Conversazioni@Camping Business: Marta Ballabio - Exhibition Manager InOut
[Music] Good morning, welcome to this new appointment of conversations and camping business. Today we have as a guest with us Marta Ballabio who is the exhibition manager of In Out, the fair dedicated to tourism which will be held in Rimini from 11th to 15th October next with we will talk about this event where camping business and media partner for the part dedicated to sia hospitality design Good morning Marta Welcome Good morning Paolo good morning everyone So Marta let's start talking about the general event, the one which includes various events, let's consider it a container of all the souls of hospitality this year you decided to call it In Out while we were used to knowing it as TTG Travel Experience what led to this decision and what this change of name means So Paolo I have to tell you that it is a This is great news for us in the car it was launched in November last year precisely to have its first edition in 2023. So in October we will have four souls that make up In Out which are precisely the souls of hospitality.
We know that in recent periods the world of tourism has undergone a lot, let's say immediately, a lot of evolutions . many transformations we felt the need precisely because we want to always be at the forefront not only to follow trends but above all to help all operators find a conversion for their business we felt the need to offer the market an event that was very rich and integrated and which could have within it everything that operators are looking for for structures, for this reason we created In Out is made up of Sum two two essential parts which are the indoor part and the Outdoor part therefore indoor Outdoor and its The interior has four souls, the first and most substantial one is that of both hospitality design and inside it will see on stage, let's say, the main companies in the world of supplies, contract furnishings but also technologies, services and inside it also the part of the product for camping then we have the Sun Beach and Outdoor Style This is also a product of the historical hospitality tourism division which hosts the Let's say those which are the equipment for the beaches but also the technologies and services the booking models alongside with a representation of those which they are the surface companies within the context of super Faces which are obviously the primary part when working on a hospitality project and then the new Green Escape soul within which we will have Outdoor furnishings but also projects dedicated precisely to the development of green areas in accommodation facilities this need arises precisely from a modulation and aggregation that in the world of tourism and hospitality we see more and more, there are no longer only classic accommodation facilities and therefore hotels but we have actors alongside us who are acquiring more and more importance and they are often chosen by tourists and national and international guests as non-hotel structures but also glamping camping and at the same time Villages and another type of new structures so all this led us to decide to create a very very container event rich and integrated I understand but the name TTG Travel Experience remains or they are two events that remain side by side so exactly then TTG Travel Experience is the most important event in Italy for organized tourism it takes place at the same time as In Out and therefore we will have the development of these two events on the same days from 11 to 13 October in the Rimini exhibition centre, therefore the historic TTG Brand which among other things this year celebrates its sixtieth anniversary with some great celebrations and In Out which instead is the product part creating a real Marketplace. So on the one hand in TTG we will have the hotels however the operators of the tourism world on display on the other hand within In Out we will have the product that interests everyone user and therefore to the hotelier rather than the village owner on display so this creates an effective and very effective Marketplace Ok now for me it is much clearer and it will be certainly also for those who follow us. Let's say that having a Marketplace so organized with
so many facets certainly requires an analysis and understanding of what we are going to frequent a little and a little reasoned and now it seems to me that the pieces are all in place in their place the birth of in the car and therefore giving birth will lead, in your opinion, towards a consolidation or expansion of the four souls within it in future years or basically an event that is born with this structure and will remain in this way. Then look at the variations, the remodulations and the In our opinion, developments are on the agenda now the container is truly complete, that is, In Out can represent within it any of the souls that characterize the world of hospitality products and services. Certainly this year, for example, we have had a big let's say positive response from some product clusters, i.e. from some market and product branches
in particular. A huge development with a pavilion dedicated to the swimming pool and wellness world which will be called poolwide and this is an absolute novelty because the first year that we will have and host this type of exhibitors at the fair with such massive coverage, same thing for the Green part so there have been very large growth rates on the indoor side, let's say the strength of the events from which In Out was born was already significant so the growth continues But in a less less Let's say less decisive way there will obviously be souls who, depending on let's say the evolution of the whole sector, may have some fluctuations. However, the project as it was born is in its first year. In short, we are already testing the results obviously, since we are now one month away from the start of the event, we already know what the numbers will be that will characterize this edition, the development of the pavilions and therefore everything is practically ready for the opening and for raising the curtain. However, how to say only the first year of the next few years we will have the need and
the will to consolidate the work that has been set out for which we will continue in this direction certainly coming more specifically to the world of Outdoor and open-air accommodation facilities which are the ones that we obviously follow very closely with camping business. it is clear that the swimming pool part and the Green part will certainly be interesting for this type of Target for obvious reasons but the part that concerns the open-air accommodation facilities has in recent years been hosted first as a sandwich and signature and today both hospitality design and what led to the decision to change the container to this type of display stand was born from the desire to bring the world of shopping closer to a broader concept of hospitality. First let's say we were characterized in the area dedicated to Camping by product setup for which we had mobile homes etc. therefore more similar to what is a seaside environment in recent years instead in the last two years since we chose to instead of inserting this this content within both the strategy has been precisely that of wanting to assimilate and let's say wanting to facilitate this path that the world of camping is taking to follow the same logic and dynamics that the world of hospitality does, therefore with booking systems, technologies and innovations that are typical of the hotel world, therefore a precisely the desire to express and also give our contribution to the evolution of this sector, a coherent path which sees open-air accommodation facilities often evolving towards an offer more similar to the hotel one and no longer linked to a tradition let's call it free-range, you have entered into an agreement with fata federcamping which, as we know, is the largest federation in Italy which brings together operators in this sector. What
have they been, how important is this partnership for you and how do you expect it to evolve So we have We are here we have close This partnership with with fairy with whom we collaborate let's say arm in arm Faita with us to an area in which he meets all the associates during the fair and among other things the general assembly is also held inside the fair so the fair becomes for them a moment of sharing and analyzing reports of the results of the season just ended which is very very important so the appointment has now In Out or inside a car or for the world of camping it is certainly an unmissable event the collaboration is activated with Faita in addition to what concerns the product part the part of contents that we develop at the fair together with them that are of interest in the specifically the world of camping in the afternoon even during let's say the rest of the year runs on two parallel tracks In the sense that what you do from what I was saying that we are doing as a path to facilitate the world of camping and accompany it with the dynamics of tourism organized hospitality It is a bit like the path that Faita is strongly following in an obviously parallel and independent manner at the level of lobbying and relationships with stakeholders, trying to guide and accompany the associates precisely in becoming aware of what today it is the new idea of tourism AND of Open Air accommodation then in recent years We have seen that it has been quite difficult to organize an event that was a true reference for this sector for the world of open air accommodation because there has been a lack of important exhibitors that this year we will see In Out again and in particular Asia what, in your opinion, are the critical issues, if any, that are holding back the birth of an event that is a very important point of reference for this sector So look I have to tell you that as is well known it is Outdoor hospitality sector is certainly in excellent health so it was already so before the pandemic after the pandemic the surge in requests accelerated so the state of demand is very high precisely because there is a need to, in short, relive in contact with nature and to find this in the structures precisely Open Air what in my opinion is a little more difficult a little more complicated to convey to the companies therefore of the sector therefore to the producers to give producers of mobile homes of tents types etc. it is precisely that this is a different event is not an event in which only the new product is presented But it is an event in which positioning is done so one participates in the fair but this applies to all exhibitors for all let's say the areas not the industries represented within naught you come Because you meet the world of tourism and therefore you have the possibility of connecting to do business and to do intra business and to show that you are within this larger sector therefore if the operators were accustomed as often happens to represent themselves to participate in a fair because as if to say that is the vertical display on their product. In our case we are subverting this dynamic a bit so that for us the target is much broader and the potential is very high it is precisely these companies realize and exploit this channel that certainly a new channel are different perspectives that are sometimes more in demand. So you obviously have to be predisposed and
prepared to make a great meal but it could bring some excellent surprises and in short, both at a business and a own level of positioning on the market. So in my opinion it's up to the operators to understand what the real potential is and it's not just that of presenting a new collection, a new mobile home or meeting let's say the classic customers but actually moving and realizing what is at the fair and what moves the whole world of hospitality tourism we also think convinced, in fact this year we will be a more visible partner than in previous years even if our our our collaboration has been going on for three years now but this year I remember that we will be present with a stand near you, a stand where we will have the opportunity, we will set up the possibility of organizing meetings like this and therefore recording interviews with operators in the sector who will want they will want to come and visit us can you give us Marta some numbers on the contribution that outdoor hospitality will make this edition of cars and terms of exhibitors for example of visitor forecasts So look We read all the numbers in a very transversal way I have to tell you that for by car in general we are the whole part of the tourist district to the east therefore equivalent to that occupied by TTG and this is obviously an incredible result as regards the visitation numbers last year we had 55,000 registered visitors this year precisely because the growth of the exhibition part was strong. At the same time we expect to have a simultaneous growth in the Visitor part. As regards specifically the Open Air pavilions we will have an Open Air pavilion dedicated precisely to Open Air accommodation facilities which is very very rich with a return of companies too foreigners who in recent years had, so to speak, left out No had avoided participating precisely due to the various international dynamics, this year they return with great force and we are also largely satisfied with this I imagine rightly it should not be forgotten that the sector, like the rest of the world, has experienced some shocks in the pandemic period the author was one of the elements who, like everyone else, suffered at the beginning but then recovered greatly and all the indicators this year around Europe show us positive signs they could have be even better. To tell
the truth, if elements such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine or inflation had not come into play, however, generally throughout Europe we are talking about a sector that is substantially replicating the results of 2019 which was the year most most important for for the sector Here I will close with one last question this euphoria that surrounds the world of Outdoors from the point of view of users do you think it is a trend that will continue to express itself in strong growth or will we be moving towards stabilization from your point of view Then no I must say that in my opinion we are only in a phase we have had a big boom obviously after the pandemic but I must say that especially in the younger generations but not only this need to reconnect with nature is really very strong the leap that However, structures must do so as not to be satisfied so as not to ensure that everything falls flat is to invest, that is, to invest in services, to invest in technologies, to invest in hospitality with a type of offer that is not happy with what is there but can truly win over a more public broad that is not the public that, as it were, wants to travel low cost But it is a public that wants an exclusive solution perhaps with great privacy and at the same time done. However, it wants to find high-level services, high-level catering and suitable technologies therefore it is not enough to be in contact with nature, contact with nature certainly comes from a reconnection with oneself but at the same time given that that is a period in which one obviously unplugs and goes on holiday or with friends, family etc. he means to spend his time well as well as his money and therefore it must be reflected in a quality and standard of service which is adequate depending on the guest but certainly the investment on the part of the accommodation facilities precisely the renovation or also in the elevation of the proposal and the service is something that will be able to accompany well the growth and the evolution also quality of the demand certain sector in great evolution where the contact with nature is fundamentally the starting point for a different holiday experience and more rewarding fulfilling Marta Thank you very much for this conversation it was a pleasure we will definitely see you again at the fair from 11 to 13 October Rimini fair for by car and for all the events including both hospitality design and which will be organized within it Thanks to everyone and see you next time. Bye Marco, thanks to you. Thanks Paolo, see you soon. See you soon
2023-10-05 05:13
