The first edition of Sud Innovation Summit was presented today, Wednesday, June 7, in the Salone delle Bandiere of Palazzo Zanca.
It is an event that will bring big tech companies to Messina for two days. On September 14 and 15 at the Palacultura there will be national and international keynote speakers from big companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, Alibaba, Linkedin, Enel, TIM, Unicredit to share success stories and best practices.
The event is conceived by Messina-based entrepreneur Roberto Ruggeri and realized with a team of professionals in collaboration with Italian Angels for Growth, among the leading players in Italian venture capital and a connector of excellence for business angels, large corporations and innovative startups.
Promoting the event is the City of Messina, which has grasped its importance by choosing to believe in this edition.
"For two days," explains Roberto Ruggeri, "Messina will become the capital of innovation. Digital transformation, South working, Culture and Tourism 3.0, these are the three thematic areas that will be addressed, and around which moments of discussion and in-depth analysis will be developed, starting from the experience of important speakers. Two days to promote and enhance the territory by involving top-level national and international players in the field of entrepreneurship, digital and research. "Southern Italy, Messina specifically," says Ruggeri, "welcomes talent and big companies, proving to be a thriving ground for being able to develop innovation. We envision a large audience of citizens, students, entrepreneurial innovators and companies who are eager to be inspired by great success stories and also want to contribute to the debate on digitization and open innovation."
In the coming weeks the big companies that have chosen to participate in the first South Innovation Summit will be announced.
"We are starting from Messina," says Ruggeri, "and the ambition is to make this first edition an event of appeal for all of southern Italy”.
The press conference was attended by the Mayor of the City of Messina Federico Basile, Councillor for Entertainment and Major City Events of the City of Messina Massimo Finocchiaro, and Councillor with responsibility for computerization and Digitization of Public Administration Roberto Cicala.
"Today," said Mayor Basile, "it is a moment of great satisfaction for the Administration to be able to present an event that will bring big tech companies to Messina, leading companies in their field that have considerable economic power, influence on society and therefore on the global economy. We chose to share the South Innovation Summit project as it is aimed at holding entrepreneurship, innovation and territory together."
And in terms of territorial reality: "Our desire is to make Messina," Basile continued, "capable of knowing how to express a territory in which entrepreneurship can express itself and innovation become visible. We are aware that this is not an easy challenge, but it is important to engage public opinion on new trends in innovation and the startup world to improve the attractiveness of our territory by focusing on quality and offering adequate spaces. I would like to recall then, in compliance with the lines of digitalization of the public administration, what we have already proposed with the investment program called Digital I Hub that will represent - concluded the mayor - the center of excellence, in research and development in the field of digital transformation and an extraordinary opportunity to reverse the phenomenon of brain drain."
Satisfaction was also expressed by Councillor Finocchiaro: "The co-partnership between the public and private sectors is of fundamental importance for the development of the territory, which grows," added Councillor Finocchiaro, "if institutions know how to dialogue with private individuals. It is crucial today to focus on innovative startups, young and high-tech companies with strong growth potential that together with sustainability represent a model of digital revolution, able to offer opportunities and business models to those who will decide to invest in our territory."
"It is the task of this administration, said Councillor Cicala, to promote and implement policies that encourage the use of digital media. It therefore becomes essential to take part in initiatives such as Sud Innovation Summit, having the purpose of turning the spotlight on issues such as digitization and open innovation."
"Innovating in southern Italy is not only a challenge," said Italian Angels for Growth managing director Leonardo Giagnoni, "but also an opportunity to build a better future. It is a pleasure for us to bring our network of innovators and tech companies into play, because we are sure they will find in this event a unique opportunity to share ideas and create innovative projects in the area."
About Sud Innovation Summit
The largest event on innovation and digitalization in Southern Italy to promote and enhance the area and its innovation ecosystem.