Cersaie Moves Event to November

BOLOGNA, Italy – Cersaie, the international tile trade event, will be delayed from September until November in light of Covid-19 issues and related delays in building new exhibit space.

“The fact that we will have to live with COVID-19 for some time makes it essential to adopt European protocols to keep exhibitors and visitors safe during their stay in Bologna,” said Antonio Bruzzone, general manager of BolognaFiere, the event’s home.

“We’re pursuing this important goal at a national and European level while working alongside the institutions and trade associations to support companies during the economic recovery and boost the competitiveness of our industrial supply chains,” he added.

While Bologna isn’t in the Lombardi province that bore the heaviest burden from Covid-19 infection, it’s still dealing with nationwide efforts in Italy to combat the coronavirus.

Part of the strategy involved a temporary shutdown of all construction work in the country, which slowed the completion of BolognaFiere’s Hall 37. The new November dates will allow the hall to be ready and increase exhibition space to 180,000 m² (1.93 million ft²), up 12.5% from last year’s availability.

Cersaie will also be able to rearrange its floor plan to devote all of Hall 18 to the Contract Hall partof its OPEN CERSAIE concept, with a focus on home and interior-design segments including kitchens, fireplaces and outdoor-living areas.

“For this year’s Cersaie we chose the title ‘The healthiness of ceramics for rethinking home design and architecture’,” said Confindustria Ceramica Chairman Giovanni Savorani. “We want it to be the first international event in the sector that draws lessons from the emergency and rethinks the world of architecture and home design in a way that brings together health and beauty.

“At the same time Italy will need to make a concerted effort to convey the image of safety needed to kick-start our industry.”

Cersaie 2020, now set for Nov. 9-13, wlll be the 38th edition of the event. Last year, the show drew 112,340 attendees and 889 exhibitors.

For years, Cersaie ran on the same week as Marmomac, the international stone event in Verona, Italy. Marmomac is still scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 3.

For more information on Cersaie, go to https://www.cersaie.it/en.

Get the news of the industry with Slab & Sheet, the e-newsletter from Stone Update. Sign up for free delivery here.

For the latest industry info, check Stone Update on Twitter and Facebook.

Experience the totally new Stone Update Magazine online.