Mostra Convegno ExpoComfort – 150 Thousand Visitors in 5 Days

Three thousand exhibitors and 142,000 net square metres of space occupied (almost the whole of the Milan exhibition centre).

The visitor figure - which is a preliminary one based in the situation a few hours before closing - is very much in line with the number of visitors to the previous MCE. The latter figure has been recalculated so that it can be compared with this year because very rigid registration criteria were introduced for MCE 2002. These adopt a number of the provisions contained in the proposed regulations, which are not yet in force, for the implementation of the framework law overhauling the Italian exhibition industry.

"We are very pleased with this result - declares Piergiacomo Ferrari, Chairman of Fiera Milano International - which confirms the world leadership of MCE in the HVAC, plumbing and bathroom sectors. During the run up to the show we did not have any exhibitors dropping out because of international political tensions or the weak economic situation. Now, the response of the visitors has been very positive too. This is good for us, not just as the organizers of a successful major international show that is the point of reference for the sectors its serves, but also as citizens who are anxiously looking for the end of the recession. The industry MCE serves is very much part of a system. If MCE is thriving then it means that domestic and industrial building, with which HVAC, plumbing and bathrooms are closely linked, are also recovering. All this is excellent news and an important signal, which can be set alongside other positive signals about the macro-economic situation received in recent days".

The event had much more to offer than a commercial display of exhibits, which, as usual, revealed the latest technology, products and designs for air-conditioning, heating and the bathroom. There was a packed conference programme, with 2,300 people taking part in the various seminars and workshops, and there were two new initiatives at MCE 2002. The first was Next Energy, the event dedicated to energy efficiency, which marked the entry of the event into a new sector with great potential for development; the second was Superfici, which enhanced the already vast show case of bathroom products by focusing on a very promising niche - alternative surface coverings to ceramics.

The Comfort&Design Prize was another great success. 11 winners were chosen from the 106 products entered for the competition.

The next MCE will be in 2004, when the initiatives launched this year will be further boosted, and the problem of counterfeiting high quality Italian and European products will be tackled. This has now become a question of extreme gravity and urgency for many of the sectors represented at MCE.

Before then, Palermo will be the venue for the first Medicomfort from 8th to 11th May 2003. A joint venture between Fiera Milano International and l'Ente Fiera del Mediterraneo, Medicomfort will be a HVAC, plumbing and bathroom show for the South of Italy and the Mediterranean.