Lorenzo Cagnoni, president of Ieg-Italian Exhibition Group, the group listed on the stock exchange born from the integration of the management companies of the Italian Rimini and Vicenza fairs, passed away yesterday at the age of 84 and after a long illness. He himself was the architect of the alliance between the two fair districts.

Politician, administrator, reference figure in the panorama of conferences and trade fairs at a national and international level, Cagnoni was born in Rimini, where he lived, in 1939. He was married and the father of two daughters.

After obtaining his high school diploma, Cagnoni began his career by taking his first steps in the tourism sector, working at the top of various hotel structures. In 1966 he moved to politics, becoming councilor for school services, health and finance with responsibilities also for the economic activities of the Municipality of Rimini. Then from 1983 until 1989 he was vice mayor of the Romagna city. In 1992 he became president of the Agri-food Centre.

Over the years he has proven to be a decisive figure for the conference sector, becoming a driving force for the economy of Rimini and the entire region. First as president of the Convention Bureau, and then in 1992 a member of the board of directors of the Ente Autonomo Fiera di Rimini, of which he became president in 1995. In 2002 he became president of Rimini Fiera Spa. Under his leadership the entire exhibition center was moved to Viserba, resulting in one of the largest districts in the entire country after the construction of the pavilions designed by the Hamburg studio Gmp. In 2011, the construction works of the Palacongressi were completed in part of the area already occupied by the old fair, then in 2016 the historic merger with Vicenza led to the foundation of the Italian Exhibition Group.

In 2019 he managed to complete the complex operation of listing the company on the stock exchange, representing one of the success stories of the Milan Stock Exchange and a financial point of reference for the entire exhibition sector.

EFA News journalists met President Cagnoni several times: the last occasion was the inauguration of Rimini Wellness just last June. The entire editorial team offers condolences to Ieg's family and community for the painful loss.