Do you want to discover how the AEGEE Fair will look like at Spring Agora Bergamo? In that case you are reading the right article. The AEGEEan interviewed the organisers to show you how the next fair will look like, its scenario, its protagonists and also what kind of work lies behind all the preparation. To gather all this information two people have been interviewed: Salvo Schillaci, Fair Manager for the Public Relations Committee (PRC) and Lisa Gregis, Agora Fair responsible for AEGEE-Bergamo.

Salvo Schillaci, Member of AEGEE-Catania and PRC Fair Manager.

The AEGEEan: Many participants of Agora Bergamo probably know what the AEGEE Fair is, but not all of them. So, what is a fair and, in your opinion, which are the main reasons of organising it?

Salvo: Can you imagine a place where you’re able to meet the most active AEGEEans? Well, I do and its name is the AEGEE Fair. The fair is the place where you find the actual core of AEGEE with all its projects, committees, coordination teams and working groups. A brand new world of perspectives and possibilities where you can enrich you cultural background. This is the meaning it has to me, since the very first moment I joined the organisation. At my first Agora in Patra, I didn’t know the European greatness that lies behind AEGEE-Europe, but when I saw this world in front of me I was astonished. It was incredible and then when I realised that I could be part of it…Well, you know the rest of the story!

Who is the Fair Manager and the people involved in its organisation?

Salvo: The Fair Manager is the bridge between those who want to join the fair, which means the bodies, and the fair itself, the landmark for all those who want to say something about the fair. The Fair Manager actively collaborates with the Fair Responsible of the hosting antenna, prevents any problem and ensure the success of the event. This year I’ve been lucky, because a lot of people supported my work and I want to thank all of them: Gerardo Garcia Diaz and Mayri Tiido (PRC Speaker and Vice-Speaker), Gabriele Nicotra (PR Manager of AEGEE-Catania) and Lisa Gregis (Fair Responsible of Agora Bergamo). Without their “ausilium et consilium” my work would be way more difficult and nearly impossible.

Lisa Gregis, current Network Commissioner and AEGEE-Bergamo Fair Responsible

The Fair is always a collaboration between local organisers and a body of AEGEE-Europe, in this case the Public Relations Committee. How difficult is it to organise everything from a distance?

Lisa: The fair is just one of the pieces of the collaboration between different bodies, in fact the entire Agora is an event organised by different groups of people. For instance I’m not the only one working on it, since I have two amazing team members: Andrea and Ambra. As you said in this case, the cooperation is between local organisers and the PRC. We are working especially with Salvo who is the Fair Manager and we are very well connected. We are in daily communication and we are also able to have fun while working. I’m very happy we are working together, because I think he really understands the needs of the two sides: local organisers and AEGEE bodies.

The magnificient Donizetti Theatre, in front of which the AEGEE Fair will take place. Inside it Agora Bergamo will begin.

When and where is the fair going to take place?

Lisa: The fair is going to take place at the Bergamo city centre, on the first day of the Agora, May 18th, at 3 pm. It will be the first activity of the Agora. The place is very beautiful and it’s in front of the Donizetti Theatre, where the Opening Plenary and Opening Ceremony will take place. It’s a public open space and we will be enjoying also the city centre while attending the Agora Fair.

The open space where the fair will be held.

 Usually the fair was taking place on the second day of the Agora, this time it will be on the very first day. Why?

Lisa: We wanted to save time and try to do things differently. We thought that it could be a good way to start the event, since the fair is a moment during which people can meet, discuss and share opinions. We didn’t want to put the participants in a closed space since the beginning.

How many AEGEE bodies will be present at the fair? Can you give us a spoiler about what they will organise?

Salvo: There will be around 20 AEGEE bodies, with great projects for all the AEGEEans. I’m not a spoiler guy, I don’t want to be mean, but making a list would take so much time and this article would be a booklet. That’s why we edited one: by downloading it you can get a little preview of what is waiting for you.

AEGEEans participating at Agora Kyiv Fair

What do you expect from it and why should people visit the stands?

Salvo: Like I already said, the fair is to me the fresh start for all the AEGEEans already active on a local level,
but that also want to become even more active on the European one. So, for all the AEGEEans with great expectations and projects, for all the AEGEEans who want to be something more: this fair is addressed to all of you! I feel so lucky because from my point of view I can just see a huge family I joined two years ago, while I was wandering at my first Agora and now I’m giving my best to make all this happen again. My hope is that among you there will be another curious AEGEEan, ready to get close to us, to fall in love with our dream.

Excluding AEGEE bodies, which partners will be there? Why should we visit those stands?

Agora Fair banner. You can see the partnership of the Municipality of Bergamo.

Lisa: There will be the University of Bergamo and some of the sponsors which helped us organise the Agora. The Municipality will be there in order to let you discover all the places you can visit in the surroundings of Bergamo. And last, but not least, something
very cool: ten computers will be there in order to let you play some video games.

Finally, will it be open only to Agora participants?

Lisa: The Agora Fair is open to everyone who wants to take part in it. We also printed some promo materials and we invited all the students of the University of Bergamo.

Here you can find the Facebook Event.

Written by Mattia Abis, AEGEE-Cagliari 

Last month there were elections in all the Working Groups of AEGEE. Anna Gumbau Martínez got elected into the board of the International Politics Working Group and at the same time the super motivated AEGEE-Barcelona member became the editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan Magazine. The former editor-in-chief Patricia Anthony introduces you to the new leading lady of AEGEE’s online magazine. 

You have lots of AEGEE experience, but can you tell us a bit about your favourite experience so far?

I have only been active in AEGEE for a year, but there are already so many experiences that I have learnt from. At the local level it was organising a Summer University with AEGEE-Las Palmas, which was completely challenging and time-consuming, but I have learnt a lot and had a great time. The Agora Budapest was the event that got me interested in the European level of AEGEE, so it will always remain very special for me. And being editor for the Thematics section of The AEGEEan was the starting point of some very good times for me… I just can’t decide on one, and I know there are still so many good experiences to come!

What made you interested in becoming editor-in-chief of The AEGEEan?

I felt extremely motivated to take one step forward, I thought I got the experience in journalism needed for that and I got the feeling I was prepared to take up the position. Besides, I felt very encouraged by other team members of the magazine who gave me lots of support. All in all, I am in love with this project: I just love journalism and I love AEGEEing… so The AEGEEan is the point where my two biggest passions meet! I always answer the same thing, but this is exactly how I feel about it. I want to keep improving it and I feel extremely honoured to be leading the magazine.

The AEGEEan team members in Zagreb

What is special about being part of The AEGEEan?

It is the ideal starting point to understand and have a bigger picture of our organisation. In just a couple of months you can learn so much about it! You manage to meet lots of interesting people and their inspiring stories: I always say that each one of us has a story to be told. Moreover, your English writing skills improve at a high speed, and you learn a lot from each one of the editors, journalists and proofreaders. Each one of us has a very different profile and it becomes a very enriching experience.

What would you like to achieve as editor-in-chief?

First, I want to keep up informing on the stories that happen to our members, locals and European level bodies, thus being committed to have a well-informed Network. I would also like to work on our human resources by giving them opportunities for training and self-development, and to assure that there is a well-prepared new generation of AEGEEan journalists rocking the magazine in the next years. Besides this, I would like to work on new, innovative ways to communicate and to present stories, and especially focus on a good strategy to cover Statutory events.

Recently you were fair manager for the Agora in Zaragoza, how was that experience?

The overall experience was very enriching. I felt very lucky to work with my “fairies” (Dasha Onokhova, Olga Rivero, Kathrin Renner and Madalena Sousa), the previous work before the Agora went almost perfect and I wasn’t as stressed as I expected myself to be. It is true that, once the day arrived, there were a few inconveniences that we did not expect at all. But, despite the circumstances, we were fast addressing these issues and adapted our idea without losing our nerves, so I think we did a good job. Besides, I got very positive feedback about the content that the different bodies provided at the Fair, which made me really happy.

How did it help that it was former fair manager Olga Rivero (AEGEE-Oviedo) who was helping you and Dasha with organising the fair?

Having Olga in our Fair team was definitely a plus. She was helpful from the start: I got lots of advice from her even before applying and afterwards she was our contact person with the local organisers and made our work much smoother. I will never be grateful enough for all the efforts she put on the Fair, it was so easy to work with her that I would love to team up again!

How did it help being two fair managers instead of one?

It helped a lot indeed, especially regarding the task division. Dasha is a really creative soul and did a great job with the visual conception of the Fair, so she was indeed a perfect workmate for me. And it is always better when you have someone else to share your nervousness and stress with!

Why would you encourage others to become fair managers?

I would encourage them because, even if you might look extremely stressed and about to pull someone’s hair on the day of the Fair, it is a very fun and rewarding task. It is a unique experience to get deep into the plans of different European level bodies and engage the participants of the Agora with their activities. I was recently talking to one of the organisers of Spring Agora Patra and told him I had so much fun that I might even take up the challenge and apply as the AEGEE Fair Manager again! Just kidding… or maybe not.

What do you think about the organisation of the Agora in general?

It’s extremely hard to organise an event for more than 800 people, AEGEE-Zaragoza has succeeded and I admire them a lot for that. It was great to have the plenaries and the accommodation at the same location, and they made a great effort when it comes to fundraising… so my overall impression is really good!

You have recently joined the International Politics Working Group (IPWG) board, what made you interested in that?

I was a member of the IPWG for a year because I have always had a strong interest in international politics; I am currently doing my specialisation seminar in International Journalism, and I am planning to obtain a Master’s degree on something related to the field of international affairs once I finish my bachelor’s. I have always followed the world news quite closely, and as PR responsible, I can also take up some tasks related to my current field of studies.

What are your plans with the IPWG?

Our main task will be to keep it alive and rocking! We want to activate our members and I am happy to see that there are ambitious plans. For instance, the IPWG will have a strong role in the upcoming Election Observation Project, which you will hear from very soon in the magazine. There are other projects and actions still to be defined, but I would also like to introduce the topic of nationalisms and separatism in Europe in the agenda of our Working Group.

You are going to Belgium next year on Erasmus, what made you choose that place?

During my first AEGEE event I visited Leuven, the city I chose, and I completely loved it! I still keep in touch with some members from AEGEE-Leuven, and there are some other AEGEE friends around whom I would love to pay a visit during my stay. Besides, my cousin also did her Erasmus there and she was absolutely delighted… and I just love beer, so that is definitely a plus. The only “minus” I see that I absolutely hate the rain, but maybe this is the perfect time for me to overcome it.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København