Everything is ready for the 40th Cersaie

Cersaie 2023, the most important exhibition in the world for the ceramic industry, will start on Monday in Bologna.

The waiting is over. Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, will open its doors on Monday 25 September at the Bologna exhibition centre, celebrating its 40th edition. For five days it will become the meeting point of the global ceramic industry and market.

The numbers confirm Cersaie’s undisputed leadership: The 145,000 square metre exhibition space spanning 15 halls is fully sold out and will accommodate 634 exhibitors, including 39% non-Italian companies from 27 countries, demonstrating the show’s enormous international appeal and global interest.

In a very complicated year, characterized by a sharp slowdown in global demand, the expectations of the ceramic manufacturers for a relaunch of the construction industry worldwide are placed on the expected 100,000 visitors.

Technology and innovation will be the leitmotif of the event, not only in the exhibitors’ booths, but also inside the fascinating exhibition called Route 40 that Cersaie will host to mark its 40th anniversary. Route 40 explores 40 years of history, focusing on the most important aspects of design, technology, products, events, personalities and companies, taking visitors on a journey through the highlights of these four decades, emphasising the major changes that have taken place in terms of culture, society, design and manufacturing. Curated by Davide Vercelli and designed by Dario Curatolo, Route 40 is an exhibition trail that winds its way through Cersaie starting from the Quadriportico (Services Centre) with a presentation of the exhibition concept. It then continues through Galleries 21-22 and 25-26 and the Mall of Hall 37 with installations that celebrate the history of each decade.

As always, there will be numerous conference and cultural events that will enrich Cersaie.

The first appointment will be the Inaugural Conference entitled “Cersaie 40: Made in Italy and the challenge of continuous innovation” to be held on 25 September (at 11.00 a.m. at Palazzo dei Congressi). In-person talks will be given by Romano Prodi, economist, Giuseppe Castagna, CEO of Banco BPM, and Giovanni Savorani, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica, while 3 Italian ministers will participate via a video link: Gilberto Pichetto Fratin (Environment and Energy Security), Antonio Tajani (Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), and Adolfo Urso (Enterprises and Made in Italy).

The Confindustria Ceramica Distributor Awards and the Young Distributor Award will be presented at the invitation-only event Cersaie 40 Aperitif on 26 September at 6.00 p.m

This year, the 14th building, dwelling, thinking cultural programme will as always feature talks given by important international guests from the world of architecture and design.

On 27 September (at 3.00 p.m. in the Palazzo dei Congressi), Chinese architect Xu Tiantian will give a lecture entitled “Terra Madre” (Mother Earth) focusing on rural revitalisation of the Chinese countryside.

At 5.00 p.m. on the same day, Hall 37 will host the presentation ceremony for the ADI awards: the ADI Ceramics and Bathroom Design Award and the ADI Booth Design Award.

On 28 September (at 11.00 a.m. at the Palazzo dei Congressi) the French architectural historian and critic Françoise Fromonot will give a conference celebrating the 50 years of Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House (1973-2023), one of the most important works of modern architecture in which ceramic tiles play a leading role.

The first post-pandemic Lesson in Reverse for secondary school students will be held on 29 September (at 11.00 a.m. at Palazzo dei Congressi) with the participation of Stefano Mancuso, a professor at the University of Florence and founder of the science of plant neurobiology.