By Louis Iannaco
Cersaie 2006, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings, is coming soon—Sept. 26 to 30, to be exact—in the Bologna Exhibition Center. During the five days of the show, professionals from all over the world will have an opportunity to gain a preview of the tastes and trends in ceramic tiles and bathroom furniture for the coming months.

In an exhibition space of 186,574 square yards, Cersaie 2006 will host more than 1,000 of the leading ceramic tile producers from all over the world. It will explore the cutting edge of technological and aesthetic research in ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings. And it will offer countless business opportunities and a packed program of cultural and information initiatives.

These are just a few of the reasons why 100,000 industry professionals return to the show year after year. Architects and designers come to get up-to-date with the most significant technological and aesthetic advances in the fields of ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings; to find inspiration for new areas of experimentation in the use of ceramic products, and to enhance creative projects with products that are consistently innovative and of excellent design.

Distributors make a point of gaining a preview of all new products and market trends, finding new and profitable business opportunities, and consolidating existing business relationships. Building contractors visit Cersaie to evaluate the use of ceramic tiles in residential settings and public spaces such as squares, shopping centers and infrastructures, and find out more about tile applications in large-scale restoration and building projects.

There is also a new version of its Web site, www.cersaie.it, launched just a few months ago, which offers enhanced content and a number of new services for the world’s press and journalists.

From the home page, visitors can go to six different areas, each of which is divided into various focus pages. The section titled “The Show,” contains information on Cersaie’s characteristics and program, while the “Catalog” section provides an up-to-date list of the exhibitors taking part in 2006, complete with a powerful search engine.

Also, Ceramic Springs Sorgenti Ceramiche is the title of an event organized by Ceramic Tiles of Italy for Cersaie ’06. The Services Center, which has always been the place devoted to information, communication and image at Cersaie, will be entirely filled by this event focusing on wellness and created by renown Italian architects Dante Donegani and Giovanni Lauda.

The exhibition is inspired in particular by the evolution of the bathroom from an essential functional room to a complex space devoted to psychophysical well-being. This has encouraged the organizers to conduct aesthetic research based on the tactile and chromatic qualities of ceramic wall tiling and to promote an awareness of the value of the environment and respect for nature, concepts that are increasingly important in the choice of construction materials and design in contemporary architecture.

Visitors to Cersaie will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in an “oasis of wellness,” a sensorial experience based on extensive use of Italian ceramic tiles and bathroom furniture.

Also, the Italian ceramic tile industry will present the Assopiastrelle Distributor Award to four wholesalers (Italian and foreign) that have excelled in their activities of distributing Italian ceramic tiles, as well as the Ceramic Tiles of Italy Journalism Award for the best article about Cersaie 2005 and the Italian ceramic industry published in the foreign press.

For more information about Cersaie 2006, call +39.0536.804585.
—Louis Iannaco