BRUSSELS, Belgium – The charming town of Baveno, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, played host on 16th and 17th October to a two-day celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the EVA, founded in 1994 in Brussels.
The event kicked off with a special edition of the EVA Annual General Meeting (AGM), which showcased the key Association activities throughout 2019. The challenging topics for our industry were explained in detail, including the new requirements under the EU Payment Services Directive 2, the Ecodesign & Energy Labelling Regulations, as well as the Single Use Plastics Directive.
Regarding the later, the President of the French Vending Association (NAVSA) Pierre Albrieux provided latest details of the very stringent plastic cup proposals that could impact on our industry, and the ongoing intensive lobbying campaign there. Furthermore, a new and practical white paper on Office Coffee Service (OCS) outlining explanations and advice on this segment was presented to the Assembly, and is sure to be in demand now it has been officially published. EVA members also elected the new Executive Committee for 2019-2021, with Paolo Ghidotti being re-elected to serve a second term as EVA President, Maurits de Jong as Treasurer, Javier Arquerons as First-Vice-President and Christian Mengus as Vice-President.
Following the AGM, a single Conference was presented by Pierluigi Collina, considered by many to be the best football referee of all time. As a great inspirational speaker, he demonstrated and taught participants about making key decisions under pressure, motivation, and conflict management, filled of course with anecdotes from his career and the life of top-level football referees today. In a very well received speech, the Conference room was filled with participants eager to find out more about his opinions on ‘the beautiful game.’
Ahead of the Gala dinner, Nayax and Ingenico presented their solutions for electronic payment in vending, in two busy 15 minute workshop slots. The Gala evening itself naturally took a celebratory tone as the founding members of the EVA were also acknowledged – namely the UK (AVA), Italian (CONFIDA), German (BDV) and French (NAVSA) Vending Associations, with the first two particularly congratulated for their own 90- and 40-year anniversaries in 2019. We were proud to see many past EVA Presidents and key figures who served and led the Association through the last 25 years able to attend the event and share interesting stories about their tenures, and the evolution of the organization down the years.
The event to mark this momentous occasion was also a celebration of all the innovations within the industry today, and the anticipated ‘Image of Vending’ awards were revealed during the gala dinner. In what turned out to be three very close contests – voted by attendees through the mobile app – we are pleased to announce the following as the 2019 ‘Image of Vending’ Awards winners:
- Customer Initiative of the year: FOODIE’S MicroMarket by Selecta
- Machine of the Year – Ducale City 300 TT by EVOCA
- Payment System of the Year – SELF/2000 End2End payment solution by Ingenico.
The following day, and due to the strategic location in the north of Italy, attendees were able to join organised company visits to either Evoca, Lavazza or 365 Retail Markets, and early feedback indicates that the visits were a great educational opportunity. A relaxing cultural tour of the nearby Borromean islands was also offered, and with the sun shining, participants were able to take in the spectacular vistas of Lake Maggiore.
