Cersaie marks the reopening with 63,000 visitors (including 38% from abroad) | by Andrea Serri

The figures for Cersaie 2021, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings held in Bologna in the last week of September, confirm the international appeal and profile of the event. Occupying a total floor space of around 150,000 square metres across fifteen halls in the Bologna exhibition centre, the show hosted 623 exhibitor companies from 28 countries, who had a chance to meet the almost 63,000 visitors attending the five-day exhibition. The international profile of the 38th Cersaie was confirmed by the presence of 238 foreign exhibitors, 24,019 overseas trade visitors and 150 non-Italian journalists (between 32% and 38% of the total depending on the category).

Total attendance stood at 56% of the 2019 figure, a significant value considering the ongoing pandemic-related difficulties in the international market, particularly as regards intercontinental travel. The exhibition organisers adopted all the measures necessary to ensure safe participation, particularly use of the Green Pass which allowed for high levels of attendance by top customers from Italy and the major European markets. However, there were only limited numbers of visitors from Asia due to stringent anti-Covid restrictions on return travel.

This year’s Cersaie not only repeated all the initiatives held in 2019 but also added some new features on top of an interesting and strongly attended programme of events. Highlights of this edition of the show included the almost 600 people attending the Keynote Lecture given by Pritzker Prize laureate Shigeru Ban, the exhibition of the G124 project launched by Renzo Piano to redevelop the suburbs in collaboration with young architects, the eighteen Press Cafés held during the five days of the exhibition, the seminars on ceramic tiles hosted in Tiling Town, and the 180 Cersaie Business delegates from some of Italy’s main markets including Germany, North America and the Gulf states, who took part in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency ITA. New features included the Contract Hall, which hosted ten leading Italian and international architecture firms and saw the participation of companies operating in various areas of the real estate sector, and Cersaie Digital, a three-week-long virtual product showcase and business matching service for exhibitors and visitors. The platform provided effective support for in-person visitor participation and will see further development in the future.

Next year’s Cersaie will be held in Bologna from 26 to 30 September 2022.

 

October 2021