Cersaie News 2025
A tangible commitment to sustainability: Cersaie awarded ISO 20121 certification by Bureau Veritas
At an event held on December 4th at the Bologna Exhibition Centre, the international certification body Bureau Veritas Italia formally awarded Cersaie the ISO 20121:2024 certification for “Event sustainability management systems – Requirements with guidance for use”. The certificate was presented by Roberta Prati (Certification Director) and Antonella Fabbri (Senior Large Client Manager, Certification Division) to Armando Cafiero, Director General of Confindustria Ceramica. Also attending were BolognaFiere Director General Antonio Bruzzone, Angelo Dall’Aglio (Executive Manager CERSAIE), Simone Mosconi (Confindustria Ceramica – Head of the ISO 20121 Management System) and Claudio Pellizzari (Artea).
The ISO 20121 standard, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), defines the management system requirements an organisation must meet in order to plan and deliver sustainable events.
For the show’s 2025 edition, Cersaie’s organisers voluntarily adopted a Sustainable Management System to bring together and formalise the numerous positive initiatives implemented over previous years.
This certification confirms the effectiveness of Cersaie’s policies and strengthens the organisers’ commitment to further consolidating the show as a global benchmark for the sector and as a model of operational excellence and sustainability. ISO 20121:2024 certification represents an added value for all stakeholders, partners and participants, encouraging the organisers to pursue responsible innovation with ever greater determination.
In line with this commitment, the sustainability performance of the recently concluded edition of Cersaie is currently being evaluated. The results will be shared transparently and used to further improve the performance of future editions.
“This result recognises the work of everyone involved in organising Cersaie and is a strong incentive for us to continue improving,” said Armando Cafiero, Director General of Confindustria Ceramica. “ISO 20121 certification is not only an acknowledgment that the planning, design and execution of the show follow a verified and structured method, it is also a clear demonstration that the principles of social, environmental and economic responsibility that we share with our member companies are adopted throughout every phase and activity of Cersaie.”
Roberta Prati, Certification Director at Bureau Veritas Italia, commented: “When 95,000 people come together, as they do for Cersaie, it is essential to pay the utmost attention to safety and to the social and environmental impact of the event. Through our audits, we at Bureau Veritas are proud to recognise the efforts of organisations that adopt ISO 20121 certification as a tangible sign of their commitment to sustainability while actively involving stakeholders in the process.”
“The certification obtained by Cersaie marks a decisive step forward in the way we conceive and organise events,” commented Antonio Bruzzone, CEO of BolognaFiere. “Cersaie demonstrates that sustainability is now a central element of the trade fair experience and a value that exhibitors, buyers and international stakeholders have come to expect. The journey we have undertaken together with Confindustria Ceramica consolidates a model that combines quality, responsibility and innovation, generating tangible benefits for the entire sector. We will continue to invest in processes that create positive, measurable impacts, further raising the standards of our exhibitions.”
A gastronomic journey of excellence at Cersaie 2025!
Visiting Cersaie means enjoying a complete experience. In addition to discovering the latest trends in the sector and establishing new partnerships, we have also devoted considerable attention to the culinary offerings within the exhibition centre. This is to provide added value for all exhibitors and international visitors.
The result is a culinary journey comprising 33 refreshment points and restaurants, designed to meet the needs of an international audience. However, these are not just any refreshment outlets: three of these spaces have been entrusted to renowned chefs, who will be bringing their creativity and culinary expertise to the exhibition.
Gennaro Esposito, a two Michelin star chef, is one of the most popular names and faces on television when it comes to Mediterranean haute cuisine. He is deeply attached to tradition and uses local ingredients to create innovation and transformation, telling stories through his dishes.
Alberto Bettini is the owner of the historic, Michelin-starred 'da Amerigo' trattoria, located in the Bologna hills. His obsessive attention to detail and loyalty to the area's traditional produce have made his restaurant a place of historical significance, bringing richness and authenticity to the table.
Massimiliano Poggi is an exceptional interpreter of Emilian cuisine who experiments with and reworks local produce to offer a fresh yet balanced take on traditional flavours.
Alongside gourmet restaurants, visitors can choose from a variety of options offered at street food stalls, bars and seating areas where they can enjoy quick meals without compromising on quality. This diversification caters for those who are short on time and those who want to treat themselves to a high-level culinary experience.
Cersaie's rich gastronomic offering allows visitors to make the most of their time at the fair.
Five days of urban installations, talks, workshops and events to bring the historic centre of Bologna to life
BOLD (Bologna Live Design) is a cultural platform that transforms the city into an urban laboratory of contemporary and corporate design. Created through a collaboration between Brave Arts, Mollusco & Balena and Brit companies, BOLD is part of Bologna's design narrative, projecting it into the future with a multidisciplinary vision. Through the 'fuori fiera' (outside the fair), the cultural impact is amplified with events spread throughout the city.
Each installation, workshop and performance is designed to encourage discussion between architects, businesses and citizens.
'What if...', the title of the 2025 edition, is more than just a question; it is a vision and a desire to take action. It is the desire to view design not as a mere aesthetic, but as a driving force for change. In an era where artificial intelligence is redefining what is possible, the climate crisis demands urgent action, and social changes are opening up new possibilities, design plays a pivotal role in initiating and accelerating regenerative processes.
The design we are interested in is not just about beauty or functionality. It goes further, questioning, proposing, and disturbing when necessary.
What if... design were already the answer?
What if... we stopped following trends and started creating them?
What if... design became a tool for social transformation?
What if... innovation arose from the dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and technology?
Discover all the events here
'I Portici di Cersaie': an immersive journey through matter, light and design.
For the 2025 edition, Cersaie will present 'I Portici di Cersaie', a photographic itinerary designed by architect Dario Curatolo to enhance the beauty of Cersaie products through an aesthetic and sensory experience.
Located at the Costituzione entrance, the route leads visitors from the turnstiles to 'The Square', the heart of the exhibition where talks, conferences and award ceremonies featuring renowned figures in contemporary architecture will take place, alongside an exhibition showcasing the winning entries of the Tile Competition.
'I Portici di Cersaie' recounts the journey of products from the origin of the material — clay — to their transformation into finished architectural elements. It is a narration in images that showcases design through:
- the shape, as thickness, dimension and three-dimensionality;
- the finish, with its porosity, shine and texture;
- colour: authentic, saturated or neutral, capable of generating patterns and graphic surfaces.
Along this visual portico, inspired by Bologna's architectural identity, products become emotional and narrative elements, presented in a scenography of architectural lighting that enhances their tactile and visual qualities.
This is a unique opportunity for architects, designers, retailers and other professionals at Cersaie to rediscover the value and beauty of products as a synthesis of materials, techniques and design visions.
The "I Portici di Cersaie" route ends at ‘The Square’, the fair's central hub.
Designed by architect Dario Curatolo, “The Square” is inspired by Bologna's “Piazza” and aims to encourage meetings, exchanges of ideas and conviviality.
Planned with particular attention to re-use, “The Square” houses an arena for meetings, award ceremonies and conferences, a live radio station, a bookshop, a giant screen dedicated to the international architecture competition 'Tile Competition' and a lounge designed to welcome visitors.
The new layout of Cersaie: a new experience for exhibitors and visitors
The 2025 edition of the exhibition, to be held in Bologna from 22 to 26 September, features a renewed layout designed to improve the experience for professionals visiting the fair and make the participation of exhibiting companies even more effective.
Pavilion 19 will be added to the pavilions that traditionally host the world's leading companies in the ceramic surfaces and bathroom furnishing sectors, which have always been the exhibition's key sectors, while Pavilions 31 and 32 will feature a new layout.
Halls 31 and 32: focus on surfaces, bathroom furnishings and finishes for the architectural space
Non-ceramic surfaces, interior finishes and an expansion of the bathroom/wellness sector will find a new home in Halls 31 and 32.
These sectors complement the variety of products on display for the many architects, designers, and contractors who visit the event in search of inspiration and materials for their projects.
This year, emerging brands and high-quality, technologically advanced materials have been given a strategic location near the Costituzione Entrance, which is a prime access point for visitors arriving from the city or railway station. It is located just a few metres from the 'Quadriportico', Cersaie's main square.
Halls 31 and 32 have been designed to offer an extraordinary range of high-quality products and to allow visitors to explore the latest trends in design, materials and interior design solutions.
Hall 19: the world of installation
Hall 19 will become the point of reference for companies and professionals in the laying industry, offering an area completely dedicated to new technologies, innovative materials, live demonstrations and professional updating not only for installers, but also for architects, retailers and specialised showroom personnel.
The hall will host the thirteenth edition of "Tiling Town", with a large area dedicated to the Assoposa Academy. Every day, "Master Layers" will give demonstrations of innovative laying techniques and displays of ceramic furnishings.
The conference area will host technical seminars on large ceramic slabs aimed at architects, engineers and surveyors, which will count towards their professional training credits.
The 'Cersaie World Tiling Lab' initiative will also be presented: a 200-square-metre area in which four teams of young tilers from Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and Brazil will compete to lay ceramic surfaces and create four environments: a bathroom with a shower niche, an outdoor area, a living area with a staircase, and a façade with a French window.
Finally, the Forwarders will be strategically positioned near the Costituzione entrance to facilitate business contacts.
‘A space for architectural design’ – Cersaie presents the manifesto for its 42^(nd) edition
The 2025 image of the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings reinforces the concept of architectural space. This is a concept that has accompanied the exhibition, which is to be held in Bologna from 22 to 26 September, and which focuses on the responsible and integrated design of indoor and outdoor spaces.
The Cersaie 2025 Manifesto builds on the concept of the previous edition, expanding to symbolically narrate the evolution of the relationship between architecture and everyday life. It is characterised by a broader, more three-dimensional vision, offering a multipolar view from multiple planes and perspectives capable of anticipating the present and future needs of the built environment.
Global dynamics have given rise to cities where cultures and lifestyles intertwine, generating influences that shape new habits and redefine priorities.
The visual therefore represents what Cersaie offers its visitors: an ecosystem of design products to meet the needs of designers, contractors, and trade operators from all over the world.
