Vitrum 2023: International Glass Industry Success

High-level participants, international exhibitors and quality B2B relationships are among the ingredients that confirmed the XXIII edition of VITRUM a must-event for the latest industry products of excellence. Vision Milan Glass Week was also filled to capacity – for a week, nearly 300 glass-related events enlivened some of the most exciting venues in Milan, the quintessential Glass Capital.

VITRUM, the international trade show specialized in machinery, equipment and systems for flat and hollow glass, held September 5-8 in the Fiera Milano Rho pavilions, recorded an average of more than 1,800 individual entrances per day, for an overall 73.4% increase over the 2021 edition.

Once again, the numbers confirm the highly qualified and international nature of the industry professionals in attendance – who accounted for more than half the participants (53.4%) from 90 countries. Compared to the 2021 edition, the show strengthened its position as European leader (54.6% of the attendees were international), while the number of Asian participants almost quadrupled, accounting for 28.6% of the international turnout. Italian participation was also widespread, with attendees from nearly all (96 out of 107) of the Italian provinces.

VITRUM also proved to be a not-to-be-missed event for exhibitors, providing space for 218 of the leading glass companies, across 17,190m2 of total surface area, with a mean stand size of more than 80m2. The average surface area occupied by GIMAV members more than doubled, confirming VITRUM as the Made in Italy industry event par excellence, without diminishing the event’s international appeal, as confirmed by the presence of exhibitors from 29 countries, 56.8% of them from abroad.

More than 10,000 daily B2B meetings between specialized industry professionals, perfect for a trade show that traditionally makes quality and consolidating relationships its strength.

On the topic, GIMAV and VITRUM President Dino Zandonella Necca remarked: “We have experienced four full days of appointments, meetings and interaction with all the companies we hosted and with many, many visitors who chose to come to the Fiera Milano Rho pavilions to see what the glass processing industry has to offer in terms of innovation, research, design and attention to detail. VITRUM 2023 was once again a showcase for all the participating companies, from Italy and abroad, that represent the sector’s excellence at the international level. We are pleased with the fact that so many companies consider the show a standing appointment, to be honored one edition after another, returning here to display their finest products, and we are equally pleased to have welcomed new exhibitors, above all, those from beyond our borders.”

“This,” stated Riccardo Vianello, Vice-President of GIMAV and VITRUM Board Member, “strengthens our positioning as a trade show that makes quality of relationships and the right amount of time to dedicate to each visitor its key asset. Actually, this is an almost unique characteristic for an event like VITRUM, given the fact that it takes place on “neutral territory” where customers feel free to express themselves, and to offer criticism – a starting point from which to work toward improving ourselves.”

This year, the show took place concurrently with the third edition of Vision Milan Glass Week, the other event promoted by GIMAV, with a focus on glass and its applications. A full week of events, exhibits, guided tours, exclusive showroom openings, workshops and meetings held in some of the most exciting venues in Milan, the quintessential Glass Capital.

The numbers from the recently closed edition confirm the success of the GIMAV formula: 190,000 visitors over the 7 days of the event, 86 activities involved, including 7 museums in Milan, approx. 300 appointments – all sold out – and 32 guided tours that engaged more than 600 participants. And let’s not forget the creative workshops for kids organized by Kikolle Lab, back again this year, in which 120 children between the ages of 5 and 10 years took part.

Among the other prestigious partners and hubs that participated in Vision Milan Glass Week are the Castello Sforzesco, Terrazza Santambrogio and Tricolore Design Hub. Alongside them were key newcomers, the Fabbrica del Vapore and VITRUM Arena, the multifunctional space inside VITRUM 2023 in which master glassmakers, artists, architects and designers took the stage with their own personal interpretations of glass, creating a captivating, novel program.

Commenting on the two recently concluded events, Fabrizio Cattaneo, Director of GIMAV and CEO of VITRUM, paused to reflect on the most prominent trends at the XXIII edition of VITRUM and the third edition of Vision Milan Glass Week: “There were four key themes: Green and Eco-sustainability, Human Centric, Smart and Servitization. More specifically, during the show, visitors and industry professionals were able to observe how the entire sector is focused on increasing productivity and quality of service, thanks to the development and use of solutions that aim to engage clients and employees, and also on the adoption of sustainable technologies. The use of smart tools, IoT and artificial intelligence today makes it possible to achieve greater system reliability, improved decision-making processes based on data and ever-greater optimization of all phases of processing. The entire glass industry supply chain, now and in the future, is closely tied to sustainability, because this is a material that can be recycled an infinite number of times and that can act as the driver of a solid circular economy and of innovation. Thanks to the latter, we can envision and create an infinite number of applications that range from decoration to furnishings to the construction industry. An entire world of possibilities upon which events like VITRUM and Glass Week allow us to open a window to observe their evolution and imagine, and even better, design the glass of the future.”