The shop of the San Marino Pavilion is one of the aspects most appreciated by visitors at Expo 2020 Dubai
The first three months of Expo 2020 Dubai have passed and a few days after the official turning point of the event, the San Marino Pavilion exceeds 110 thousand visitors, revealing itself among the most popular Thematic District Pavilions for its attractions and for the enthusiasm of volunteers, the beating heart of a small but rich in content pavilion.
Furthermore, in recent weeks there has been a significant interest and increase in sales in the shop area, finally at full capacity and presented at its best by the second group of San Marino boys who have recently landed in Dubai to live the experience of Expo, which thanks to the training program carried out in San Marino on the products selected for sale and reserved for all volunteers, they also took up the baton as shop assistant of the previous group. Unlike other states, even larger ones, the San Marino shop area boasts a very diversified sample of items with a high percentage of “Made in San Marino” products. This peculiar aspect certainly has the primary objective of enhancing the productive realities of the territory and giving them the opportunity to present to the whole world as the flagship of the Republic.
The very first items to be sold out in the shop were the magnets and mugs / mugs made by hand by the Barbò Ceramica cooperative, an important San Marino company committed to the social inclusion of its workers. The use of the coat of arms of San Marino, combined with the history and purpose that the cooperative has set itself, encouraged visitors to choose one of these objects as a souvenir to take with them to remember the Titan. The protagonist of the Barbò collection is the official jug dedicated to Expo 2020 Dubai, entirely hand-decorated and in a limited and numbered edition, an exemplary reproduction of the San Marino jug made in the early 1930s by E. Casali, chosen and as trait of ‘union between Expo Milano 2015 and Expo Dubai 2020. As a testimony of typicality and a symbol of San Marino craftsmanship, the pitcher is given as a special tribute to illustrious guests of the Pavilion.
The sales of San Marino handicraft pieces are also successful in the small pieces of furniture handmade by the carpenter Paolo Zonzini with waste materials of damaged furniture and recovered fragments. In each project, the challenge is to create a unique piece and keep the color and shade of the wood in its natural state.
Part of the shop is also dedicated to clothing: for sale sweatshirts, t-shirts, caps both the official ones of the San Marino Pavilion and made by Pielle Italia according to sustainable production processes and those created ad hoc by the Grand Hotel San Marino with a completely new and contemporary. Among the merchandising items, the official kit of the San Marino Giuoco Calcio Federation could not be missing, especially welcome football fans who do not want to miss the opportunity of the team uniform of one of the most countries in the world to participate in the UEFA Champions League.
A confirmation is certainly the all-San Marino company Marlù Gioielli, which, thanks to the ever-changing collections, anticipates trends and tells with style what changes, proving that it also knows how to touch the sensibilities of the Arab world. The most popular items are bracelets, earrings, pendants, charms, necklaces with the presence of crystals and the collections with the sun and the moon, symbols similar to the Arab world.
Like every Expo, curiosity and appreciation for San Marino Philately and Numismatics are maintained. The Philatelic and Numismatic Office, after the issues for Expo Shanghai 2010 and Milan 2015, in fact created a philatelic issue dedicated to Expo Dubai 2020, in particular to the emblem of the San Marino Pavilion or an illustration in gold-like foil inspired by the fibula a eagle shape, a gota masterpiece that belonged to the Domagnano jewelery shop and found in San Marino in 1893. Present within the same, in addition to the philately with the selected issues and linked to the themes of Expo Dubai 2020, also some types of coins such as those dedicated to the Institute for Social Security during the first year of the pandemic, those dedicated to the anniversary of the first man on the moon, to biodiversity and to the Earth and its resources.
In the shop of the San Marino pavilion there is also no shortage of pieces of great value presented by two historic Titan companies: the Klepto artistic jewelery which exhibits in Dubai small sculptures to be worn specifically for Expo 2020, in pure yellow and white gold enriched with precious gems. Visitors are very attracted to it, especially local ones. Arzilli jewelry with its elegant creations, one above all the classic jacket brooch with the coat of arms of the Republic of San Marino handmade in silver, yellow gold and news for Expo Dubai, in pink gold, perfect purchase for those who want to indulge a precious little souvenir. For those who prefer pearls, the San Marino Pavilion shop presents the Seventeen Seconds line by Little Constellation in silver and natural pearls. Little Constellation is a project curated by Pier Paolo Giovagnoli, focused on artistic productions based on contemporary sculpture techniques. Not only jewels but also works of art, books, catalogs and a project room in the Serravalle castle where exhibitions related to various network initiatives are organized.
In the section of the shop dedicated to food, the culinary delights of the Terra di San Marino Consortium are inevitable. 100% organic oil and honey are certainly the items sold at the moment, but interest and curiosity are also growing for the zucchini cream, the Lab.301 pasta with local grains, the essential oils of Ghenea Essethials. The delicacies of the Serenissima could not be missing as an enogastronomic testimony of the territory, one above all the irreplaceable Chocolate-flavored Tre Monti Cake. Not to be underestimated is the new pistachio version which has been successful, especially during the moments of meeting and tasting with guests in the VIP lounge of the Pavilion.
In the food area, sales are also on the rise for coffee blends in different formats and packaging, all rigorously eco-sustainable, products of the company based in Magikaffé, the company based in the castle of Acquaviva, which produces and distributes coffee and drinks also in capsules, pods and customized packaging. The creations of Rubigo, another Cooperative that hand-printed fabrics using ancient techniques, typical of San Marino artistic craftsmanship, arouse some interest.
Sara Conti, sales manager of the Pavilion states: “Despite a difficult start, due to problems relating to the customs clearance of some goods in the UAE state, we can still see a significant recovery on sales.
The first quarter therefore ends with a positive balance and even the brands that arrived later have already recorded several sold out products. This edition of Expo 2020 Dubai, compared to previous editions, has seen from the beginning a considerably higher number of visitors, both together and at the same time as our Pavilion. As a result, our store also registered numerous presences and sales are constantly growing. Furthermore, it should be noted that despite the distance between San Marino and Dubai, we were able to have in our shop all the more items even than the selection notice issued by the Commissioner in October 2020 which allowed us to discover new and interesting realities and to confirm our presence. of the historic companies of the area. At the end of all this, we can therefore only look forward to the next few months with enthusiasm: the prospect is to keep the sales hand pointing upwards and to allow thousands of visitors, coming from all over the world, to discover and appreciate our Republic, also through the typical products that represent it, with the aim of leaving a good memory of us and of the experience spent in the San Marino Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai “.
Press release
General Government Commissioner for the 2020 Universal Exhibition in Dubai