Hub, container, showcase, meeting point, circular event: this is how Seafuture was designed on 6 June during the presentation press conference which was held at 11,30 at the Officers' Club in La Spezia. Introduced by the head of the Public Information and Communication Office of the Navy, Rear Admiral Fabio Agostini, the organizers and some of the main sponsors of the event scheduled from 19 to 23 June at the Naval Base of La Spezia intervened.
Seafuture is organized by IBG together with the Liguria Region, Blue Hub, Special Company of the Chamber of Commerce of the Riviera of Liguria, DLTM, AIAD with the collaboration of the Navy.
It is one of the most successful cases of opening up areas and military facilities for civil use, with an important return for the entire local community.
This year the event strengthens its global dimension with the growth of initiatives that will address issues related to environmental sustainability, humanitarian aid, international cooperation and economic development linked to the sea resource. Among these, for example, the Enea conference on sustainable and innovative tourism, the conference on the protection of the marine ecosystem, the one on the correct management of water resources, the one on the compatibility between eco-dragging and tourism, the one on industrial geo-economy organized by EIEAD; the one on motorways of the sea and TEN-T networks organized by the Ministry of Transport; and also the celebration of 40 years of activity of Sea Shepherd in defense of the oceans, the initiatives of Mare Vivo, the interventions of representatives of companies from all over the world, research institutions, universities. Friday 8 inaugurates the PLASTICA Exhibition (MENTE) in the Naval Technical Museum, organized by ISPRA in collaboration with the DLTM, which highlights the damage caused to the oceans by the use of plastic materials.
The admiral Giorgio Lazio, commander of the Northern Maritime Command, made the honors of the house and highlighted the importance of the national contribution on technology and security in the international context, underlining how significant it is that an event of this magnitude should be held in La Spezia : a "quality periphery" due to the presence of the major industrial and research companies in the maritime and naval field; So Seafuture is also an opportunity for development for the territory.
Cristiana Pagni, president of IBG (Italian Blue Growth, a company formed by the Ligurian District of Marine Technologies, Consorzio Tecnomar Liguria and EIEAD) and creator - animator of the event, after having thanked those who supported the complex organization of Seafuture and recalled the prestigious patronages (Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Ministry of Defense , Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) provided the numbers of this sixth edition: 9000 square meters of exhibition between historic buildings and basins of the Naval Base, over 40 foreign delegations, 1500 bilateral meetings between companies and delegations and between companies themselves, 28 between conferences, seminars and workshops from the most technical to the most strategic political issues.
The IBG president reiterated that the event's objective is to focus the attention and debate on the SEA in all its aspects: both as a vital resource for the country's economy, and especially as a heritage to be protected for the generations that will inherit it.
In fact, ample space will be given to young people also with initiatives such as Seafuture Awards, which will reward the author of one of the seven theses on topics related to science / technology related to the Sea environment with an internship abroad, which will be selected by a Commission. The best high school essay will also be awarded, among the 50 received. Furthermore, an Alternation School Work has already been activated with IS Capellini Sauro and the Giuseppe Mazzini linguistic and socio-economic high school, whose students attended the conference. Friday will be mainly dedicated to ecological and environmental aspects: the inclusive sea: sailing without barriers - Naval Design for everybody, Sailing of the youngest children with the Optimists to defend their future, water management: water as "blue gold ”, Skerà's book to tell the story of Sea Shepherd's 40-year enterprises, also present in this edition.
Among the many initiatives on Saturday also a sail in the Park of 5 Terre in the name of inclusiveness: technology and science support man by breaking down architectural barriers even by boat.
Acknowledgments were also given to the Municipalities of La Spezia, Lerici and Porto Venere, CNA Confartigianato, Authorities of the Port System, the Coast Guard and the Guardia di Finanza and the IREN group: the Seafuture program is so complex and complex that it could not be achieved if not through teamwork.
"Talking about the sea is good for us", explained Rear Admiral Gianfranco Annunziata, deputy head of the III Department of the Navy's General Staff and project officer of Seafuture, it is necessary to "promote maritime", a concept that is not so obvious despite the centrality of this theme for Italy. To do this it is necessary to strengthen naval diplomacy and strengthen international relations, we tried to guarantee it with the presence of more than 40 Marine foreign, over 20% more than previous editions. Foreign guests will be shown examples of the technological and manufacturing excellence of the Italian naval industry such as ships Euro, Aviere, Driade that will conduct demonstration activities at sea, while most of the conferences of the rich congressional part will be held on board the FREMM Fasan and of the historical Amerigo Vespucci.
Rear Admiral Agostini illustrated the conferences, workshops and exhibitions dedicated to the history and the seafaring culture that will take place on the Navy stand.
At the Naval Technical Museum the Exhibition will be inaugurated by the Naval Support and Experimentation Center for the 31 ° Mariperman Trophy. The Royal Navy and the Great War.
Gianfranco Abbrescia, Leonardo's marketing vice-president of marine products, Platinum sponsor of Seafuture, underlined how the model of the Italian system has been successful all over the world, with 150 Countries users of high-capacity technology products created by this giant that counts 45 thousand employees ( of which 29mila in Italy and 2.500 in Liguria in the offices of La Spezia and Genoa) and which invests 11% percent of revenues in research and development.
Roberta Delfante of ENEA complimented the growth of the Seafuture event over the course of the various editions and gave a brief presentation of the Innovation Fair of the Italian-French project Stratus, Environmental Strategies for Sustainable Tourism, scheduled for 21 June, which through a round table will show a project and example of good practices for a tourism that does not impact the environment; bilateral meetings will follow between eco-companies (which offer technologies to improve the sustainability of tourism activities) and companies in the sector of the project territories (Liguria, Sardinia and Provence-Alps-French Riviera).
Franco Donfrancesco, commercial director of MBDA Italy, who has been "at home" in La Spezia since the 70s, said he was certain that international industrial integration is feasible, as demonstrated by the success of the systems produced by MBDA and used all over the world , 7 million euros a year invested in the area and a 10% increase in human resources in 2017 which will probably be replicated this year. Seafuture offers the opportunity to continue the conversation with national and international interlocutors by providing a showcase both as an industrial model and as an image of a technologically advanced Italy.
Carlo Festucci, secretary general of AIAD, underlined the need to project into an industrial system like the European one as an aggregating factor and not as aggregate in order to have a say in the decisions on the matter and thanked the organizers of Seafuture for the opportunity offered to companies in the sector.
Lorenzo Forcieri, president of the Ligurian District of Marine Technologies, highlighted how Seafuture represents a meeting point between the industrial world (including the small and medium sector represented by the Tecnomar Liguria Consortium) and the research world in order to increase competitiveness. good and healthy of our industrial system. A manifestation therefore 'circular', with all the components of the maritime sector, showcase of a territory and of a Country more and more aware of the value of the sea resource.
Paolo Frino, senior vice president of Naval Services in the Service division of Fincantieri, a strategic sponsor of Seafuture, a multinational company operating in four continents with highly advanced technical solutions in the military, mercantile and offshore sectors, reiterated that it is quite extraordinary to be able to dialogue with 40 Countries and potential customers in one place that "is our home".
Mario Gornati, marketing director of Sanlorenzo, gold sponsor, who celebrates 60 years of activity in the yachting segment in its four production sites between spezzino and Versilia, takes care of all Seafuture issues on Sea Growth on Blue Growth. Sanlorenzo will carry an SD112 in resin glass of 34 semidislocated meters that will find space next to the Amerigo Vespucci.
Sergio Jesi, vice president of Institutional Relations & Public Financing of Elettronica Group, silver sponsor and active for almost 70 years in the purchase of technologies, spoke of showcase and sale of an 'integrated system', to conclude the interventions was Stefano Senese, secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce of the Riviere di Liguria, who insisted on the need to reflect on themselves and leave their own territory to grow all together, connecting the sea with the future. Senese also anticipated a project in collaboration with the Industrial Association of Genoa for the presentation of the results of the project that surveyed all the Ligurian companies in the sea economy.
Seafuture 2018 will officially open the 19 June at 18.00 with the opening ceremony in the presence of representatives of the institutions, international delegations and exhibitors.
