Florence, 19^th March 2021 – The fourth edition of DIDACTA ITALY FAIR will be closing tonight after offering 658 total events, including seminars, conventions, webinars, and immersive workshops, in addition to over 16,000 training hours for teachers.

This entirely online edition saw many new registrations. The new training sessions, such as the events dedicated to kindergarten 0-6, were incredibly successful, along with the event Fare, non provare (Do, and not just try to do) which, for the first time, saw the active participation of hundreds of school managers, and the project Didacta in classe (Didacta in Class), enthusiastically involving entire classes of students who, for the first year, actively participated in the Fair.

Thanks to the DIDACTA GREEN area and the participation of all the main actors, the focus of the educational debate of this edition was environmental education, the protection of our planet, circular economy, and green innovation, featuring an articulated programme of meetings, workshops, and good sustainable practices.

Among the most famous speakers, Enrico Letta, Secretary of the Italian Democratic Party (PD), who participated in the Convention Educazione alla cittadinanza attiva (Education in Active Citizenship) and in the event Musica e futuro virtuale (Music and Virtual Future), promoted and organised by the Fiesole School of Music, Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills at OECD and PISA, virologist Ilaria Capua, jurist Gherardo Colombo, actor and filmmaker Alessandro Gassmann, and Rossella Muroni, Vice-President of the Environment Committee of the Italian Parliament.

Many young people also graced the virtual showcase of Didacta Italy 2021 with their own stories and dreams to be shared with the new generations, such as singer and former math teacher Lorenzo Baglioni, and “space girl” and wannabe astronaut Linda Raimondo, a physics student at the University of Turin who talked about “Science, Dreams, STEM Subjects & Future”.

“This fully online edition of the Fair – said Lorenzo Becattini, President of Firenze Fiera – was a new, extraordinary, fascinating, and complex experience, and once again it confirmed that DIDACTA ITALY FAIR represents the most important annual event on Italian school innovation. That is why I would like to thank the Organising Committee, Indire, all our sponsors, partners and companies which supported us, along with the speakers, the teachers who registered and all the young people who participated in the Fair for the first time”.

“The next edition – concluded Becattini – will be held live from 10^th to 12^th March 2022 at the Fortezza da Basso, which, once again, will be the benchmark for the Italian school’s training and innovative courses, along with Florence and Tuscany”.

Over 1,500 buyers from 32 countries, more than 70,000 views, 92% of exhibitors satisfied.

Florence, 8th February 2021. The third edition of FIRENZE HOME TEXSTYLE – the most important Italian furnishing textile fair – successfully closed tonight (Monday), seeing the participation of around fifty leading companies of the sector which, for four consecutive days, showcased the latest collections and the iconic creations of the brands represented on a virtual platform.
While awaiting the return of the physical fair inside the pavilions of the Fortezza da Basso, in 2022, exhibitors expressed their satisfaction, appreciating the benefits of the platform activated by Firenze Fiera, which allowed a successful matching with over 1,500 new high-profile buyers coming from 32 different countries, generating over 70,000 page views.
Webinars aroused great interest, showing the fashion design trends of the textile world, and already giving a preview of the 2022/2023 Autumn/Winter season trends. The commercial section was supported by the project WUNDERKAMMER – La stanza delle meraviglie (The Room of Wonders), an area entirely dedicated to artistic textiles amidst tradition, innovation, and design, preserved in prestigious Tuscan locations such as the Antico Setificio Fiorentino (the Ancient Florence Silk Factory), Fondazione Lisio, the Stibbert Museum, the Textile Museum in Prato, and the Straw Museum in Signa.
FIRENZE HOME TEXSTYLE 2021 will continue until 21st June 2021 with “Business Goin’ On”. Four months of activities and new opportunity businesses, during which exhibitors will keep on meeting buyers virtually, thanks to organized and spontaneous meetings, and presenting their company and show rooms to operators thanks to the Video Live Experience. The event will close with the Firenze Home Texstyle Awards 2021, on schedule for 22nd June 2021.

“I think that moments of crisis always create new opportunities, as proved by this first digital fair, which was successfully held and made companies and buyers extremely satisfied”, said Lorenzo Becattini, President of Firenze Fiera. “Our hope is to be able to organise live fairs again and to benefit from the endless potential of the Web as an amplifier, as well as a strong boost to intercept all those highly qualified international clients living in faraway countries, who could normally find it hard to visit our fair”.

Florence, 3^rd February 2021. Everything is ready for the third edition of FIRENZE HOME TEXSTYLE, opening online on Friday, 5^th February, at 9:30 a.m. with a welcome greeting from Lorenzo Becattini, President of Firenze Fiera.

While awaiting the return of the physical fair in 2022, this is going to be a special online edition, seeing the participation of about fifty companies and 60 leading brands representing the Italian manufacturing sectors of home, marine, spa textiles, contract & hotel industry, textile publishing, and fragrances, which, in these last months are increasingly attracting the public attention.

In addition to companies, the event will also see the presence of buyers from department and concept stores, architects and interior designers, key players of the textile and furniture sector, along with opinion leaders, journalists, influencers, and bloggers looking for new trends and moods of the moment.

The event will take place from Friday, 5^th to Monday 8^th February 2021 and will offer many benefits, among them the opportunity to visit the virtual booths of exhibitors in the various pavilions, attend live meetings in video-call mode, B2B meetings, and participate in webinars to discover trends, styles, new materials, and the latest news in production processes. The fair will be followed by Business Goin’On, taking place from 9^th February to 21^st June 2021, where it will be possible to consolidate business relationships started during the opening days of the event, as well as to arrange new appointments and vote the Exhibitors for the Firenze Home TexStyle Awards 2021, on schedule for 22^nd June 2021.

The programme offers various webinars, to which you can subscribe for free upon registering on the website www.firenzehometexstyle.com. Among them, do not miss a meeting with the Architecture Department – DIDA – of the University of Florence, taking place on Saturday, 6^th February, at 10:00 am, and dealing with ‘Technological Innovation Design in the Textile Sector – Stories’, presenting some possible innovative scenarios in the textile sector combined with design, by introducing research projects carried out with companies in the sector.

Always on Saturday, at 11:00 am, all those who love collecting textiles will have the chance to follow a presentation of Fabrics and Tapestries of the Stibbert Museum curated by Prof. Enrico Colle, Superintendent of this prestigious Florentine museum.

Furthermore, inside the so-called “Stanza delle meraviglie” (Room of Wonders) visitors will have the opportunity to find out about and admire some artistic fabrics – unique pieces inspired by great works of art from the past and preserved inside historic manufactures and Tuscan museum collections. Among them, the Antico Setificio Fiorentino (the Ancient Florence Silk Factory), Fondazione Lisio, the Stibbert Museum, the Textile Museum in Prato, and the Straw Museum in Signa.

The Fair is sponsored by the Region of Tuscany, the Florence Municipality, the Metropolitan City of Florence, the Chamber of Commerce of Florence, and the Chamber of Commerce of Pistoia and Prato.

Thanks to a co-operation with ICE – the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade – which, for the first year, decided to enhance and support the fair, and Promofirenze, the exhibition will rely on the participation of buyers coming from various European countries such as France, Spain, Croatia, Ukraine, Russia, and Great Britain, as well as from non-European strategic reference markets such as USA, Canada, UAE, Hong Kong, Japan, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Panama.

Admission to the Fair is free for all the sector professionals upon registration on the website www.firenzehometexstyle.com.

INFO: www.firenzehometexstyle.com

Florence, 2^nd February 2021 – Being an integral part of the Florence congress and exhibition citadel managed by Firenze Fiera – Congress & Exhibition Center, along with the Fortezza da Basso and Palazzo dei Congressi, Palazzo degli Affari is now undergoing an aesthetic and functional restyling.

Firenze Fiera entrusted the project to Politecnica – among the most important Italian integrated planning company in the architecture, engineering, and urban planning fields – which is carried out in partnership with Architect Elio di Franco for the architectural design, Consilium for the engineering part, and Engineer Riccardo Chiti for the energy-related aspects.

The upgrading of the building touches various fields, including its architecture, structure, and systems, in synergy with the restoration of contemporary architecture, and features the reconstruction of the external façades, whose original aspect will be preserved to create a unique and coordinated image from a historical and functional point of view.

Carried out following the HBIM (Historic Building Information Modelling) method – an innovative design technology to restore existing buildings – the key objective of this renovation work is also to upgrade the building in terms of energy efficiency and effectiveness, to make it sustainable, particularly by redeveloping, reconstructing, and adapting its envelope, as well as upgrading the existing systems.

A new corridor obtained on the back, on the ground floor, will allow to maximise the aesthetic qualities and functionalities of the building, optimizing the use of spaces, thanks also to the construction of a large staircase connecting the basement, the ground floor and the first floor. Furthermore, the building will feature a panoramic terrace at the top available for the events, with a view of the main city monuments.

The restoration work was preceded by extensive historic and archival research which, thanks also to the support of a team of conservation and enhancement restoration experts, allowed to retrieve the original documents relating to the design and construction of the building, thus carrying out an operation of great scientific and documental value.

“The restoration of the building is proceeding according to the scheduled timetable”, said Lorenzo Becattini, President of Firenze Fiera. “Upon completion of the work, Palazzo degli Affari will be an elegant congress center, as well as an ultra-modern exhibiting space according to the most state-of-the-art technological standards, combining high technology, innovation, the use of renewable resources and a spatial and functional optimization. The ongoing renovation will also aim at upgrading the building in terms of energy efficiency and effectiveness to make it sustainable, particularly by redeveloping, reconstructing, and adapting its envelope, as well as upgrading its systems”.

“The project of Palazzo degli Affari stems from the property’s need to renovate the palace, built in the 1970s, turning it into an emblem of excellence and modernity within the great congress and exhibition center of Florence and Tuscany”, said Beatrice Gentili, Sales Manager of Politecnica for Italy. “The expertise of Politecnica, combined with the competence of the partners involved, made it possible for us to carry out a restoration project which will greatly improve the use of spaces, making Palazzo degli Affari a reference in the congress and exhibition sector for its equipment and its use of latest technology. This restoration and enhancement project is of great relevance, as much as other important works already implemented on the territory, such as the detailed design of the Uffizi, the project to monitor public access at Palazzo Pitti, and finally, the one of the ‘ex-Dogana’.”

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Health emergency caused by COVID-19 has changed the habits of Italians, along with the economic stability of thousands of crafts businesses. Homebound by the infection prevention measures adopted by the Italian Government, many people buy their Christmas presents online.
In this scenario, initiatives to support businesses and calls to buy handicrafts multiply, helping the numerous business realities in need.
Firenze Fiera is doing the same, launching its video communication campaign to support craftsmanship and Emporio MIDA, the permanent digital showcase dedicated to exhibitors who will participate in the 85^th edition of  the International Crafts Fair – MIDA 2021 – set to take place in Florence, at the Fortezza da Basso, from 24^th to 2^nd May 2021.
Complete with the hashtag #regalartigiano (#craftsforchristmas), it is a call to support and buy handmade creations from our artisans as Christmas presents.
This campaign features 5 videos, made in co-operation with Riprese Firenze and Boiler Corporation.

INFO: https://emporiomida.mostrartigianato.it/ – www.facebook.com/mostrartigianato