Organisers of the 42nd edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna said the event closed on April 6 on an upbeat note of “enthusiasm and positive thinking”.
The trade fair has undergone a transformation into an, “event with a capital E” the organisers, SoGeCos, said. It conveys, “immense satisfaction and dynamism with its contents, vital statistics and targeted, highly qualified trade exchanges – including an average increase of 30 per cent in contracts signed by exhibitors during Cosmoprof 2009”.
Highlights of this year’s event included:
The Cosmoprof Spa Symposium: a two-day exchange about how to reposition the concept of spa and aesthetics in Europe and the future development of trends in four- and five-star hotels, so as to develop profit-oriented business.
The Hair Tribute Show for the art of cutting and styling: five renowned hair stylists demonstrating their art.
The Cosmoff Lab was a place to get inspiration and catch sight of trends present and future with internationally celebrated noses, chefs, design agencies and beauty exponents together sharing their experiences and visions.
Figures from this year’s event reveal that 31,000 tickets were sold via the internet – up 63 per cent over last year. This figure made up one third of all tickets sold – a new record.
There were 2,248 exhibitors, up 3 per cent over 2008. Foreign exhibitors accounted for 1,323 or 60 per cent of total exhibitors, occupying 91,000 square metres of display space – an increase of 3 per cent from 2008. Sixty countries were represented by exhibitors
At 139,523 visitors, attendance was down 7.5 per cent from last year. However SoGeCos reason that if they consider their exhibitors as potential clients for the event, as professional business operatives present, the visitor numbers increase to 175,000. Foreign visitors made up 33,338, down 14.9 per cent compared to last year, and there were 106,185 Italian visitors in total – down 4.8 per cent from last year.