It’s the first time in the history of the awards that an Italian has received the “Oscar” in the sector. The organizers explained, the award is
“for long-term commitment, professionalism, dedication and for pushing innovation beyond borders”.
Ferrari, who was also vice president of Federcongressi & eventi from 2013 to 2017, achieved significant success first in Florence, and then on an Italian level. Since 2010, she has transformed Firenze Convention Bureau from a small consortium with a few partners to a private consortium with over 300 entrepreneurs in the sector and with strong support from local institutions.
In 2015, the new division dedicated to international weddings, Tuscany for Weddings was launched, remaining unique on the national and international scene, and in 2018 Destination Florence joined the fold, expanding to general tourism.
In 2013, supported by large national associations (Federcongressi, Confindustria, Confcommercio and Confesercenti), Ferrari decided to found the Convention Bureau Italia, the first network of companies in tourism. Today, Convention Bureau Italia has become the operational arm of Enit, has over 130 members and represents 3,500 companies, making it a point of reference for the entire national industry and international customers.
Commenting on the award, Ferrari said
"On stage I was truly speechless from how happy and grateful I was for this recognition. In front of me I had the best professionals in the business events and congress industry, as part of a fair with thousands of colleagues and companies from all over the world. I love my job and believe in what I do, which is why such a prestigious international recognition fills my heart with joy and is the best possible result for all that we have achieved together in recent years. Some of my work group knew about this award since 2020, before the pandemic interrupted everything, and I thank them for being able to keep the secret. There are two other aspects that make me proud. The first is that among the various reasons this award was given is due to resilience during the period of Covid, which is really complicated for our sector. There’s also the fact that it’s named after Paul Flackett, co-founder of the IMEX fair together with Ray Bloom, an icon of our world who is sadly no longer with us. Finally, I want to congratulate Patrizia Semprebene Buongiorno: being rewarded together with her is an honour, especially for me given the professional results she has achieved with AIM Group. I am particularly satisfied also because we are the first Italian women to receive an Imex Award and the road to inclusiveness also passes through here".
