English
Italiano
1929 + 2019 = 90. Yes indeed, we have reached a very important milestone for the company, and now we are wondering how – and above all why – we should celebrate it.
Let’s start with the “why”: we looked up the Italian word evento in the dictionary. Here’s what we found:
/ɪˈvɛnt/
noun
1. Afact or incident that has already occurred or that may occur, usually significant to an objective or subjective situation: to judge by events; to await events; to challenge events, to face danger and adversity with great courage; memorable event, a fact or occurrence of great importance, worthy of being remembered.
In our case the most fitting example is the last one: a fact or occurrence of great importance, worthy of being remembered.
Naturally, for all of us, the company’s ninety years are filled with so much history, in particular for the family, and so much light. A light that has brightened almost a century of moments, places and people that at different times and in different ways have contributed to create the Rossini (Illuminazione) we all know today.
So why celebrate? First of all, as an acknowledgement of those who first believed in the idea of starting their own business, and who carried on despite everything, including the war. So our thanks go to Otello Rossini, who on 4 October 1929 moved from the Veneto region to Milan and set up his trade, which within a few years became a store on via Melzo, with the first Murano artistic lamps.
Our thanks to Eugenio Rossini, and his cousin Angelo, who took up the reins and gave the “firm” new impetus, expanding its spaces, products and figures before handing the business on to Ruggero Rossini, Angelo’s son. To be followed by the new generations… but we’ll come to that later.
There are numerous reasons for our desire to celebrate this event. For example, we would like to view our Ninetieth as a starting point and not as the finishing line at the end of the race… That would be all too predictable, and would limit the plans, dreams and ideas that still drive us on. We see the concept of Ninetieth on a different level, not only as a piece of history for a museum, but as a push towards total and constant updating. If we were to talk about the result of so many years in business and the fortunes of three generations in increasingly particular markets, we might use this word: awareness.
Awareness is another important reason why: all that history, patiently built, bit by bit, today leads to a clearer, shared vision; the ideas are more defined, the vision broader, the choices, while they may not always be winning ones, all contribute to moving forward, learning from each lesson. This is clear to those leading the Group today: Elisa, Dario and Marco, a remarkable case of division of roles and competences between siblings, and an average age that has at times surprised people: “I never imagined you were so young!” It is thanks to them, too, that the Group is now so strongly immersed in the reality of the market, without ever forgetting the roots that are fortunately still deeply felt. It is these roots that lead us to think of our Ninetieth year as a watershed between the years spent “fine-tuning” a complex organization and the present, where each pawn is positioned – almost – perfectly.
So, having established that this 90th anniversary must be dynamic, and never self-congratulatory, open to all of our world and very meaningful, what official name should we give it? What does the number 90 bring to mind? So many things! It is the highest number in the Italian Lotto, and we find it in astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, leisure and sport… the number 90 is always present, and it always has a precise meaning. But then we thought about the constant issuing of new updates in the digital sphere, and “Nine Point Zero” seemed like a great way to represent the link with research, technology and the future. From a static number to a dynamic one, destined to change, along with the Rossini brand and all it represents.
Come applicare quindi il concetto 9.0 alle attività dell’anno/anniversario? Con un progetto visivo che ci accompagnerà per tutto il 2019 negli eventi istituzionali, come Euroluce, e nella comunicazione social e commerciale interna ed esterna. Per prima cosa abbiamo voluto dedicare un marchio speciale all’anniversario, che potesse connotare un po’ tutto attraverso i numeri delle date. Poi abbiamo disegnato, non senza fatica data la mole di materiale, un percorso composto da tante tessere che (non necessariamente in ordine cronologico perché ci si dilungherebbe forse troppo), alla fine daranno un quadro dei momenti salienti a beneficio di chi è un po’ curioso e vuole conoscere non solo i fatti ma anche qualche aneddoto e qualche curiosità.
So how do we apply the 9.0 concept to the activities for this year/anniversary? With a visual project that will accompany us throughout 2019, at institutional events like Euroluce, and in our social media and commercial communications, both internally and externally. First off, we decided to create a special anniversary logo that would contain and convey everything using the key dates. Then we designed an exhibition trail, which was quite a challenging task considering the mass of material. It is made up of different puzzle pieces (not necessarily in chronological order to avoid making it too long), which all together give a snapshot of the key moments, for the benefit of those who are curious and wish to read a few anecdotes and interesting asides as well as the concrete facts.
For example, on social media, we will issue one piece after another, until we reach the final date, which will culminate in a veritable autumn festival, an opportunity to get together with colleagues, friends, clients and suppliers, partners and – why not – even some of our more stimulating competitors. Our website will include a dedicated section, where we will gradually put together all the stages in the journey through the Rossini world, with the recurring theme of our Milanese history and identity, because Milan was and is the city of reference for the Rossini family and its business: without forgetting their original roots, it was in Milan that they found the ideas and pace of life that enabled them to grow. And what is our means of transport on this metaphorical journey? A classic Milanese tram, of course! Still intact and handsome as ever after almost a century running along the tracks, to the rhythm of its unmistakable bell.
