Innovation: Lombardy joins forces ahead of CES Unveiled

“The digital market in the Metropolitan City of Milan is worth 13 billion, accounting for almost 20 per cent of the entire national market, and in terms of the number of people employed, it accounts for 30 per cent of the sector at national level,” explained Mayor Giuseppe Sala. “This event is a vote of confidence in our city.”

The CES “has chosen Lombardy and Milan because this is where Italia’s strongest technology ecosystem is to be found, and one of the most competitive in Europe,” added Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region.

“The arrival of CES Unveiled in Milan represents an extraordinary opportunity to consolidate the role of our city and the Lombardy region as a European hub for technological innovation,” said Giovanni Bozzetti, president of Fondazione Fiera Milano. “ “From the very beginning, we at Fondazione Fiera Milano wanted this event not to be confined to the exhibition venue itself, but to involve the whole city and the wider region through a wide-ranging programme of open, participatory and accessible initiatives,”

Hosting CES Unveiled means strengthening the city’s international standing as a capital of innovation, said Alvise Biffi, president of Assolombarda: “The reason CES has chosen Milan today as the first European stop on the Road to CES is because there is an innovation ecosystem comprising businesses, universities, start-ups, research centres and institutions that work together to transform technology into growth and development.”

In fact, this region is home to 22,000 manufacturing firms, 173,000 innovative service companies, 22 per cent of Italy’s innovative start-ups, and eight universities attended by 236,000 students. “It is an ecosystem that Assolombarda helps to strengthen, not least through forgIA, the project through which we support businesses in making the most of industrial data and adopting Artificial Intelligence, and with a growing commitment to the new frontiers of Physical AI, which is set to increasingly integrate Artificial Intelligence and physical systems into production processes,” added Biffi. CES Unveiled therefore represents an opportunity to showcase to the world Milan’s ability to foster collaboration and to involve an ever-increasing number of businesses in this new era of competitiveness.”

“CES is much more than just a major technology trade fair: it is a unique window onto the future, the place where you can gain an early insight into how technologies are evolving and what their applications will be across various sectors, from artificial intelligence to robotics, from the automotive industry to space,” said Matteo Zoppas, president of ICE Agenzia, which collaborated to support Milan’s bid to host CES Unveiled. “ Bringing this event to Italia therefore represents a significant opportunity for our manufacturing sector and, for ICE, a challenge in line with its mission to support the international growth of Italian businesses. Provided, however, that we organise an event capable of showcasing our areas of excellence: we must not send just any companies to CES, but organisations capable of representing the very best of Italian technology and innovation and of engaging with an international ecosystem comprising investors, incubators, accelerators, research centres and businesses. The involvement of the business community and trade associations will be crucial in this endeavour, as will ICE’s ability to attract a significant number of qualified international operators and buyers, so that participation in CES translates into concrete business opportunities. The aim is to demonstrate at CES Italia’s ability to organise a high-level event capable of generating tangible results and enthusiasm amongst businesses and stakeholders, with the ultimate ambition of creating the conditions for CES to break with tradition and remain in our country for a second year.”