ATTENDANCE AT CERSAIE HOLDS STEADY AT 95,000 (JUST 0.8% DOWN ON 2024), WITH 47.5% INTERNATIONAL VISITORS AND STRONG PARTICIPATION IN THE SHOW’S INITIATIVES

Despite a challenging market situation and ongoing international crises, this year’s Cersaie – the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings – once again lived up to the expectations of the companies who had invested in the show.

 

For five days, it offered a unique global platform where exhibitors could present their latest product innovations in booths with powerful visual and emotional impact. The 42nd edition, held in the Bologna Exhibition Centre from 22 to 26 September, fully occupied sixteen halls with a total floor space of 155,000 square metres and hosted 627 exhibitors, including 343 ceramic tile manufacturers, 98 bathroom furnishings producers and 186 companies operating in the fields of installation, raw materials, new surfaces and related services. The event further strengthened its international profile with the participation of 243 foreign exhibitors (39% of the total) from 29 countries.

 

A total of 94,577 visitors attended over the five days of the show (-0.8% on 2024). Numbers of Italian visitors increased by 3% (49,671 compared to 48,226 last year), while international attendance dropped by 4.6% (44,906 against last year’s 47,095), now making up 47.5% of the total. The decline in attendance was partly due to transport strikes on the first and last days of the show.

 

"Cersaie’s enduring appeal enabled exhibitors to maximise their investments,” said Augusto Ciarrocchi, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica. “Our companies were particularly impressed by the quality of the distributors, architects, installers and real estate professionals they met in Bologna. The Italian ceramic industry remains the world leader thanks to its investments, the quality of its design and innovation, and its unflagging commitment to environmental and social sustainability. Nonetheless, we face constant challenges including new import tariffs, increasingly aggressive dumping from certain countries, and a loss of competitiveness caused by the ideologically-driven application of regulations such as the ETS, which drain resources from the investments that are essential to the future of our industry. During Cersaie, Confindustria Chairman Emanuele Orsini and I had the opportunity to raise these issues directly with Ministers Tommaso Foti and Adolfo Urso, as well as with the many representatives of European, national and regional institutions who came to see us.”

 “Cersaie has confirmed its role as a leading international platform for the ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings sectors. It is capable of attracting exhibitors and visitors from around the globe and strengthening the Bologna Exhibition Centre’s position as a global hub for the manufacturing industry,” said Gianpiero Calzolari, Chairman of BolognaFiere. “The success of this year’s show underscores the vitality of the sector despite the difficult economic and geopolitical climate, as well as its extraordinary ability to generate relationships, ideas and concrete opportunities for growth. It sends an important signal to the entire sector and reflects the work of Confindustria Ceramica, which makes this event a valuable asset for Bologna and for Italy.”

 

Filippo Manuzzi, Head of Promotional Activities at Confindustria Ceramica, commented on the breadth of this year’s programme, highlighting “the 500 people who attended Elizabeth Diller’s Keynote Lecture, the hundreds of architects taking part in the other events in the Building, Dwelling, Thinking programme, the 620 participating journalists, including the 150 who attended the International Press Conference, and the 18 Press Cafés held over the five days of the show. The strong participation of young people was particularly noteworthy, with 1,200 students attending the Lesson in Reverse and 300 taking part in Thursday’s Career Day, as was the strong interest and footfall in Tiling Town. More than 210 professionals from all over the world took part in the Cersaie Business delegation, organised through the invaluable collaboration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency ITA.”

The next edition of Cersaie will take place in Bologna from 21 to 25 September 2026.