RTP2010 Awarded

Antonio Tajani vice-President European Commission
and Carlo Longo, President of Chamber of Commerce of Prato

Four years have passed since the conception of ‘Rethink- ing the Product’, a creative experience that has seen
the creation of 100 inno- vative prototypes by the same number of companies specialized in various sec- tors. Distinguished by their original design, these prod- ucts re-think tradition from a different point of view. From Shanghai and Tokyo, to Moscow and London, they have been launched, step by step, on key interna- tional markets during high level events. Such are the results generated by this noteworthy project created by Prato’s Chamber of Com- merce. It has developed into a winning practice that’s made-to-measure for the Europe context.

The European Commission recognized the success of this laboratory aimed at innovation, networking and international marketing, by honoring the project during the European Enterprise Awards this year (2011). The ‘Rethinking the Product’ formula won its ‘Oscar’ in the ‘Supporting the Inter- nationalization of Business’ category, which spotlights good practices sustaining the internationalization of companies. The award was given in May, during a lovely awards ceremony held in the halls of the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. During the evening, Vice President of the European Commission, Antonio Tajani, handed the notable award over to Carlo Longo, President of Prato’s Chamber of Commerce.

The European Enterprise Awards were established by the European Commission to honor top projects valorizing companies within European Union countries. ‘We have selected good practices that apply the principles of the Small Business Art in Europe,’ Tajani affirmed. ‘It’s a series of concrete examples and ideas that facilitate the start- up, management and devel- opment of small enterprises, making European society increasingly resourceful and based on fair trade’. ‘Rethink- ing the Product’ was the only Italian project to be called upon by the International panel of judges to be one of 12 finalists for the European Enterprise Awards 2011, after a selection process that saw the participation of 399 projects from all over Europe.