Meeting and Exchanging Ideas To Collaborate and Grow Together

17 December 2024 Off By Facto Edizioni

/ At the close of the 2024 Giostra Meeting, on Nov. 4 and 7 CNA Padova and Rovigo organized in Bergantino (Rovigo) a round-table discussion entitled “Technical Standards for Ride Manufacturers: Problems, Opportunities, Solutions” and the “Funfairs, a Business: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” conference /

For many years now, Italian CNA Padova and Rovigo trade association, with the support of the Venice Rovigo Chamber of Commerce, VenicePromex, the Veneto Region, and local institutions, has been committed to promoting and enhancing the Rides District located among the municipalities of Bergantino, Calto, and Melara in the Rovigo area. This district is a jewel of the territory and an international reference point for the parks & attractions industry.

Among the promotional activities, the annual ‘Rides Meeting’ incoming program stands out.

This year it took place from mid-October through early November and included several events. Last October, in our magazine, we reported about the visit of international buyers hosted in the Rovigo area for several days and taken on factory tours to get an ‘inside look’ at various companies in the District. We also covered the Golden Pony^® Awards gala held on October 22 at the Bergantino municipal auditorium, where our magazine honored 10 outstanding amusement parks from as many countries.

In addition to these initiatives, this year the event included workshops for companies and traveling show operators, to address a number of relevant issues affecting several sectors at the same time. “Technical Standards for Ride Manufacturers: Problems, Opportunities, Solutions” was a round table that took place on November 4. “Funfairs, a Business: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” was the title of a conference that took place 3 days later.

The round table speakers, appearing before an audience of more than a dozen ride manufacturing companies, included Gianni Chiari (ANCASVI technical secretary) and Simone Bernardini (founder of Extreme Analyses Engineering), 2 leading experts in attraction safety who are also members of the European technical committees that contributed to writing the current European regulations on this topic. The subjects addressed were varied and highly technical: for example, the lifespan of a ride based on the number of operating cycles according to European regulations; differences between Italy and other countries in managing a ride’s maintenance logbook; the testing process and who performs it; ride maintenance and NDT (Non-Destructive Testing); the Italian May 18, 2007 Ministerial Decree (which sets safety requirements for traveling shows) and how it should be updated; DRA risk analysis and the OiRA software for occupational safety of mobile attraction operators; and the need for training traveling showmen given the increasing complexity of attractions (e.g., in software and PLC systems).

The conference “Funfairs, a Business: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”, instead, provided an opportunity to take stock of the situation for traveling showmen. They were given voice, and their concerns were heard regarding the numerous problems they face with municipalities in carrying out their profession. Chief among these are the issues related to permits and the required documentation, as well as the ongoing marginalization of moving funfairs away from city centers to peripheral areas that are often poorly served and sometimes even degraded.

In this regard, the virtuous, countertrend example presented by Paola Bordilli, Councilor for Commerce of the Municipality of Genoa, had positive reactions. She illustrated the project to revitalize the long-disused Ponte Parodi area – located in Genoa’s city center, in the Old Port area, not far from the Galata Maritime Museum and the Genoa Aquarium. Starting in 2023, the municipality decided to move the city’s historic funfair there (for its traditional winter edition, and also in a summer edition). This initiative stems from the conviction that family-friendly attractions and healthy entertainment create a strong draw and enhance the area. The numbers show that the idea works: 280,000 visitors attended Winter Park 2023, and about 170,000 attended Summer Park 2024!

The conference saw a significant turnout, confirming the relevance of the issues addressed: more than 100 operators from all over Italy and the presence of the main trade associations, namely SNISV CISL (represented by National Secretary Vincenzo D’Amelio and Interregional Secretary Luciano Villani), SNAV CGIL, ANESV AGIS (with National President Ferdinando Uga), ANSVA (with National President Ginetto Puglié), UNESV (represented by President Salvatore Speciale), UNAV (with National President Gianluca Colonati), and the Associazione Giostre Rom (AGR) represented by Isabella Petrucci.

There was also a strong presence of authorities, including Giampaolo Bottacin, Councilor of the Veneto Region; Yuri Trombetti, Chair of the Heritage and Housing Policies Commission of Rome Capital; Angela Travagli, Councilor for Labor Policies and Traveling Shows of the Municipality of Ferrara; representatives of the Migrantes Foundation; and the Vice President of CNA Padova and Rovigo, Mariano Donegà.

The presence of institutions allowed for a serious and constructive dialogue, with the presentation of proposals and possible solutions, and the decision to set up a common working group. The representatives also committed to scheduling another meeting in 2025 to carry forward the ideas discussed and initiated at this year conference.

The Bergantino Historic Museum of the Carousel also took part in the event, presenting “Il venditore di illusioni. Storia di Gustavo Cottino” (“The Seller of Illusions. The Story of Gustavo Cottino”), a book by Valerio Prina that pays tribute to Gustav Cotin, a dynamic funfair impresario and gentleman-showman who passed away in 2010 at almost 90 years old, and was an unforgettable figure in the history of Italy’s traveling shows.

The Museum of the Carousel also awarded special prizes named in its honor to notable Italian figures in the fairgrounds world: Vincenzo La Scala, Luigi del Pietro, Massimo Piccaluga, Floriano Ravelli, and Roberto Formaggia. These 5 operators were recognized as excellent representatives of their category, whether for their personal histories, their passion, or their involvement in industry associations.