This year’s Convention of Glass Associations was held on 6th-7th June on the glassmaking island of Murano, Italy with 15 associations in attendance from all around the globe.

The second convention was held at the Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro (SSV) and organised by Vitrum and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).

Organiser and Vitrum President, Dino Zandonella Necca, said: “This is a fantastic venue and I’m very happy that we can communicate the history and the future of the glass industry.

“I’d like to thank the Italian Trade Agency who is responsible for this.

“The Italian Trade Agency views the glass industry in Italy as one of its most important industries.

“We [usually] have nearly 48% foreign and 52% Italian visitors.

“China was one of the biggest countries present at Vitrum, then Germany and Spain.

“We think Vitrum would be a good meeting point for the associations.”

Each association gave a 10-minute presentation outlining the role of their organisation as well as the challenges and opportunities they face.

A particularly interesting presentation was by the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) about security and safety glazing. The presentation covered how we could minimise the risks in built up areas from terrorists, incidents, natural disasters and man made tragedies. Key points included the education of governments, house builders and homeowners.

Associations that participated in the two-day event included GIMAV, VDMA, Abravidro, AGGA, Steklosouz, ATIV, the International Commission on Glass and Glass for Europe.

On the second day, an activity included an art demonstration by the glass artist and 'perlera', Lisette A. Caputo of Maison Lisette Murano. Ms Caputo practises the ancient Venetian artisan tradition of making glass beads for necklaces, bracelets and other jewellery.

The associations then had a follow-up discussion of what has happened in the year since the last conference and what the goals were before the next meeting. Topics included technical and production standardisation, education and training, history and culture, energy and environmental stewardship.

The event also included a visit to the Holy See Pavilion, San Giorgio Church and Le Stanze del Vetro, a prestigious gallery-museum dedicated to the history and culture of glass processing from the early 1900s, on the island of San Giorgio.

Pictured: Laura Biason, Director of GIMAV (left), Dino Zandonella Necca, President of Vitrum, (middle) and Stefano Manoli, Director of SSV (right)