The exhibition activity until the XXI century

During the Sixties the participation of Barilla in a wider and wider number of exhibitions, reduces somehow the “uniqueness” that had characterized these interventions since the Twenties, but on the other hand, brings to the realization of high quality level setting ups, always linked to current expositional standards.

With the approaching of the Seventies and even more in the Eighties, the Company, after getting a strong market leadership, tends to select more precisely its own exhibition interventions, partially emptied from the motivation of the beginning in order to restrict the participation to the main international and national exhibitions.

The expositions, which at the beginning of the Company history represented an important opportunity of promotion for the original target of small business owners, with the evolution of the market towards the affirmation of branded products and large retailers, they mostly assume an “institutional” role for Barilla.

The stands created since 1985 at Cibus, the International Food Show held every two years in the pavilions at Parma Ente Fiere have to be considered according to this point of view.

In this context, special mention is due to the two set ups of 1994 and 1996 aiming at celebrating, with documentary expositions, a century of advertising communication of Barilla Pasta and Mulino Bianco twentieth anniversary.
In 1994 the architect Guido Canali projects a refined stand-museum on a 400 m2 surface, that, next to a small break and product exposition areas, proposes a double level path rich in precious historical and original images. Affiches, calendars, packaging and models, Caroselli and advertising films. The philological reconstruction of the Erberto Carboni’s Totem of 1955 is particularly remarkable and so is the parallel publication of the volume One hundred years of advertising and communication edited by the Barilla Historical Archive.

In 1996 the bright staging of the Bologna Publistand places the historic exposition area of the 20 years path of Mulino Bianco beside a wide walking and break area with the presentation of new product and of enterprise communication. It is possible to admire in this way, in small and refined windows, prototypes of the first biscuits, precious as jewels, the studies of the Brand, the evolution of the advertising, the films from the farm epic to the Family of the Mill, the most meaningful and successful promotions.

In 1998 Barilla, with the precise idea of strengthening the life of the Brand and the importance of its historical experience placed at the Consumer service, proposes, with the project of the architects Alberto Bordi, Sauro Rossi and Marco Zarotti the reconstruction on 200 m2 surface of the super elegant shop of via Cavour. This space, which today doesn’t exist anymore, was designed in 1928 by the architect Mario Bacciocchi (Fiorenzuola, 1902 – Milano 1974) with rich and refined woods with decorations and Murano glasses. By the side of the old and prestigious staging, recreated by the expert hands of Ruggero and Andrea Monica, two break area has been opened with the exposition of the production and two “visual greenhouses” which consent the simultaneous projection on several sides and levels of images and films of the Company.

The most recent realizations, for the choice of themes and the value of the projects, are to be collocated, in the current of high quality, which has always distinguished the participation of Barilla in exhibitions, that at the doors of the XXI century is more and more oriented towards the international market.