The eighth edition of Alta Quota, organised by Promoberg at the Fiera di Bergamo, confirmed itself as the eagerly awaited event dedicated to everything that “makes” the mountains.
In fact, despite the drop in visitor numbers compared with the record of last year’s edition – a drop believed to be due to the unusual weather conditions, which encouraged day trips out of town, and to the economic crisis – the Mountain fair won a great deal of praise, both for the quality of the exhibitors taking part (160, with an increase in foreign participation; 172, on the other hand, the brands represented across the 18,000 square metres devoted to Alta Quota) and for the rich programme of side events. In this regard, we might mention for example the success of “Orobie Action Games”, the new format of free sports disciplines staged in the outdoor area, and of “Preventing avalanche danger”, the conference promoted by the Lombardy Alpine and Speleological Rescue Service and by the Italian Avalanche Service of the CAI. The many events on the Meeting Point stage were also a success: among the most popular, the Outdoor & Eco-dynamic Sports Committee (COSE), which presented the project for a Federation bringing together the sector’s 40 disciplines; the meeting with Roberto Regazzoni, the weather expert of L’Eco di Bergamo and Bergamo Tv, and the one with Alessandro Vanotti and Paolo Venturini. The former, a born-and-bred Bergamo native and professional cyclist with Ivan Basso’s Liquigas team; the latter, from Padua and a world star of extreme sports.
The only blemish was the accident suffered by a visitor while taking part in an activity in the outdoor events area. “We are truly very sorry about what happened on Friday evening in the Big air bag revolution area, the attraction involving a jump onto a large inflatable – stresses Stefano Cristini, director of Promoberg -. We hope to see our young visitor again as soon as possible and fully recovered”.
It is worth noting that the outdoor events area (which included, among other things, 15 outdoor sports disciplines) was literally stormed by young visitors, both because of the many attractive try-outs on offer and because they were completely free of charge.
As for the indoor exhibition area, visitors were able to get a taste of some genuine previews from the sector, presented by the major distributors and by shops specialising in winter and outdoor sports; by ski and tourist resorts, by industry operators and by wellness hotels.
Positive feedback also for the “institutional” section, with the large areas of the Lombardy Region and the Province in the foreground.
“Given the extraordinary weather for the month of October and the ongoing economic crisis – observes Cristini – , we are nonetheless satisfied with what Alta Quota achieved. Numbers do not always reflect the exact value of an event, since various variables work for or against a trade fair, including the weather conditions. That is what happened to the mountain fair, penalised by weather that was too good. I am encouraged by the positive comments expressed by the representatives of the organisations present, including institutional ones such as the Lombardy Region and the Province. The event has grown and evolved over the years, presenting itself to the public not only as an eagerly awaited, high-quality occasion, but also by revisiting the concept of the mountains, presented in a thousand facets. In addition, the side programme also continues to win praise”.
Stefano Maullu, Regional Councillor for Tourism, Trade and Services, who visited Alta Quota on Sunday, also congratulated the organisers and the organisations present. “Thanks to Promoberg, the Fiera di Bergamo – stresses Maullu – has an absolutely extraordinary dynamism. Promoberg’s strength lies in finding, from a trade-fair point of view, specific markets of great interest. Alta Quota in particular, as well as No Frills (the tourism fair reserved for trade professionals held at the Bergamo exhibition centre on September 23 and 24, editor’s note) and many other events organised by Promoberg are going in the right direction: focusing on a specific target that needs to meet in order to guarantee excellent services and opportunities for businesses”. Maullu’s visit to Alta Quota was very welcome, as he is a regular visitor to the Lombardy mountains. “The Bergamo area has nothing to envy anyone – Maullu points out -. Bergamo, in fact, does not just mean splendid mountains and skiing, but also food and wine, history, culture, art, spa tourism and quality of life”.
You can find all the photos of the Alta Quota 2011 event on the page: www.facebook.com/altaquotabergamo?sk=photos. See you at the next edition!
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