Cersaie, the international exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings, kicks off on September 26 in Bologna, Italy. We caught up with Cristina Faedi, manager of promotional activities at Ceramics of Italy, to talk about the new features at this year's show.  

Floor Trends: What are the important themes for this year's show? 

CF: Sustainability will be an important theme of this year’s show. The Italian ceramics industry has been sustainable for a very long time, but with the launch of a new campaign, “Ceramics of Italy for Sustainability,” the association is trying to educate designers and architects, as well as consumers and help them make informed decisions when specifying flooring and hard surfacing.

Floor Trends: What do you anticipate in terms of attendance? 

Cristina Faedi: As Cersaie gears up, the exhibition space at the show is already fully sold out. This, along with a somewhat return to normalcy following the pandemic, will add to the event’s appeal to industry professionals from the fields of construction, contract, architecture and interior design who are eager to travel, connect with exhibitors and see the latest products from Italian manufacturers.

Floor Trends: What marketing efforts have been made to attract attendees? 

Faedi: Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics) and EdiCer SpA (the organizer of Cersaie) have long strived to strengthen their relationship with industry professionals. Now in its 10th year, Cersaie Business is an initiative to invite top international architects and designers to the show with the aim of promoting meetings between these professionals and the Italian ceramic brands. And for the last few years, the Italian ceramics industry has offered North American architects, designers and distributors the chance to attend the show and see firsthand the latest tile products and exciting developments from Italian manufacturers through its two programs, Destination Cersaie | Bologna and the Young Distributor Program. 

Floor Trends: Will there be any new show features this year? 

Faedi: One new aspect of this year's show is Cersaie Upstairs, an elevated thematic pathway devoted to the architecture and contract sectors. Spanning across Gallery 21/22, Gallery 25/26 and Hall 19/20, this new initiative will offer visitors sensorial, immersive, cultural and playful experiences, all characterized by the themes of the four elements: water, earth, fire and water.

Floor Trends: What are a few reasons why industry professionals should attend Cersaie 2022?

Faedi: Cersaie is the global launch pad for new tile products. It offers a chance to see the newest tile collections before anyone else. In addition to the sheer breadth of products, the show features a robust conference program (“Building, Dwelling, Thinking”) with leading architecture and design professionals from all over the world. This year’s guest speakers include renowned Swiss architect Mario Botta, as well as Manuel Herz, Bergmeisterwolf, Giovanni Cappelletti and Maria Giuseppina Grasso Cannizzo. There’s also an area dedicated to tile installation (“Tiling Town”) where expert tile layers will perform live demonstrations with a special focus on outdoor spaces and extra-large slabs.