Although sometimes it is hard to believe, there are many tests that show that even those dreams that seem unattainable can be fulfilled. Regardless of the obstacles, the lack of possibilities or one's own insecurity, the barrier of the impossible is capable of yielding to enthusiasm, talent and perseverance.
In 2015 Fabio Zaffagnini, a marine geologist with a passion for rock who had never organized an event before, involved some friends, insiders from the entertainment world, in a crazy bet. The goal is to gather 1000 musicians in a meadow to play “Learn to Fly” by the Foo Fighters in unison and convince the well-known American group to perform in his city, Cesena.
The vídeo of the performance immediately went viral (today it has over 58 million views) and the Foo Fighters respond and accept the invitation, adding a date to their tour.
From an unexpected success comes a format created and directed by him: Rockin’1000, the largest Rock Band in the world, a community of thousands of musicians of all levels from every corner of the planet.
Rockin’1000 is also a company that organizes live events where over 1,000 musicians play simultaneously. Its mission is to promote the spirit of unity through music and to overcome social stratifications, borders, generational gaps and different sexual or religious orientations. Fabio’s life was also told through the RAI3 television program «Todo Cambia».
The band has played many concerts in Italian and world stadiums (Cesena, Florence, Paris and Frankfurt) and in special locations (Courmayeur, Linate Airport, Piazza Duomo, Sanremo), an album produced with Sony Music Italia and the film “We are The Thousand”.
Fabio Zaffagnini began his professional career as a marine geologist at the Research Area of the CNR in Bologna and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change. In 2011 he started the Trail Me Up project, a virtual augmented reality system that allows you to visit places that can only be reached on foot.
In 2015 he was included in the list of experts of the European Commission for his talents in product design, and in the same year he was awarded the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award in New York.
Furthermore, he has developed Rockin’1000 CORPORATE, a proposal of educational and motivational events aimed at promoting the participation of participants in musical activities, to encourage the development of skills and team spirit.
The experiences lived by Fabio, and the history of Rockin’1000 in particular, in addition to having a strong emotional and inspiring component, can provide ideas for various reflections that are often central in the life of companies that take on particularly challenging objectives. It focuses on the distinction between impossible and almost impossible dreams, a reflection on why Rockin’1000 went viral, the difficulties they had to face, the reasons that led them to change the project at the height of success and the meaning of building a community.
