The EcoNOImia Festival in Cortona was created with a clear goal: to establish a concrete point of contact between the world of education, businesses, and institutions. A shared space where discussion is not theoretical, but closely connected to what actually happens in local communities. Because when schools, companies, and institutions sit at the same table, the real question is not so much what is done, but why what is done truly matters.
Now in its fourth edition, the EcoNOImia Festival has gradually consolidated its role as a stable platform for dialogue and guidance, capable of bringing the world of education closer to the world of work and providing students with useful tools to understand the dynamics of today’s economy.
On April 14, we took our experience to the Festival stage with Andrea Menci, Group Export & Communication Manager, and Francesca Baiocchi, Marketing Project Assistant. The focus of the talk was “the role of marketing in value creation”—a topic that may appear technical at first glance, but one that touches deeply human, cultural, and territorial dimensions.
Beyond the product: the value you don’t see
We live in an era in which value no longer coincides solely with material goods. The latest data on employment in Italy show a significant mismatch between the skills required by companies and the education provided, one of the main drivers of young talent leaving local areas.
Today, marketing also serves this purpose: making visible what is not immediately tangible. Not selling an object, but the meaning that object holds for those who choose it. This is exactly what we shared with students through concrete examples—ranging from luxury water brands to global companies, all the way to our semi-trailers. Behind every product lies a promise. And behind every promise, a responsibility.
Education and business: speaking the same language
According to the Confindustria Report 2026, more than 50% of young people leaving Italy are graduates, often because they struggle to envision a professional future close to home. The issue does not seem to be a lack of talent, but rather a lack of connections.
The EcoNOImia Festival works precisely in this direction: shortening distances. It brings businesses into schools, but above all, it brings schools into businesses. Listening to students’ questions and engaging with their expectations means building a shared language before the gap becomes too wide.
Marketing as a cultural, not just economic, lever
Marketing is undergoing a profound transformation: increasingly data-driven, yet truly impactful when it succeeds in telling the story that connects product, people, and territory. Even in an industrial sector such as metalworking—where value is generated through complex production processes, technical expertise, and a strong culture of craftsmanship—marketing can become a tool to make visible what often remains behind the scenes.
For a structured manufacturing group like ours, which has been operating for almost a century in the Valdichiana area and throughout Northern Italy, designing and producing semi-trailers, marketing is not separate from the workshop floor. It is an integral part of the industrial process itself. It translates technical know-how, production innovation, and accumulated experience into a narrative that can be understood and shared beyond company boundaries.
In this sense, marketing also becomes a cultural and educational lever. Explaining how value is created—from steel to people, from design to the finished product—helps younger generations see industrial work not as something distant or abstract, but as a tangible construction made of skills, vision, and responsibility. It is a way to bring young people closer to the local manufacturing world, showing that industry is still a space for growth, innovation, and future opportunities.
Investing today to be here tomorrow
The collaboration project with local educational institutions is not a one-off initiative, but part of a long-term vision. A direction our HR department—led by Roberto Fanton, HR Director of both Group plants—is pursuing in a structured way, strengthening and interweaving relationships with schools not only in Cortona, but across the surrounding area. The goal is to build a stable network of dialogue and cooperation, capable of growing over time and generating mutual value.
For us, this means being present, open to dialogue, and ready to step into classrooms to engage directly with students. Telling our story, explaining how we work, which skills are needed today in a manufacturing context like ours—but above all, listening. This is how we approach the future: by talking with young people in the local area, sharing experiences and perspectives, and helping create the conditions for industrial work to remain a conscious, concrete, and locally rooted choice. From dialogue comes trust. From trust, real value takes shape.
