Cer-Sail Exhibition to Spotlight Ports at Cersaie 2016

Bologna, IT, June 13, 2016—Ports will take center stage at Cer-Sail - Italian Style Concept, the third edition of the collective exhibition hosted by Cersaie, International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings.

This year, the two curators Angelo Dall’Aglio and Davide Vercelli have chosen redevelopment of Italian port areas as a contemporary design theme that will be of economic interest to the participating companies.

With its 8,000 kilometers of coastline, Italy has all the potential to become the largest and best organized natural hub in the Mediterranean. For this reason, in 2014 the Council of Ministers approved the National Strategic Plan for Harbours and Logistics (PSNPL) with the aim of improving the competitiveness of the port system and promoting the growth of freight and passenger transport through a process of rationalisation. The importance of the sector is demonstrated by the Ministry of Transport’s 2014 figures for the Italian port system: Italy accounts for 13% of all EU maritime freight traffic; 41 million passengers travel by sea in Italy (20% of the EU total) along with 10.4 million cruise passengers (one out of three of all passengers embarking and disembarking in Europe); about 1 million people are employed in the Italian logistics and port sectors.

The project proposed by Cer-Sail - Italian Style Concept is inspired by the Greek and Roman ports of the classical world, which served as gathering places and as locations for trading and cultural exchange. It presents new concepts aimed at redeveloping and upgrading port areas in Italy, including both leisure marinas and commercial ports. As a result, ports will no longer be seen just as places of transit but as venues that can be used all year round. They will be presented as lively, bustling spaces where one can sip an aperitif at sunset or dine out with the family, with areas specially set up for meetings, conferences and happy hours.

The exhibition Cer-Sail - Italian Style Concept will occupy a 1,500 square meter space in Hall 30 of the Bologna Exhibition Centre and will feature imaginary, surreal and ironic scenarios, real settings complete with products and solutions from leading companies in a variety of fields.

For full information on the exhibition, visit the website: www.cersaie.it/it/k_cer-sail.php