The 45th edition of the Rimini Meeting will take place from August 20 to 25 at the Rimini Fair with the title "If we are not after the essence, then what are we after?" The event will be rich with roundtables, exhibitions, shows, cultural and sporting initiatives, and activities for young people. It will also be broadcast live on multiple digital channels and in several languages. The program, presented on Monday, July 15, at the Embassy of the Holy See in Italy, is available on this website.

During the official presentation of the program at the Italian Embassy to the Holy See, after the introductory greetings from Ambassador Francesco Di Nitto and speeches by Meeting President Bernhard Scholz and Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, interventions were made by Fabio Pinelli, Vice President of the CSM, Maria Bianca Farina, President of ANIA, and Barbara Marinali, President of ACEA.

"The search for peace is essential, especially at a time like this with the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, where civilians are paying the high price of reckless decisions," said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. "It is essential to put humans at the center and defend an ethical vision on major issues such as artificial intelligence. Essential is the commitment to growth, all central themes of the Italian G7 Presidency, starting with the Trade Ministers meeting in Reggio Calabria in the coming days."

"Essential is what generates a full, free, and responsible life and a fruitful and supportive social life," explained Bernhard Scholz, President of the Meeting Foundation. "The attempted assassination of Donald Trump and some subsequent interpretations have dramatically highlighted the vulnerability of democracy. Against the poisons of hatred, contempt, conspiracy theories, and extreme polarization, the essential antidotes are meeting, dialogue, and confrontation. For this reason, we want to create a Meeting that addresses the great challenges of this historical moment in a climate of mutual respect through the exchange and sharing of experiences and knowledge. The essential is not an austere reduction to the minimum necessary but what makes everything live and flourish, opening up a horizon of meaning for our daily work, for the education of our children, for our commitment to the good of all. At the Meeting, we will present sprouts of reconciliation born amidst wars, encounters that have become workshops of peace."

Fabio Pinelli, Vice President of the CSM, also returned to the theme of the Meeting, recalling that "the essence of justice is represented by the many competent and authoritative Italian magistrates who work daily for the 'good' of the country, prioritizing the dimension of service and the ideal drive inherent in the function over the dimension of power. One of these young magistrates was Rosario Livatino, who will also be remembered during the next edition of the Meeting, certainly for the sacrifice of his young life but also for the model of a magistrate he proposed: a model of 'constitutional magistrate' that speaks to the entire judiciary today, anticipating crucial themes and offering a testimony rich with insights for current reflection."

Each day of the 2024 Meeting will be enriched by contributions from leading personalities from the institutional, cultural, academic, and entrepreneurial world, as well as representatives from the Church and various faiths and cultures. The presentation on the theme of the Meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 21, at 3:00 PM by Adrien Candiard, a French Dominican member of the Institut Dominicain d’études orientales.

Among the institutional presences will be the President of the Constitutional Court Augusto Barbera, Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini, the European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni, CSM Vice President Fabio Pinelli, CNEL President Renato Brunetta, Bank of Italy President Fabio Panetta, and the Parliamentary Intergroup for Subsidiarity.

As always, the numbers of the event are significant. The Rimini Fair will cover an area of about 120,000 square meters, hosting 140 conferences with about 450 Italian and international speakers; there will be 14 exhibitions and 17 shows, many of which will take place in the city's Teatro Galli (tickets are available on the Vivaticket platform). The Yoga Kids Village, spanning 3,700 square meters, has a packed program that includes exhibitions, meetings, shows, and workshops with over a hundred events. The space reserved for the Sports Citadel has more than doubled to over 15,000 square meters, with consolidated collaborations with the Italian Sports Center and Derthona Basket. The significant contribution of volunteers from Italy and around the world is confirmed, with 3,000 volunteers, 60% of whom are under 30 years old.

The number of partner companies for the 2024 Meeting has grown to 180 this year: main partners include Intesa Sanpaolo and Cattolica Generali; official partners include Automobile Club d’Italia, Autostrade per l’Italia, Confagricoltura, Eni, Hines, Invitalia, isybank, Engineering, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Fondazione Ania, Enel, Montello; the official green carrier is Trenitalia, the safety partner is Veronese, the mobility partner is Reggini, and the communication partner is Comin&Partners.

Institutional interest is also significant: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will manage an area dedicated to the theme "There is an Italy that cooperates," while the Meeting's longstanding focus on infrastructure, transport, urban redevelopment, and the environment will be realized in physical spaces with participation from the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Also present at the Fair with their own spaces will be the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Ministry of Education and Merit. The presence of Italian Regions is very significant, with eleven choosing the Meeting this year to promote their institutional activities, especially in the tourism, food and wine, environment, and energy sectors.

Useful information about the event

The Rimini Meeting remains among the very few entirely free trade show and congress events.

Starting from July 15, the conference program was published, while the exhibitions, shows, Kids Village, and Sports Citadel programs have been available since May. Also from July 15, the Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS versions of the Rimini Meeting app have been available for download from Google Play, App Store, and Huawei Store. The app, renewed compared to 2023, is essential for participating in the event as it will allow physical entry to the Fair from August 20 to 25, booking participation in conferences and visits to exhibitions, reading news, and accessing additional content. Like entry and participation, parking (9,000 spaces available) will also be free.

The 45th Rimini Meeting is held under the patronage of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Emilia Romagna Region, and the Municipality of Rimini.