Marking a significant moment in the Italian greeting card sector, the first ever greeting card association has just been founded in Italy.
Spearheaded by Furio Ceciliato, owner of Turin-based greeting card company Origamo, the inaugural meeting of Associazione Italiana Biglietti Augurali (AIBA) has now taken place to officially launch the new association.
“Inspired by the UK GCA I wanted to replicate that in Italy, bringing together the leading greeting card companies of Italy who can join forces to promote greeting card sending here,” Furio told PG Buzz. “I am delighted that this is now happening,” he added.
AIBA held its inaugural meeting (on Zoom) a couple of days ago, attended by representatives of the nine leading greeting card publishing companies in Italy – Akena, Biembi, Cromo, Ekart, Lina, Marpimar, Origamo, Toscana Carte Pregiate and Wonder.
Furio, who is president of AIBA, shared how much of the first meeting was spent finalising the organisation’s logo as well as planning its 2021 activities and supportive tools for their retail customers.
“We created a 2021 calendar for our retailers including reminders of all the festivities and holidays – big, small, famous and unknown. We will also be giving them a poster to help them to enocurage their customers to buy a greeting card for that occasion,” he told PG Buzz.
Certainly going by Furio’s tenacious triumphs, AIBA will become a ‘buono’ force for the good of greeting cards in Italy. Last year his push for the re-opening of card retailers in Italy was arguably his biggest triumph yet.
https://www.pgbuzz.net/card-publishers-plea-to-italian-pm-sees-card-retailers-re-open/
Although AIBA was not then fully formed, Furio wrote to the Italian Government under its guise, successfully campaigning for the right for stationery shops and book shops (both being the prime card stockists in the country) for the right to trade during lockdown on the basis of selling essential items.
Galvanising a sense of solidarity, Furio, together with retail customers and agents created a Facebook group, christened Cartolerie d’Italia, which translates as Stationery Shops of Italy which, in the space of a fortnight saw over 1,000 stationery shops and agents pledge allegiance.
Card and stationery retailers are still able to trade and Furio says there “a little positive feeling for the future. Big Weddings and parties are still not allowed, but the vaccine campaign is bringing a ray of light at the end of the tunnel and the shop owners are moderately optimistic. So, we keep strong and positive for this year!”
Furio is also hoping to forge a “twinning” between the UK GCA and AIBA. “We want to learn a lot from you!” he states.
Once met, never forgotten. Here is the uplifting video message Furio sent to those attending the recent Henries. Click below…
Top: Origamo’s Furio Ceciliato has good reason to celebrate as AIBA has officially launched.
