The Usa, Mexico, the Middle East and Asia are among the most attractive foreign markets for Italian companies, areas at the heart of all export strategies and where our main brands are entering to open new business routes or intervene to consolidate their presence. Areas of fundamental importance for Henoto Group, a BolognaFiere Group company born in 2021 from the union of BFservizi and GiPlanet, a company with thirty years of experience in the trade fair sector: is dedicated to the field of temporary architecture and installations in every application, from exhibition, retail, contract, outdoor, sports tech and more. 

Henoto has around 300 employees in Italy and abroad, and some twenty international offices (in the Usa, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East and Asia) that follow customers on site to increase their performance. In the three-year period 2021-2023, turnover rose from 31 to 100 million euros: a positive trend confirmed by 70 million euros of first half of 2024, during which it set up more than 380,000 square meters in 160 events in Italy and abroad.

The recent acquisition of 51% of FM Exhibit Llc, a company specializing in the design and construction of structures for the trade fair/events sector, is part of the Henoto group’s plans to develop its business on the American market, with a consolidated presence in the Usa: it opened in 2018 an office in Atlanta, Georgia, which has become the headquarters for the American market and production hub. The company, which develops its business in the field of fittings in the American market, is led by Antonio Pedrina, son of the founder, who has innovated the organization and brought it to be among the most competitive in the American market: The 2023 budget recorded a turnover, related to activity in the US, of 5 million dollars.

The acquisition, the official statement stresses, "is consistent with the business philosophy of Henoto Group, which favours growth for highly specialized external lines", and includes within its corporate structure "reality with a recognized position for quality and development potential" that will further strengthen the capacity to respond to market demands.

"We are proud of the leadership of Henoto Group in economic terms and international presence -emphasizes Gianpiero Calzolari, president of BolognaFiere-. This new acquisition further expands the range of services available to our customers. We bring Henoto to the network, a company that shares our goal of growing in foreign markets and, in particular, in the USA, where we have both worked for a long time. Our production fabric is rich in SMEs that stand out for innovation and quality, a reality with ample growth potential if inserted into a circuit that expands its business areas". 

"Henoto -continues Calzolari- is today a platform where we integrate skills, contacts and know-how, this allows us to be flexible and receptive towards market opportunities. With the acquisition of FM Exhinit Llc, the business in the USA and the services available to companies that see export to this country as an indispensable commercial opportunity are further strengthened".

"Linking the FM Exhibit brand to Henoto Group of BolognaFiere Group projects us in a dimension with a wide parterre of useful realities to finalize new business opportunities, functional to both companies that have as objective of development an increasingly marked international presence -adds Antonio Pedrina, ceo of FM Exhibit-. We believe our strategic contribution in terms of knowledge of the US market, where we have been operating for many years and where we have had the opportunity to consolidate important business relationships. Our activity also has an operating headquarters in Atlanta, which guarantees presence, knowledge and market surveillance. We are sure that the agreement will result in excellent business opportunities and a consequent growth of the share of turnover generated in the USA".

The US market

The most recent data from Istat shows that Italian exports to the United States are at 67.3 billion Euros, with a constant trend of growth from 2014 to 2023, except for 2020, which was conditioned by the economic crisis imposed by the covid-19 pandemic. The importance of the Usa for Italian exports is well evidenced by its position in the ranking of the main Italian trading partners: in 2023, the US was the second largest recipient of exports from our country after Germany.

Another important consideration: more than 50% of exports come from three Italian regions, namely Lombardy (14.3 billion Euros), Emilia-Romagna (10.4 billion) and Tuscany (9.1 billion), followed by Veneto (7.6 billion). Regions where the main national industrial districts have developed, which have their trade fair expressions in the major Italian exhibition centers with which Henoto has consolidated relations.