By the time you read this, Cersaie 2023 – the 40th edition of Italy’s premier tile and bathroom furnishing exhibition – will be fast approaching.
This year’s event will feature many returning exhibitors and features, as well as a few new additions. TSJ will cover the event comprehensively in a future issue, but for now, we’ve compiled everything you need to know prior to Bologna Fiere opening its doors on the 25th.
To recap
Last year’s exhibition saw 684 companies showcase their wares across an astonishing 140,000sqm of floor space, 240 of whom travelled from abroad to attend. Similarly, of the event’s more than 90,000 attendees, almost half flew in from elsewhere in Europe and beyond. These 44,000 foreign visitors hailed from a total of 157 countries, a cosmopolitan crowd which amply illustrated the industry’s eagerness to congregate in person following the restrictions of the COVID era. Now, with lockdown firmly in the rearview mirror, we can expect similar if not higher numbers at this year’s fair.
What to expect
Of the two major European exhibitions (Cevisama being the other) Cersaie is typically where companies choose to debut new collections, making it slightly more challenging to anticipate the show’s contents. Going by recent years, however, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see companies introduce ever more gigantic slabs, as well as more small-format geometric tiles. The indoor-to-outdoor trend is likely to continue, and with it, the prevalence of naturalistic stone- and wood-effect designs. Of course, manufacturers continue to push technical performance and aesthetic possibilities year-on-year, with recent shows seeing the introduction of triple- and even quadruple-fired tiles.
While the majority of exhibitors will be Italian, a healthy contingent are also flying from elsewhere in Europe (including over 150 from Spain alone) along with representatives from the growing markets of India and China. Some notable names set to attend include ABK, Casalgrande Padana, Iris Ceramica, Fila and Tonino Lamborghini (yes, that Lamborghini). On the other hand, Marazzi, Florim and Ceracasa are a few of the notables set to miss this year’s festivities.
Special features
As always, in addition to the enormous show floor and army of exhibitors, Cersaie’s organisers have planned several events and features within the larger fair, catering to particular subsets of the industry. For example, Cersaie Business is an initiative organised in partnership with the ITA (Italian Trade Agency) which is designed to promote business between the show’s international visitors and domestic suppliers of ceramics and bathroom furnishings. According to the event’s organisers, a total of 130 guests will be present, including delegations from Europe, North America, the UK, Switzerland, the Gulf Area, South Africa, Southern Africa, Israel, Southeast Asia and the Far East.
At the other end of the spectrum, the show’s organisers have also orchestrated guided visits of the exhibition booths for Italian students. The show team says: “The traditional visit to Cersaie by students in late September is part of an extensive programme of activities aimed at strengthening the show’s relationship with schools, training institutes and universities.”
The event also caters to tile installers, with its popular Tiling Town section, where demonstrations, showcases and seminars take place courtesy of Assoposa, the Italian national tile installers association. This year’s edition will feature special seminars on large-format tile installation as well as a focus on current topical issues in tile installation.
The area will also host the Casa Italia internet radio station specialising in the home and living sector. Paolo Leccese, presenter of the programme Bricks & Music, will broadcast live at 9.30 a.m. in the company of an ever-changing lineup of guests who will discuss different topics on each of the five days of the exhibition.
www.cersaie.it
