FORUM

Rio de Janeiro, October 24 to 27, 2011

O.I.T.A.F. the International Organisation on Transportation by Rope organizes this year its 10th international Congress on Transportation by Rope which is to take place at the Morro de Urca intermediate station of the Sugar Loaf cableway in Rio de Janeiro. The congress is to address the following general theme : 

“SAFE, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WITH SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE”

and within this general framework offer lectures on development trends of transportation by rope in urban settlements and tourism. Sustainability of ropeway systems and protection of the environment of ropeway installations are to be addressed in a special working session of the congress, while latest technical development trends and safety measures are to be dealt with in one of the three working sessions of the congress.
Why should you not take advantage of this special event and the general social programme of the congress to visit and get to know Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.
Visit the O.I.T.A.F. website www.oitaf.org to get additional information and register for the congress.

Italy’s most northerly province reveals its winter sports technology expertise

Come and experience winter sports technology, ski resort management and piste preparation, live and in colour! This is now on offer with the first snowTOUR from 15 to 17 December 2010.  Trade journalists will be able to gain insight into products, solutions and systems which set technological benchmarks, by joining a sightseeing tour in the South Tyrol ski areas of Carezza/Karersee, Kronplatz and Gardena/Gröden – and all this will be accomplished within the short space of just three days.

The World Premiere of snowTOUR South Tyrol has been set up exclusively for journalists who specialise in the winter sports sector – and this represents an outstanding opportunity for them to acquaint themselves personally with this innovative and unique concept for disseminating information about the latest ideas in snow and winter sports technology as well as ski resort management, and to report on this after the event.  It is also the intention that this collaborative partnership with the specialist media will lead to snowTOUR South Tyrol becoming known about throughout the world.  Trade journalists will not incur any costs for participating in the snowTOUR, apart from their own travel to and from Bolzano/Bozen.

After this first event for winter sports journalists, several more snowTOURs have been planned which are aimed at ski resort operators, resort managers, trade experts and investors.  Using examples drawn from real life, the snowTOURs will give an insight into the knowledge and expertise which lie behind South Tyrol’s leading snow and winter sports technologies.  They will additionally facilitate an exchange of ideas with entrepreneurs and, wherever possible, will illustrate South Tyrol expertise with concrete examples.

snowTOUR South Tyrol is promoted by TIS innovation park in collaboration with the following partner organisations: Export Organisation South Tyrol (EOS), Business Location South Tyrol (BLS), South Tyrol Marketing Company (SMG), Bolzano Trade Fair and the ProNeve Expert Network.

With the three tradeshows “Alpitec”, “Alpitec China”, and “Prowinter” covering the areas of mountain and winter technologies as well as winter sports rentals and services, the Bolzano/Bozen Exhibition Center in South Tyrol, Italy has established itself as the country’s number one meeting point in the sector and a 360°platform for the entire winter sports sector.

In April of this year, as is always the case in even-numbered years, “Prowinter”, the International Tradeshow for Rentals and Services for Winter Sports took place along with “Alpitec”, the International Tradeshow for Mountain and Winter Technologies.  Over the course of three days, this double tradeshow with a total of 370 exhibitors from fifteen countries drew 9,300 visitors from the sector from twenty-four different nations.  The successful double event “Alpitec/Prowinter” is held in the heart of the Alps and signifies a successful symbiosis in the sector, since with mountain and winter technologies along with rentals and services for winter sports, two closely related areas are united.  The exhibition areas of “Alpitec” range from ski slope and cross country ski trail equipment to snowmaking and ski lift facilities to guest services, personnel equipment, winter service vehicles, safety, and rescue.  Those of “Prowinter”, on the other hand,  comprise equipment and accessories for winter sports, technical clothing for skiing schools and ski clubs, machines and furnishings for ski rentals and equipment, services, and safety provisions for winter ski areas, from flex poles to ski grinding machines to cashier systems.
 From April 13 to 15, 2011, “Prowinter” will once again take place by itself, having been profiled as the only international business-to-business platform for service providers in winter sports.  This tradeshow in Bolzano is the ideal platform for the exchange of ideas and experience as well as the initiation of new contacts in the areas of business, services, commerce, and sports.  In the accompanying events of “Prowinter”, the challenges of the sector are discussed, hot topics are debated, and possible approaches are sought for solutions to delicate tasks.
 While Europe is seeing itself confronted with sinking numbers of winter sports enthusiasts, the interest in skiing sports is booming in China.  With the cooperation of the Munich International Trade Fairs, the double tradeshow “ispo china/Alpitec China” was launched in 2009 in order to meet the needs of the up-and-coming Asian market in the winter sports sector.
 “The 2010 edition of ispo china/Alpitec China took place from March 4 to 6 and was a great success for us,” said Gernot Rössler, president of Fiera Bolzano S.p.A./Messe Bozen AG, who was on site along with the project team.  “Along with Alpitec China, we were able to increase both the number of exhibitors and the exhibition space.  We are particularly proud of the high level of participation on the part of Chinese exhibitors, who have shown us that the time has arrived for technological know-how in the winter sports sector. The product presentation was rounded out by practice-related information events, such as China’s first Ski Man course.”
 The comprehensive accompanying events with specialized conferences such as the Asia Pacific Snow Conference (APSC) and other events in conjunction with this double tradeshow make it one of the most important platforms for communications and networking for the winter sports sector in the Asian market.  With a considerable increase in visitors of 21% with respect to the previous year, “ispo china/Alpitec China” was successful in making a clear breakthrough.  In 2011, this double tradeshow will take place from February 23 to 25 in the new exhibition center of the China National Convention Center (CNCC) in Beijing.

Additional Information may be found at:

www.prowinter.it
www.alpitec.it
www.alpitec.cn

The new 2010/2011 season has opened with a fresh, soft layer of powder that has blanketed the peaks of the Alps these past few weeks. In just a few days Pool Italia and the World Cup season will be in full swing as the ski world gears up to hit the slopes, all the while the „Prowinter“ exhibition at the Bolzano Fair will be being organized and set into action on a grand scale. The international exhibition for pro athletes, winter rentals and services is set to take place from the 13 to the 15 April 2011 in Bolzano (South Tyrol/Italy). 

„Prowinter“ has once again reaffirmed its partnership with the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Gardena (Saslong Classic) for the 43rd edition of the show this year. The famous event, which will feature a World Cup Super G and a downhill race (17 and 18 December, 2010) will take place alongside many other events that will lend to creating a festive spirit with the local community as well as the participating athletes and a full crowd. Saslong Classic has long contributed to the fame of South Tyrol, the nerve center for winter sports, just as „Prowinter“ has also long promoted the development of this sector and its various business aspects.

Thanks to a continual commitment to organizing important events and its strategic location, South Tyrol proves to be a fruitful platform for contacts between Italian businesses and those beyond the Alps.
Gian Franco Kasper, President of the International Ski Federation (FIS) also agrees with this and has lent his thoughts on this: “The specialized „Prowinter“ fair is an ideal launching pad which allows ideas, information and experiences to be exchanged and shared between those within the sector, while at the same time facilitating agents within the sector to establish new contacts and make business deals in the commercial and sports sector. The numerous awards conferred to athletes convey emotions and give a sense of honor to their performances throughout the winter. Various international level sports events take place in South Tyrol, especially those for winter sports. Due to this very reason Bolzano is the ideal place for this specialized exhibition, „Prowinter“. The FIS wishes all its participants to have a good and successful exhibition”. The International Ski Federation will once again show and strengthen its support at „Prowinter 2011“ with the awarding of the FIS OC Award, which will allow them to bring the to the forefront the true value of these two shows within the exhibition world for sectors specialized in technology and winter sports.

The eleventh edition of „Prowinter“ will be held at the Bolzano Fair at the end of the winter season to once again confirm its position as a network leader in the sports industry on a national and international level. From 13 to 15 April, 2011 Bolzano Fair expects to have over 250 exhibitors visiting from over 15 different countries to participate in the fair and present their latest products to an international audience. For the 2009 edition, when „Prowinter“ was held without „Alpitec“, the international event for Alpine and winter technology which takes place every two years and just on even years, about 5,500 qualified operators attended the fair.

Event Date: 13-15 April 2011
Event location: Exhibition area of Bolzano 
Hours of operation: Wednesday and Thursday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Friday From 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Entrance: Reserved to operators
Ticket cost: 10 Euros; 50% discount for online registration

For further information: www.prowinter.it

Alice Camellini                         
Prowinter Foreign Press Office c/o Fruitecom                             
+39-059-7863894 

Cristina Pucher 
Fiera Bolzano Spa Press Office 
+39-0471-516012

The new 2010/2011 season has opened with a fresh, soft layer of powder that has blanketed the peaks of the Alps these past few weeks. In just a few days Pool Italia and the World Cup season will be in full swing as the ski world gears up to hit the slopes, all the while the „Prowinter“ exhibition at the Bolzano Fair will be being organized and set into action on a grand scale. The international exhibition for pro athletes, winter rentals and services is set to take place from the 13 to the 15 April 2011 in Bolzano (South Tyrol/Italy). 

Bolzano, 15 November 2010 – „Prowinter“ has once again reaffirmed its partnership with the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Gardena (Saslong Classic) for the 43rd edition of the show this year. The famous event, which will feature a World Cup Super G and a downhill race (17 and 18 December, 2010) will take place alongside many other events that will lend to creating a festive spirit with the local community as well as the participating athletes and a full crowd. Saslong Classic has long contributed to the fame of South Tyrol, the nerve center for winter sports, just as „Prowinter“ has also long promoted the development of this sector and its various business aspects.

Thanks to a continual commitment to organizing important events and its strategic location, South Tyrol proves to be a fruitful platform for contacts between Italian businesses and those beyond the Alps.
Gian Franco Kasper, President of the International Ski Federation (FIS) also agrees with this and has lent his thoughts on this: “The specialized „Prowinter“ fair is an ideal launching pad which allows ideas, information and experiences to be exchanged and shared between those within the sector, while at the same time facilitating agents within the sector to establish new contacts and make business deals in the commercial and sports sector. The numerous awards conferred to athletes convey emotions and give a sense of honor to their performances throughout the winter. Various international level sports events take place in South Tyrol, especially those for winter sports. Due to this very reason Bolzano is the ideal place for this specialized exhibition, „Prowinter“. The FIS wishes all its participants to have a good and successful exhibition”. The International Ski Federation will once again show and strengthen its support at „Prowinter 2011“ with the awarding of the FIS OC Award, which will allow them to bring the to the forefront the true value of these two shows within the exhibition world for sectors specialized in technology and winter sports.

The eleventh edition of „Prowinter“ will be held at the Bolzano Fair at the end of the winter season to once again confirm its position as a network leader in the sports industry on a national and international level. From 13 to 15 April, 2011 Bolzano Fair expects to have over 250 exhibitors visiting from over 15 different countries to participate in the fair and present their latest products to an international audience. For the 2009 edition, when „Prowinter“ was held without „Alpitec“, the international event for Alpine and winter technology which takes place every two years and just on even years, about 5,500 qualified operators attended the fair.

Event Date: 13-15 April 2011
Event location: Exhibition area of Bolzano
Hours of operation: Wednesday and Thursday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Friday From 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Entrance: Reserved to operators
Ticket cost: 10 Euros; 50% discount for online registration

For further information: www.prowinter.it

Alice Camellini                         
Prowinter Foreign Press Office c/o Fruitecom                             
+39-059-7863894 

Cristina Pucher 
Fiera Bolzano Spa Press Office 
+39-0471-516012