With an average attendance of 20,000 visitors a day on each of the five days of the show, half of whom were from outside Italy, Cersaie 2013 maintained the exhibition’s international appeal and its role as a leading global trade fair for the ceramic tile and bathroom furnishing sectors. The commercial side of the event was complemented by the broad cultural programme of “building, dwelling, thinking”, by the practical demonstrations staged in “Tiling Town”, and by the free consulting service offered to the general public in “Cersaie designs your home”.
The international appeal of Cersaie is demonstrated by the figures for international exhibitors, which this year amounted to 302 – a third of the total – from 34 different countries, two more than last year (Japan and Slovenia). The growing global reach of the show is also reflected in the numbers of international visitors, which totalled 46,535, 4.2% more than the 44,640 of 2012.
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The longer time spent at Cersaie by international visitors – partly due to the new Monday to Friday schedule, a change that was commented on very positively by visitors – confirms the Bologna show as the primary venue for the promotion of global business in ceramic materials and bathroom furnishing products and a powerful driver of international trade. The global reach of Cersaie is also demonstrated by the 157 countries of origin of visitors.
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By contrast, the continued crisis in the domestic construction market led to a fall in the number of Italian visitors, which dropped to 54,173 compared to last year’s figure of 61,771 (-12.3%). Overall there were a total of 100,769 visitors at Cersaie 2013 compared to the 106,846 of last year’s event (-5.7%). There was also a strong media presence with a total of 559 journalists, including 226 from abroad.
Cersaie, promoted by Confindustria Ceramica in cooperation with BolognaFiere, is also a key appointment for the world of architecture, interior design and installation and features events of outstanding interest for both industry professionals and the general public. Rafael Moneo was the fifth consecutive Pritzker prize winner to have given a keynote lecture at Cersaie; the exhibition “Bathroom Excellence 1998 – 2012. Adi Design Index @ Cersaie 2013” attracted considerable interest; the activities conducted in “Tiling Town” were very well received; and “Cersaie designs your home”, an initiative fronted by Paola Marella, was strongly supported by the public
