Assolombarda, an operational office in Dubai by summer

The aim is to be ready for June, when Assolombarda will return to Dubai, for the second time in a few months, with a group of associate entrepreneurs to meet with Emirati companies and investors thanks to the collaboration with Dubai Chambers.

By then, the industrial association representing more than 7,000 companies in the Milan, Monza Brianza, Pavia and Lodi area could open its physical headquarters in Dubai, the second one abroad after Brussels, inside the DAC, the Dubai Association Centre that, in the heart of the Emirates metropolis, hosts about 70 international business associations, supporting their development in the Emirates and Gulf area and fostering connections, collaborations and synergies.

The Dubai office will act as a hub in a highly strategic area for the companies in the territory represented by Assolombarda, as well as for all Italian companies, especially in this extremely complex and uncertain phase in the international markets, in which the three largest trading partners of Lombard companies (Germany, France and the United States) are in difficulty, each for different reasons, as recalled by Alvise Biffi, who has been at the helm of the association for eight months and is a strong supporter of an international strategy that leverages diversification: "Each of these three markets is worth approximately 7-8 billion euro of interchange for companies in our territory,' Biffi explains. They are markets that we must therefore continue to monitor, while at the same time seeking new opportunities for our companies'.

The key role of the United Arab Emirates (Eau), and more generally of the Gulf area (GCC), is evident: in 2024 (according to data provided by Assolombarda), trade between Italy and the Emirates reached 10 billion euros, of which 7.9 billion in exports, that between Eau and Lombardy was 2.4 billion (2.2 billion in exports), while that with the Assolombarda 'quadrilateral' reached 1.6 billion, with 1.4 billion in exports. A decidedly positive trade balance for our country, as in the Gulf area: trade between GCC and Italy reached a value of 29.4 billion euro (18.5 billion in exports), that with Lombardy was 6.9 billion (5.6 billion in exports) and with the 'quadrilateral' 3.7 billion (3.2 billion in exports).

The decision to open an office in the DAC is a strategic one: it is a publicly controlled entity (it reports to the Dubai Tourism Government) that operates as a hub for Dubai, explains Abdulla Mohammed Alsuwaidi, assistant manager of the company, who met with the Assolombarda delegation in Dubai: 'We support the inclusion and growth in Dubai, but more generally in the Emirates and the Gulf, of non-profit associations that have a legal presence in our emirate,' he explains. Not only do we offer them a physical location, but we also encourage networking among them by organising, every three months, conferences and shared activities where they can meet, get to know each other and exchange ideas. In addition, we help them find sponsorships and resources to organise the first three events in the area'.