Smau opportunity to grow, the voice of the companies that participated in Milan

An opportunity to consolidate the position of companies within the national framework and to enter new international markets. This is the common thread linking the stories of the representatives of the companies that took part in the 2025 edition of Smau in Milan. For Carlo Ricci, of Active Label, "participation in SMAU represented a strategic opportunity of great value for our start-up". "The event allowed us to consolidate the positioning of our technology on the national innovation scene and," Ricci argues, "to present, within a highly qualified context, a deep-tech solution developed entirely in Sardinia and now in the industrial scalability phase. Not only: 'One of the most significant aspects of our participation was the strong increase in the visibility of our project,' he continues, 'Smau offered a space for discussion with an audience composed of both industrial operators and innovative realities operating in areas complementary to ours. This made it possible to establish a fruitful dialogue with numerous corporations interested in the theme of traceability and advanced cold chain monitoring, areas in which our technology aroused immediate interest. Several contacts initiated during the event have already generated subsequent meetings and follow up, including some with international interlocutors, confirming the positive impact of the initiative'. Guillaume Jacobs of Laizy srl also spoke of a positive experience: "The central location of the stand ensured excellent visibility and a constant flow of visitors. We found excellent exposure for Laizy, with a good balance between quantity and quality of contacts generated,' he says. 'Overall, the leads and potential partners we met were well profiled with respect to our target audience. We met qualified leads and potential strategic partners in line with our AI and eCommerce positioning'. On the same wavelength is the comment of Carlo Parodo, CEO The Big Wave s.r.l, who speaks of "Excellent visibility and qualified networking with innovation operators, local authorities and potential international partners". "The event has enhanced our experience in the field of technologies for smart and sustainable territories,' he says. 'The meetings have fostered new contacts with institutions and technology clusters interested in Fenicio® solutions and the data-driven approach for the valorisation of territories. Concrete opportunities for collaboration in tourism and smart destinations have emerged'. For the manager, who speaks of "limited time available for one-to-one meetings and difficulties in maintaining direct contact with some international realities after the event", it would be appropriate to "strengthen post-event follow-up and accompanying actions in international contacts, including through shared digital tools and more targeted thematic matching moments". As for the future, the company's focus is on the markets of France, Spain and the Arab Emirates, with a focus on territorial innovation, sustainable tourism and accessibility technologies.

For Davide Ariu, of Pluribus-one, '80% of the meetings held were on target with good possibilities for business development', despite some criticalities such as 'fragmented communication by Smau with the risk of losing valuable information'. For the manager, it would be appropriate to 'create moments of interaction between exhibitors to generate further opportunities'.