FROM INTESA SANPAOLO, OFFICIAL GLOBAL PARTNER OF THE MILAN EXPO 2015, A CONCRETE PROJECT FOR FAMILIES, BUSINESSES AND LOCAL AREAS

 

Carlo Messina, Managing Director and CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo: “The partnership with Expo Milano 2015 represents a unique opportunity to strengthen our commitment to our country, showcase some outstanding Italian companies, our vibrant economy and the supreme artistic and cultural heritage boasted by Italy. Because Intesa Sanpaolo believes in the golden opportunity for a fresh start which the Expo is offering the country and wishes to express its support for Italian entrepreneurs through a concrete commitment.”

 

REPRESENTATION IN THE EXPO. The Bank’s exhibition space, at the heart of the Expo,

with multimedia installations, works of art and a daily schedule of initiatives for families

and businesses. Inside, you will find a Branch developed with cutting edge technological solutions and ways of conducting customer relations EXCLUSIVE EVENTS: FACTORIES AT PORTA ROMANA. Umberto Boccioni’s work will be exhibited within the Intesa Sanpaolo space and cameras carried by drones will show how Milan has changed since the time when the artist painted the work INITIATIVES FOR SMEs 15 BILLION EURO IN CREDIT for the development of businesses selling Italian-made products CANDIDA LA TUA IMPRESA. Through this major initiative, over 200 businesses which are clients of the Bank will have the chance to participate in the Universal Exposition thanks to the visibility and hospitality within the Intesa Sanpaolo Space CREATED IN ITALIA. The new portal which the Bank is dedicating to the excellence of Italian-made products, in order to facilitate access to new digital markets for SMEs BANKING AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT for the 144 Countries represented and over 20 million visitors expected CULTURAL AND TOURISM OFFERS linked to the Flash Expo card TICKETING SERVICES through a dedicated technological platform and an extensive distribution system across the country

 

Milan, 5 November 2014 – The participation of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group in the Expo 2015 in Milan has found concrete expression in a structured project of initiatives and events with a local flavor and geared towards families and businesses, both in Italy and abroad. In its capacity as an Official Global Partner of the event, Intesa Sanpaolo is investing in the potential of Expo 2015 as a global showcase for the excellence of Italian-made products and a driving force behind relaunching the country’s economy.

 

The purposes and core values of the partnership with the Expo were outlined today at the Gallerie d’Italia – Piazza Scala by Carlo Messina, Managing Director and CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, Stefano Barrese, Sales and Marketing Area Manager of the Banca dei Territori Division, Vittorio Meloni, Head of External Relations and the architect Michele De Lucchi.

 

A whole range of measures were presented as part of the partnership with Expo 2015. Here are some of the main ones:

 

The exhibition space in the Expo

Intesa Sanpaolo is making a concrete commitment right at the heart of the Expo with a multifunctional exhibition space, almost 1,000 m2 in area, planned by the architect Michele De Lucchi, which lies next to the main aisle, in a central location. The work has been produced entirely with environmentally friendly, recyclable materials, which evoke natural elements and provide a reminder of the themes of sustainable development and respect for the environment. The most striking aspect of the structure is its covering, produced according to an ancient building technique using “shingles”. The exhibition space will have a major visual and emotional impact and attract visitors to an immersive experience through the use of interactive art installations and the presence of major works owned by the Bank and relating to the key themes of the Expo. A daily events schedule will also liven up the Site and be enhanced with activities with a local feel, dedicated to families, children, the young and those merely young at heart.

 

The innovation Branch

One area of the exhibition space will house an Intesa Sanpaolo Branch developed with cutting edge technological solutions and new ways of conducting customer relations. Guests will have the chance to try out innovative ways of accessing the Bank’s services and enjoy the synergy between the physical and digital spaces. Within the Intesa Sanpaolo space, a multifunctional area wil host some companies which are customers of the Bank, for the full duration of the event. Through this exclusive showcase, these companies will have a unique opportunity to play a leading role in Expo 2015.

 

Boccioni’s “testimonial” with Factories at Porta Romana and art installations

Intesa Sanpaolo will offer a major cultural event, with the exhibiting of a work from the Group’s art collection. The work in question is “Factories at Porta Romana” by Umberto Boccioni. The setting will shed light on both the work and the journey undertaken by the artist, creating a truly striking work, thanks to an interactive system of projections able to honour the painting. A series of aerial shots of Milan, taken on cameras carried by drones, will show how the city is transforming, starting from Via Adige 23, where Boccioni lived and painted this work. There are also plans for an art installation to be housed within the Intesa Sanpaolo exhibition space,

produced by Studio Azzurro, which expresses the values of the Bank, its passion for the local area, commitment to the growth of the country and promoting Italian cultural heritage. Large videoprojections will transmit images of a moving “horizon” and when spectators break the ray of light with their hands, iconic, suggestive and moving films will be shown.

 

For the full duration of the Expo, Intesa Sanpaolo will offer a rich programme of events dedicated to families, with educational activities for teenagers (mini chunks of financial education and science on the web), entertainment for kids, shows and laboratories, but also a series of gatherings with a focus on society (Save the children, Banco Alimentare), art and culture (Gallerie d’Italia, Fai-I luoghi del cuore, i Mestieri dell’Arte, Curator for a day), as well as a number of artistic performances produced with some of the Bank’s partners (Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Regio, Piccolo Teatro, MiTo). Not forgetting some corporate events with themed gatherings (agribusiness, e-commerce, food tech, female entrepreneurs) and entertainment, with special evenings and tasting sessions. But that’s not all. During the Expo, the Gallerie d’Italia – Piazza Scala will host an exhibition from 1 April to 23 August 2015, dedicated to the “Great War”, to mark the centenary of the First World War. Curated by Fernando Mazzocca, Anna Villari and Francesco Leone, under the overall supervision of Gianfranco Brunelli, the exhibition is organised across three Intesa Sanpaolo museum sites, the Gallerie d’Italia in Milan, Naples and Vicenza, thus representing the “network” of the Bank’s museums.

 

The exibition at the Gallerie d’Italia – Piazza Scala in Milan begins with an investigation into the period of history which preceded the Great War – the Belle Époque, which, in artistic terms, saw movements such as Liberty, or “Art Nouveau”, Symbolism and Divisionism – before concentrating on artists who would experience the conflict at first hand and who, through the development of new avant-garde styles such as Futurism, would represent a crucial turning point away from nineteenth-century culture.

 

INITIATIVES FOR SMEs

15 billion euro in credit for the development of companies producing Italian-made goods, through new credit lines and financing offers, as well as specialised products and services to support entrepreneurial initiatives and projects.

 

“Candida la tua Impresa”

Intesa Sanpaolo is using this internationally recognised event to host and provide a showcase for Italian excellence, so often represented by small and medium-sized enterprises. Indeed, within the exhibition space, there will be places for the public attending the Expo to meet some companies who express Italian excellence from various regions. Over 200 SMEs, clients of the Group and leaders in Italian-made quality, will play a leading role for a whole day in this exclusive showcase. They will be able to highlight their offer, organise meetings, involve the sales force and receive advice and support to conclude partnerships and boost their relationships, even at an international level, thanks to the presence of foreign companies at the Expo. The companies who will be hosted at the Intesa Sanpaolo exhibition room will be selected through “Candida la tua impresa”, an initiative promoted through a publicity campaign using all the major channels and in line with the Bank’s communication strategy: “Un Mondo Possibile”.

 

“Created in Italia”: the new portal for e-commerce

In order to facilitate companies’ access to new digital markets, Intesa Sanpaolo is launching Created in Italia (www.createdinitalia.com), the Group’s first e-commerce portal dedicated to Italian excellence in the Catering, Tourism, Design and Fashion industries. A genuine virtual “town square”, where Italian brands can enjoy the limelight, in order to promote commercial development between companies and involving potential customers, including those from abroad, thanks to a carefully selected and personalised product offer. E-commerce has grown dramatically over the last few years (+16% growth expected in 2013 year on year). However, the Italian market is still much smaller in size (€11 bn in 2013) than more mature markets (1/4 of the size of the German market and 1/6 of the British). In general, the Italian online retail market is growing in every product sector. The price and breadth of the offer are what drive online sales, together with the transparency and assurance provided by e-commerce portals. In particular, the penetration of e-commerce between Italian SMEs is still modest (only around 5% of companies with fewer than 50 employees sell their products online), even if there is great potential, since the companies recognise each other as an important channel for creating opportunities and overcoming the limits of the internal market.

 

Banking and financial support

Innnovative electronic and mobile payment instruments, financial services and support for

transactional activities will be available to the organisers, Milan, Italy, the 144 Countries present and the over 20 million visitors expected from around the world. Through specialised units, the Group will offer personalised services to Italian and foreign companies and NGOs.

 

Cultural and tourism offers linked to the Flash Expo card

All holders of the Intesa Sanpaolo Flash Expo card will be able to enjoy a huge cultural offer, including discount or privileged access to shows, exhibitions and museums in Milan and the main cities in Italy, as well as a well-structured system of exclusive offers and advantages.

 

Ticketing service

Intesa Sanpaolo has set up a platform for ticket sales for the Expo and a coordinated distribution system comprising a physical network and direct channels: over 4,000 branches, 7,000 cash machines, Internet Banking for customers who access their current account online and “Created in Italia”, the Group’s new e-commerce portal.

 

Putting local areas first

The contents of the partnership with the Milan Expo 2015, together with specific offers for companies active in key sectors, will be rolled out at local level, a process which will last throughout 2015 and involve regional units of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group. Meetings, focusing on local entrepreneurs, will be a chance to discuss the new opportunities offered by

international business, compared with the specific nature of the local economic context, and will provide the instruments and information needed to deal safely with global markets.

 

“The initiatives we have launched to promote our partnership with Expo 2015,” explains Carlo Messina, “will further strengthen our Group’s commitment to supporting the country. As a Bank, we are simply doing our job, in other words ensuring anyone who has plans for sustainable development can get the resources they need. In order to support families and businesses, we have already paid out, within the timescale of our Business Plan, 140 billion euro in new medium- and long-term credit, which amounts to almost 10% of national GDP. Through our attendance, including our actual physical presence, at the Milan Expo 2015, we believe we are making an important contribution to the success of a global event which can become a driving force behind relaunching our country and repositioning it as a model of a dynamic, innovative and sustainable economy.”

 

For Stefano Barrese, Sales and Marketing Area Manager in the Banca dei Territori Division at Intesa Sanpaolo, “Italian companies must open up to trading overseas and understand the potential of new digital markets, such as e-commerce. This needs to happen right now. Internationalisation, achieved through traditional or innovative channels, is crucial, not only for the growth of a company, but even its actual survival. It is precisely in order to boost internationalisation processes that Intesa Sanpaolo has provided Italian SMEs, having obtained final approval from the Piccola Industria di Confindustria, with 10 billion euro in credit, in addition to specific instruments and services. In this context, the prospects for development offered by a global showcase such as Expo 2015 must be seized without hesitation. This is why we have dedicated 15 billion euro in credit in order to support the excellence of Italian-made products in the Tourism, Food, Fashion and Design industries. Through this programme of initiatives, Intesa Sanpaolo is standing shoulder to shoulder with Italian businesses, not only as a financial partner, but as a genuine industrial partner, offering innovative solutions for business and promoting a meeting between supply and demand, in a global setting.”

 

 

For further information

Intesa Sanpaolo

Media Relations

tel. +39 0287962642-62677 – 011 5555922 – 06 67125297

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