The first OOES event takes place September 14-16, 2005, inside the Barilla Center in Parma.An international workshop to stimulate collaboration and exchange of ideas between professionals from the European olive oil production sector.Three days to compare perspectives, to get informed and to learn.

Olive Oil European Style (OOES) is a program that promotes olive oil on the European level. It is particularly interested in engaging new EU member countries which haven't traditionally consumed this important ingredient of the Mediterranean cuisine.

The communication strategy of the OOES is based on a shared and unique reality of the European olive oil production which is distinguished by knowledge, tradition, quality, regional specificities, countryside flavors, history and culture.

Supported by the Institute for Promoting Olive Oil (IVOLI) and by the National Federation for Olive Oil Trade, the OOES has set as its goal to extend European consumers' knowledge of the special characteristics of olive oil and thereby to increase the consumption of this prized and healthy product.

"The present and the future of European olive oil" is the name of a three day program which takes place in the capital of Food Valley - Parma. During this program professionals from the olive oil sector can:

• Compare perspectives - at two forums centered on subjects of great contemporary relevance where the discussion is lead by expert-level scientific and institutional contributions;
• Get informed - through four round table discussions that are guided by the leading protagonists in olive oil production;
• Learn - through eight seminars intended for managers and technical specialists of olive oil producing companies. Subjects include: techniques and technologies, research and innovation, finance, regulations, and many others;
• Network - in specially equipped and personalized areas where participants can exhibit products, and meet clients and suppliers ranging from the initial to the final stages of olive oil production.

The round table discussions engage the most hotly debated themes of today which are discussed by the top experts in the field. Among these themes you will find:
"New countries and new distribution channels" - with Gianluigi Zenti, director of Academia Barilla, and Gomez Moya, president of Spanish export enterprises; "The European system of cooperation" - chaired by Eduardo Baamonte, president of the General Confederation of European Cooperation of the European Union; "Futures & options in the olive oil market" - moderated by Elio Pagnotta, area expert from the prestigious journal Il Sole 24 ore; "Understanding olive oil beyond the product itself: communicating a complex whole" - moderated by Stefano Girotti of the television channel RaiSat Gambero Rosso.

The seminars look into the more technical aspects of olive oil production. For example: "The role of technology in enhancing the quality of olive oil" with professor Paolo Fantozzi, University of Perugia, "The evolution of packaging: a new role in the relations between the industry, the mass-market distribution and the consumers", with Mario Mancini, one of the top experts in the field. Some seminars focus on new, emerging themes, such as "Olive oil - a global product" with Anadela Serra Visconti who illustrates the use of olive oil in nutrition and beauty care, a tradition that goes back to the antiquity.

The two Forums focus on "Olive oil as a lifestyle", conducted by K. Dun Gifford of the Oldways Preservation Fund from Boston, and on "Olive oil as local product and a distinguishing characteristic of Europe: Scenarios for modern consumption patterns," where panelists from the leading Italian and international institutions exchange their views with renown Italian entrepreneurs such as Paolo Barilla and Piero Antinori.