that brought out how customers are increasingly oriented towards a timeless yet refined and environmentally friendly luxury, all trends in which Piemonte is leading the international markets.

To frame it all, Piemonte's manufacturing of excellence is the absolute protagonist of the exhibition itinerary set up in the elegant Citroniera with a selection of products from the participating Piemonte companies, representing the region's top range of fabrics, sophisticated clothing, unique jewellery, furnishing accessories, food delicacies, cosmetics and wellness products.
The artistic and wine experience is not to be missed. For the occasion, a temporary capsule has also been set up with a selection of 16 pictures from the itinerant photographic exhibition 'Meraviglie Reali' (Royal Wonders) dedicated to the Savoy Royal Residences of Piemonte, UNESCO World Heritage Site. On November 9, there will be a wine tasting organised by the Consorzio I Vini del Piemonte: an itinerary dedicated to the great wines of the territory enhanced by the beauty of the Reggia di Venaria.
In conclusion, Experience Piemonte is also a unique moment to promote the territory in terms of tourism thanks to the visit of the 5 journalists’ delegation from Denmark, Germany, United Kingdom and Sweden accompanied by Visit Piemonte. As part of the press tour to discover the area's diversified cultural, architectural, museum and food and wine offerings, the stop at Experience Piemonte provides an overview of the excellence of the Piemonte companies taking part in the initiative, representative of Italian quality, uniqueness and creativity.