Between 25 and 29 September, the 40th edition of Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, was held at the BolognaFiere Exhibition Centre. The exhibition was in excellent shape: the 15 pavilions, 145,000 square metres of total surface area occupied by stands with great visual impact, 633 companies exhibited, of which 354 from the ceramic tile sector, 96 from the bathroom furnishings sector, 183 from the installation, raw materials, new surfaces and service sectors. International participation was also important: 245 foreign exhibitors – 39% of the total – represented 27 countries.
Cersaie 2023 registered 99,319 visitors over the five days of the show, an increase of 8.8% compared to last year’s edition. This figure has been increasing steadily from 62,934 in 2021 and 91,269 last year and is gradually approaching the 2019 level of 112,340 attendees. There were 47,634 international visitors (48% of the total) and 51,685 Italian visitors. A total of 811 journalists were also present, including 396 non-Italians.
“Despite challenging market conditions, Cersaie’s strong appeal has enabled exhibiting companies to maximise their investment and strengthen their links with Italian and international distributors, architects, installers and real estate professionals,” commented Giovanni Savorani, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica.
“Italian ceramic products continue to be renowned in international markets for their intrinsic characteristics such as health, hygiene, durability and sustainability. The Route 40 exhibition trail chronicled the main product innovations that have cemented the role of Italian ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings as representatives of Italian design worldwide. We have also embarked on the crucial process of energy transition, although as we pointed out to the politicians and institutional figures present at the show, the flawed ETS mechanism requires urgent action at European and national levels to avoid undermining these efforts.”
Emilio Mussini, Vice Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica and head of Promotional Activities and Trade Fairs, gave the following summary of the extensive programme of events held during this year’s Cersaie. “More than 2,000 participants took part in the five events in the “building, dwelling, thinking” programme; 18 press cafés were held both in person and via live streaming over the five days of the show (in which IFDM participated with a talk entitled ‘(SUPER)decoration (SUPER)function’);; and Tiling Town attracted great interest and participation. The Cersaie Business delegation, organised with the valuable collaboration of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation MAECI and the Italian Trade Agency ITA, saw the participation of more than 250 professionals from Europe, North America and the Gulf region.
Next year’s Cersaie will be held in Bologna from 23 to 27 September 2024.
