Cersaie 2015: 33rd edition of the show devoted to architecture, design, exhibitions, tile layers and consumers

Cersaie, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, is back for its thirty-third edition. Held in the Bologna exhibition centre from Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October, the show will attract tens of thousands of visitors, industry professionals, journalists and consumers from all over the world. The figures speak for themselves. The six product sectors showcased at Cersaie will be represented by 872 exhibitors from 39 different countries, from Argentina to Japan, from the UK to the UAE, from all over Europe and the United States, and as far away as Vietnam. It is precisely in its international reach that Cersaie is the undisputed world leader with no fewer than 319 nonItalian exhibitor companies, almost a third of the total. The best represented sector is that of ceramic tiles with 491 companies (including 236 non-Italian), followed by bathroom furnishings with 226, confirming Cersaie’s position as the largest exhibition in the bathroom furnishing sector in Italy and one of the leaders in Europe. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held in Piazza Costituzione, Cersaie 2015 will begin with the inaugural conference entitled ‘Infrastructure’ for growth (Monday 28 September, 11.00 am Palazzo dei Congressi). After the welcome remarks given by BolognaFiere chairman Duccio Campagnoli, talks will be given by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Graziano Delrio, the president of the Emilia-Romagna regional government Stefano Bonaccini, Confindustria chairman Giorgio Squinzi and Confindustria Ceramica chairman Vittorio Borelli. The conference will be moderated by Giuliana Palmiotta from Rai News 24. After a short break for a buffet lunch, the event Cer-Stile – an exhibition focusing on three different settings – will be officially opened in Hall 30 at 2.00 pm. Then at 6.30 pm, the Ducal Palace in Sassuolo, the world capital of the ceramic tile industry, will host the Ceramics of Italy International Press Conference. Following the welcoming remarks by Sabina Magrini, Regional Secretary for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, and Roberto Luongo, Director General of the Italian Trade Commission ICE, talks will be given by Emilio Mussini, Confindustria Ceramica Chairman for Promotional Activities, on the international strategies adopted by the association, Andrea Serri, Editor of Cer Magazine, and Cristina Faedi, Head of Promotional Activities of Confindustria Ceramica. The event will be moderated by Armando Cafiero, Director General of Confindustria Ceramica. The press conference will be concluded by the presentation ceremony for the Journalism Award and the competition Beautiful Ideas, and will be followed by the Cersaie Evening held in the nearby Cavallerizza Ducale. At the Distributor Awards presentation ceremony held during the evening, talks will be given by the Mayor of Sassuolo Claudio Pistoni, the President of the regional government Stefano Bonaccini, Vittorio Borelli and Emilio Mussini. On Tuesday 29 September, Cersaie will begin in grand style with the Keynote Lecture given by 2014 Pritzker Prize winner Glenn Murcutt. Starting at 11.00 am in the Palazzo dei Congressi, the event will be introduced by Francesco Dal Co, architect and professor of History of Architecture at IUAV. Another event beginning at 11.00 am, this time in the Architecture Gallery, is the workshop in Russian led by Anna Kolomiyets devoted to new trends in HoReCa (Hotel, Restaurant, Café). In the afternoon, the exhibition Day Off by Diego Grandi will be inaugurated at 2.30 pm in Hall 29, then at 4.00 pm the Cer Stile exhibition will host the presentation of the book Cer-interviste, Dieci anni di evoluzione del materiale ceramico nella cultura del progetto (The evolution of ceramic in design culture over the course of a decade) by Alessandra Coppa (Maggioli Editore), in the presence of the author and internationally acclaimed architects Andrea Maffei and Andreas Kipar. At 10.00 in the morning of Wednesday 30 September, the Architecture Gallery will host Ceramic Futures – From Poetry to Science Fiction with Stefano Mirti, Anna Bernagozzi, Tommaso Delmastro, Michele Bortolami and Marco Lampugnani at 10.00, followed at 11.00 by the conference given by Andrea Langhi entitled “Ristoranti, Bar & Lounge. Progettare un locale pubblico utilizzando l’architettura di interni come strumento di marketing” (“Designing Restaurants, Bars & Lounges using interior architecture as a marketing tool”). At 3.00 pm, the exhibition CerStile in Hall 30 will host the presentation ceremony for the ADI Ceramics Design Award for exhibitor companies. On Thursday 1 October at 10.00 am, renowned architects Markus Bader from Germany, one of the founders of Raumlaborberlin, and Arturo Franco from Spain will discuss the theme of ‘Reinventing the City’ in the Architecture Gallery in the company of Milan Polytechnic professor Fulvio Irace. Then at 3.00 pm, again in the Architecture Gallery, architects Francisco Mangado from Spain and Matthias Sauerbruch from Germany will discuss their experiences and solutions in the field of urban planning. Thursday is also the first day of Cersaie designs your home, the initiative offering interior design advice to members of the public and presented by special guest Paola Marella. At 11.00, she will preside over the award ceremony for #Selfeet @cersaie 2015 in the Media Village in the Services Centre, the social content competition for the best photos of feet or shoes shot against a floor covered with one of the types of materials on display. Friday 2 October, the last day of Cersaie 2015, will have an equally packed programme. At 9.30 am in the Architecture Gallery, a professional training course will be held for journalists on ‘The world of exhibitions and Cersaie’. Introduced by the chairmen of the three organisations involved – Duccio Campagnoli from BolognaFiere, Vittorio Borelli from Confindustria Ceramica and Antonio Farnè from the Emilia Romagna Journalists’ Association – it will feature talks by Prof. Francesca Golfetto from the Bocconi University of Milan, Andrea Serri, Nerio Manfredini and Claudio Santini, head of training at the Emilia-Romagna Journalists’ Association. Last but not least, at 10.00 am the Europauditorium in the Palazzo dei Congressi will host the eagerly anticipated and highly original Lesson in Reverse, where the multitalented illustrator, comic strip artist and designer Massimo Giacon will be interviewed by professor Fulvio Irace and a large group of high school students from the Emilia Romagna region.