{
  "id": 14727226,
  "title": "La finanza globale investe sulle fiere. E l’Italia (per ora) resta a guardare",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/la-finanza-globale-investe-sulle-fiere-e-litalia-per-ora-resta-a-14727226",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-15T15:04:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Il Sole 24 Ore",
    "slug": "il-sole-24-ore",
    "url": "https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/la-finanza-globale-investe-fiere-e-l-italia-per-ora-resta-guardare-AJxmZxkB"
  },
  "original_language": "it",
  "account": "Global financial investments are pouring into trade fairs, with Italy (for now) remaining on the sidelines. After being written off during the Covid pandemic and in the immediate aftermath, the global industry is thriving, and Italy's sector has continued to grow even in the first six months of the year, despite international geopolitical turmoil. The sector has seen further growth compared to 2025's record-breaking year, with companies' revenue reaching 2.1 billion euros, a 10% increase over 2024 and a 35% increase in real terms compared to 2019. Advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), have emerged as a growth driver for the industry, both as a tool to strengthen services and enhance offerings, and paradoxically, by encouraging people to desire and spend money on attending live events, both business and leisure.\n\nInternational investors were among the first to recognize the potential, followed by major financial news outlets (from the Wall Street Journal to the Financial Times). In just eight weeks, between May and June, four of the ten largest trade fair groups in the world (excluding German fairs) were sold – CloserStill and Hyve (British), Group Emerald and Questex (American). Three transactions, valued between $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion, are among the top four private equity deals in the history of the trade fair industry. Italian Exhibition Group CEO Corrado Peraboni notes that in just a few months, more capital has been moved than in the last eight years in terms of M&A. This represents an unprecedented concentration in the sector, and the size issue is becoming critical, not just for Italy, but also for Germany, which, despite having larger groups, is seeking a response to this trend.\n\nAt present, Italy and Germany (which respectively rank fourth and third globally in terms of trade fair volume and visitor numbers) are watching these developments. It is important to note that the above-mentioned transactions involve US and UK colossi active in organizing B2B fairs, explaining why Italy and Germany are excluded from these movements. Both countries have an industry primarily focused on regional business associations, which prioritize promoting their productive sectors and territories. Professor Francesca Golfetto of Bocconi University, an expert in the trade fair world, observes that it is difficult for Italian companies, whether public or private, to decide to sell or open up to foreign capital. However, the need for large capital is evident, as both the infrastructure and services must be modernized to meet the changing market demands. Francesco Conci, CEO of Fiera Milano, calls for innovative spaces and services to manage not only B2B events but also consumer exhibitions, live performances, sports competitions, congresses, and hybrid fairs. Italy will eventually need to participate in this trend, either to manage it or be affected by it. BolognaFiere, which opened its shares to the British colossus Informa in 2022, has become a 15.6% shareholder in the Bolognese group. Professor Golfetto emphasizes that there are many ways to be competitive, such as forming international partnerships, as the Germans have done for decades and that Italian fairs have begun to do in recent years with promising results. The key is to bring these successful formats to the Italian territory, manage exhibition spaces better, and utilize them throughout the year, not just during events. Professor John Shehata of Luiss Business School suggests that a dépeçage, a separation between infrastructure and organization, could be a solution. The infrastructure should remain public, maintaining territorial and entrepreneurial development, while the organization of events and some exhibitions could become private. The interest from investors in the Italian trade fair system is a positive sign, according to Giovanni Bozzetti, president of Fondazione Fiera Milano.",
  "summary": "In 8 settimane allocati più capitali che negli ultimi 8 anni. Il sistema italiano, legato ai territori, studia come intercettare questo trend",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}