A record-breaking 98,592 visitors attended the 22nd edition of Cersaie in Bologna, Italy, up nearly 2 percent from last year. Foreign attendance increased nearly 5 percent from 2003, with 25,706 visitors. The addition of two new halls increased the size of the show floor to 156,00 square meters and allowed a total of 1,057 exhibitors (including 208 foreign companies from 35 countries) to participate.

More than 700 people attended "Manufacturing in Italy - Society, Public Sector and Markets," a conference promoted by Assopiastrelle and organized by Edi.Cer. Spa. Moderated by Giancarlo Mazzuca, publishing director of QN - il Resto del Carlino, the meeting featured Luca di Montezemolo, chairman of Confindustria and BolognaFiere; Adolfo Urso, vice minister for production activities; Sergio Cofferati, mayor of Bologna; and Sergio Sassi, chairman of Assopiastrelle.

"The Production of Value in Architecture," a national convention promoted as part of the Markitecture program, and an afternoon session on high-profile European urban redevelopment projects from the standpoint of the relationship between client and real-estate intermediaries were both successes, according to organizers.

Another high point of the show was a program of company workshops, each showcasing innovative applications of ceramic products. These included "Architecture and the environment: The aesthetics and semantics of ventilated walls," by Marazzi Tecnica; "Technical products and technologies for designing international airports," by Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola; "Public places and the visually disabled: Guide routes imprinted on Granitogres tiles," by Ceramica Casalgrande Padana; and "Special Ceramics for Piazza Italia in Kobe, Japan," by Ceramica Del Conca. The program began with an event organized by iGuzzini entitled "Designing with light: Man, spaces and the perceptive dimension."

The next international exhibition of ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings, Cersaie 2005, will be held in Bologna, Italy from September 27 to October 1.