SIGEP is the world-leading artisan gelato expo and for 36 years Rimini Fiera has hosted a great number of events that, along with expo, complete an unbeatable range of initiatives in favour of the sector´s trade members. Events with a high professional and training content, for developing business, and also important from a cultural and social point of view.
ARTISAN GELATO – EXCELLENT ITALIAN-MADE FOOD
All dedicated to a great icon of Italian-made food, the conference on Tuesday 20th January, at 3:30 pm in the Diotallevi Room 2, entitled ´Artisan gelato - a combination of street food and global markets. New territorial areas of Italian creativity and tradition´. The appointment, held by Prof. Fiorella Dallari (Associate Professor of Political and Economic Geography Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna) and Dr. Chiara Rabbiosi, will present the two lecturers´ contribution to gelato on the occasion of EXPO 2015, where in the month of July there will be a presentation of a publication dedicated to excellent Italian-made food products, by the Italian Geographical Society, soon to be published by Mondadori.
THE VAST PROGRAM OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ITALIAN GELATO MAKERS
A very busy program is scheduled at SIGEP by the Association of Italian Gelato Makers, which will animate every expo day with its events in Hall A3.
These will include, on Saturday 17th at 5:00 pm, the presentation of 2015 Trend-setting flavours by Gelato Master Nino De Pasquale. On Sunday 18th January the traditional contests ´Chocolate-flavoured gelato´ and ´1000 ideas for a new flavour – gelato of the year´. The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday 20th.
On Monday 19th January the first edition will be held of the contest ´The excellence of gelato cake´, promoted along with the Accademia della Cultura Enogastronomica.
DON´T FREEZE OUR SMILES
Gelato also has a social function and for eight years the project Don´t Freeze our Smiles has promoted its key role in the context of a project for teaching friendship as a value by means of which bullying can be fought in schools, building bridges and links with the help of the schools themselves, families and artisan gelato parlours, favouring better relationships in local communities and encouraging the participation of companies in the formation of a community that educates.
The project was chosen by the Emilia Romagna Region as an example of concrete cooperation between private bodies and public administration in the creation of services in response to new social needs and according to the theoretical reference to ´shared value´, a category that indicates new ways of pursuing aims of an economic nature that put those of a social nature in the spotlight too. Approximately thirty gelato parlours are taking part.
´Don´t Freeze our Smiles´ is realized in collaboration with CNA Rimini, Confartigianato Rimini, Rimini Fiera´s SIGEP, Mo.Ca SpA, Rimini Province, Uni.Rimini and the Provincial Scholastic Office, and with the extraordinary participation of the Francolini Foundation.
The 2015 edition involved four classes of local junior secondary schools (SMS T. Franchini and E. Fermi) via numerous initiatives, starting with theatrical workshops at school.
At SIGEP on 21st January there will be a press conference (Diotallevi Room 1, 10:45 am). The youngsters´ ´YES TO FRIENDSHIP´ will be entrusted to avatars, songs, short videos and graphic works. This will be followed by an award ceremony for the gelato maker chosen as the winner of ´The flavour of friendship – Don´t freeze our Smiles´ and the winning entries of the contest involving all the classes ´The gelato I would like´.
The expo will also host an appointment with the Italian Maestros of gelato making ´Eating is good for your health´, an interactive educational event on the theme of functional gelato; plus, ´Apprentice journalist for the specialist press´ to understand the meaning of writing on artisan gelato; ´Cake designer for an hour´, a guided workshop on making gelato cups and decorations; lastly, the tasting sessions of ´Gelato and gelato cakes of Italian regions´ with voting to choose the ´Flavour of friendship´.
GLUTEN-FREE GELATO
SIGEP 2015 will also host a conference dedicated to artisan gelato eating by those with celiac disease. As is known, Rimini Fiera hosts Gluten Free Expo, the only international expo entirely dedicated to gluten-free food & beverage products (the next edition is being held from 14th to 17th November 2015 www.glutenfreeexpo.eu) and the event scheduled at SIGEP offers the opportunity of linking the artisan gelato world with the demand for gluten-free products, under the banner of knowledge and training.
The round table ´Gluten-free: an added value for gelato´ (Tuesday 20th January, 2:00 pm, Diotallevi Room 2) will concentrate on the techniques involved in the preparation and serving of gluten-free gelato to show how, taking small precautions, it is possible to serve safe quality products, giving gelato an added value. Round table participants will include: Fabrizio Osti (Chairman, gelato product merchandise group, AIIPA), Nadia Rover (Manager, AIC handbook), Valentina Moretti (Quality manager, FUGAR), Giacomo Rubagotti (Gelato maker ´Gelateria Con Gelato´ Adro-Brescia). Moderator: Juri Piceni (Director, Gluten Free Expo). Those with Celiac disease are approximately 1% of the Italian population, but it is estimated that 5 out of 6 remain undiagnosed, which means that in Italy there are approximately 600,000 people with celiac disease, compared to slightly over 135,800 diagnosed.