The Florence Association Centre is designed to attract and support both Italian and international associations wishing to establish an operational base in the city. The goal is to streamline event organisation in Florence and the Metropolitan City, while fostering the growth of local scientific communities.
Promoted by Fondazione Destination Florence, in collaboration with the City of Florence and the Metropolitan City of Florence, the Florence Association Centre will offer incoming associations financial incentives, advanced services, and access to a high-level relational ecosystem. These include a one-time contribution for business development and communication projects, operational support from a dedicated team, business development activities, incentive plans for events, and use of venues at Firenze Fiera.
The project also includes institutional networking opportunities with the University of Florence, local research centres and hospitals, as well as access to the City’s Advisory Board, a network of prominent institutional and academic leaders who act as international “ambassadors” for Florence.
“Through this initiative, we welcome national and international associations of excellence, aiming to create a dynamic ecosystem that connects skills, institutions, and communities. Florence thus becomes an open lab of innovation and knowledge. This is a concrete step toward a high-quality, high-value-added tourism model.”
– Laura Masi, President of Fondazione Destination Florence
This initiative is the first of its kind in Italy and leverages Florence’s exceptional ability to engage its academic and scientific fabric to attract high-profile conferences. The city boasts a 90% success rate in securing international congress bids.
A clear example is the involvement of Fondazione Destination Florence Ambassador Prof. Rino Rappuoli, a world-renowned microbiologist and pioneer in vaccine research. He was among the key promoters of the conference “Microbial Biodiversity as a Tool to Face the Challenges of the Global Era,” held today in Florence. During the event, the first association to join the Florence Association Centre was established: the ICYGMN Society (International Conference on Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology) – the oldest and most prominent global scientific community focused on microbiology, cell biology, and yeast genetics. Due to recent funding cuts from the U.S. administration, the association has chosen to relocate its headquarters from Washington to Florence.
