Cer Magazine International n.20 - Tilmar Ceramics

CERSAIE CELEBRATES
25 years of success
The leading international showcase of ceramic tiles and
bathroom furnishings is celebrating the occasion with an
outstanding programme of initiatives and events
by Valentina Pellati
“
Time is a gentleman”
goes an old Italian
saying. If something
is not appreciated immediately,
over the years it will
gradually become visible and
eventually be recognised for
its true worth. This is in some
ways the story of Cersaie, the
exhibition created in Bologna
as an offshoot of Saie 25
years ago. From the initial few
halls set aside for exhibitors,
it has now grown into the
most important exhibition for
the ceramic tile and bathroom
furnishing sectors anywhere
in the world.
At a time when trade fairs and
exhibition centres are sprouting
like mushrooms, this bold
claim is backed up by facts,
not words. For years the available
space has been fully
booked months before the
show begins and this year the
160,000 square metres has
been assigned to a total of
1,071 exhibitor companies.
This is a staggering figure
MARIO BOTTA
IS THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
AT THE ARCHITECTURE
CONFERENCE
even without considering the
long waiting list and the international
scope of exhibitors (a
total of 233 foreign companies
from 32 different countries
around the world). Cersaie
is also a major media
event attended by 600 journalists
every year. Its global
appeal is demonstrated by
the fact that one third of the
90,000 visitors who attend
during the five days of the
show (this year from 2 to 6
October) are foreigners.
So what is the recipe for Cersaie’s
long and successful life?
Rather than just one, there are
perhaps many reasons for the
show’s global success. One of
these is its ability to interpret
the times. Set up in response
to the need for a worldwide
events
system of commercial relationships
between the manufacturers
and distributors - a
role it continues to play today
- each edition of Cersaie is in
step with the times. This can
be observed right from the
very first day when the 2007
inaugural conference - to be
held on Tuesday 2 October in
the Palazzo dei Congressi -
will address a crucial aspect of
political and institutional life in
Italy. Entitled “Liberalisation:
the state of progress”, the
conference will be held in Sala
Europa and will be moderated
by Giuseppe Turani, columnist
for the La Repubblica newspaper.
It will feature keynote
addresses by the Minister for
International Trade and European
Policy Emma Bonino,
Pino Musi