Cersaie 2021 exceeds all expectations

Cersaie 2021 was attended by almost 63,000 visitors, including 24,000 international professionals. The 623 exhibitors were delighted with the show’s results

Two years on from the last edition of the show, this year’s Cersaie had been eagerly anticipated by professionals working in all areas of the supply chain, from industry through to the end market. The excitement surrounding the event was evident as soon as the show opened on 27 September, with stands that hadn’t been this busy on the first morning for many years. This was an important result for the 623 exhibitor companies who had been keen to participate despite all the uncertainties regarding attendance, particularly the fact that visitors would be almost entirely from Europe given the continuing difficulties caused by the pandemic and the restrictions on intercontinental travel.

By the end of the five days of the show, the results of the most important international exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings had far exceeded expectations, with the presence of 62,943 attendees (56% of the 2019 figure), consisting of 38,924 Italian and 24,019 international visitors (38% of the total).

The visitors who came to Bologna were able to appreciate the breadth and quality of the exhibition with its beautifully designed stands and plenty of new products. The 15 occupied halls (a total floor space of 150,000 square metres) hosted 361 companies from the ceramic tile sector, 87 from bathroom furnishings and 175 from the installation, raw materials, new surfaces and services sectors. There was also a strong international presence, with 238 foreign exhibitors (38% of the total) from 28 countries, first and foremost Spain.

“I am convinced that the 623 exhibitors who took part in Cersaie 2021 saw the best possible return on their investment from a show that once again confirmed its national and international importance among distributors, architects, installers and real estate operators,” commented Giovanni Savorani, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica. “Ceramic tile sales have been performing well for several months now in the various global markets thanks to our products’ intrinsic qualities of healthiness, hygiene and environmental sustainability and growing attention to quality of living.”

Confirming the renewed vitality of international demand, the Italian ceramic tile industry closed the first half of 2021 with a 12.3% increase in sales compared to the pre-pandemic levels of the first half of 2019 (+10.7% in Italy and +12.6% in international markets). “One reason for this is the new perception of living and working spaces, which has fuelled growth in building renovation and modernisation work,” said Savorani.

With 148 companies and around 22,000 direct employees, the Italian ceramic industry has annual revenues of €5.2 billion, more than 85% of which is generated by exports (with around half of all exports shipped to EU markets).

Italian tile maintains its leadership position in terms of international trade by value with a 31% market share, followed by China at 20% and Spain at 17%.

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