Strategies and vision. BTM Italy presents the Scientific Committee of the 2026 edition

Behind every great event there is always a prospective vision, and that of BTM Italy takes shape thanks to the work of its Scientific Committee, a group of professionals who outline strategic lines by combining skills, research, and passion for the future of tourism.

A crossroads of ideas, trends, paths, strategies, and proposals of undeniable quality, the BTM Italy format – Business Tourism Management involves key players in the sector: outgoing and incoming operators, businesses, start-ups, exhibitors, hospitality professionals, sellers, buyers, entities, institutions, tour operators, travel agents, airlines and shipping companies, event and wedding planners, food and wine professionals, bloggers, and journalists.

Everyone participates in the BTM Italy community, weaving the threads of a journey made of knowledge and new visions developed through the program curated by Mary Roberta Rossi, BTM Event Manager, together with the Scientific Committee. And, in this sense, this year the event renews its partnership with renowned professionals of international fame, coming from various academic and business fields, called to be part of the prestigious Advisory Board so that every sector of the event is supported by solid and updated skills: from digital trends to slow tourism, from destination strategy to food and cultural enhancement. We present them to you, going beyond a simple list of names, but highlighting, if necessary, the depth of the know-how of each of them, sector by sector.

·        Destination Strategy

Beppe Giaccardi – Founder and CEO of Studio Giaccardi & Associati, expert in planning and development of tourist destinations, research plans, business innovation models, and training projects. A long-standing member of the Scientific Committee of BTM Italy (since 2018). He contributes, with strategic vision and consolidated skills, to the design of tourist destinations. Over 30 years of experience in marketing and management of tourist destinations; coordinates projects for ENIT and DMO start-ups. Consultant since 1985, founder and CEO of Studio Giaccardi & Associati, he has developed plans and projects throughout Italy, with an open approach to international comparison. He coordinates the “Climate-sensitive Tourism” project of ENIT Spa and is the project leader of the DMO Venice Start-up Plan. A strategic mind looking towards the future of destinations.

·        Innovation & Trends

Edoardo Colombo – Consultant for new technologies for public administrations and businesses; President of Turismi.ai; expert in AI, blockchain, and digital innovation applied to tourism; Advisory Board member of BTO Florence and Turismo Italiae. An expert in innovation for public administrations and businesses, he is President of Turismi.ai, a member of the Advisory Board of the European Capital of Smart Tourism of the European Commission and the Smart Tourism Task Force of the global Smart Cities Council. Author of “More Tourism for Everyone?” (Egea) and “Tourism MegaTrend” (Hoepli), advisor to Carraro Lab and on the board of Trentino Holidays, he coordinates Turismo Italiae of Cultura Italiae. An authoritative voice that combines innovative vision and project concreteness for the future of digital tourism.

·        Digital Tourism

Giulia Eremita – Expert in digital marketing in tourism, lecturer and journalist; she led the Italian launch of trivago; coordinates Digital & Innovation themes for BTO - Be Travel Onlife in Florence; speaker and lecturer at Italian universities. With her experience, she contributes to bringing innovation and international vision to digital tourism. A digital marketing professional in tourism, in recent years she has been engaged as a communication officer with the MEDSEA Foundation on environmental, sea, and sustainability issues, including in tourism. She is also personally involved in creating gender and generational balance among speakers in the panels and courses she organizes.

·        Culture & Tourism

Martha Friel - Associate Professor at IULM University in Milan, teaches economics and management of culture and cultural tourism. She is involved in research, design, and training in Italy and abroad, focusing on creative industries and cultural development models. She is a senior fellow of the Santagata Foundation for the Economy of Culture. Every year she brings an interdisciplinary and in-depth perspective on the relationship between culture and tourism. An authoritative voice that intertwines academic knowledge and concrete project planning for the future of cultural tourism.

·        Big Data & Digital Strategies

Rodolfo Baggio – Lecturer in Tourism Analytics and Digital Strategies, Research Fellow at the Dondena center (Bocconi University); expert in complex systems and digital transformations applied to tourism; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; awarded the Tourism and Technology Lifetime Achievement Award by IFITT. His research focuses on the transformations that information technologies have introduced in the tourism sector, with particular attention to complex systems and networks, applying analysis and simulation models to tourist destinations. He has published several books and over a hundred articles for international conferences and scientific journals.

·        Food and Wine and Territory Enhancement

Michele Bruno – Medical Director at the “PET and Nuclear Medicine” Center in Brindisi, combines his professional activity with a deep passion for food and wine. In 1992 he became part of the Slow Food world. Through his activities, he contributes to enhancing the food and wine and tourism heritage of Puglia: he coordinates the “Buon Paese” project, identifies products that will become Slow Food Presidia, and collaborates in the creation of tourist and gastronomic guides for Slow Food, Lonely Planet, and the Espresso Restaurant Guide. He coordinates significant events in Puglia, Italy, and abroad. In 2014 he founded the PugliaExpò association, of which he is President, supporting public administrations and local realities in the planning of cultural and food and wine events. Since 2000, he has conceived and coordinated the Mercatino del Gusto di Maglie.

The Scientific Committee of BTM Italy is not just a list of authoritative names, but the engine that defines the quality, strategy, and strength of the event. Thanks to the skills of its advisors, and thanks to the work of Mary Rossi, who leads the selection of content, each edition becomes a precious treasure trove to draw from, a unique opportunity for in-depth exploration, confirming itself as a hub where ideas intersect, trends are anticipated, and opportunities are created for professionals and operators in a path of shared growth. 

BTM Italy February 25-26-27, 2026

Bari - Fiera del Levante

ri~genera