Mercanteinfiera Spring, chronology of a success 51,000 visitors, + 10% foreign buyers and boom in views of the mercanteinfiera.com marketplace
(Parma, 23 March 2022) “Our plan was for this to be the record edition of the last five years, with an increase of international operators and a thousand exhibitors in attendance. And so it has turned out to be, despite the challenging humanitarian and health situation. The success is in the numbers: 51,000 visitors, a higher attendance than in the previous autumn edition, a broader and more structured event than ever before, and a 10% increase in foreign buyers. These impressive figures confirm Mercanteinfiera as the leading international exhibition of antiques, historic design and vintage collectibles”.
These reflections and words of Ilaria Dazzi, Exhibition Director of Mercanteinfiera, close, with satisfaction, the 26th edition of Mercanteinfiera Spring, the Fiere di Parma event dedicated to antiques, historic design and vintage collectibles. An increasingly prestigious and, above all, cool miscellaneous format thanks to a young public that is in tune with trends and style.
“Young people could be seen everywhere in this edition, – continues Dazzi – which goes to show that the exhibition is winning over a segment of the public that up to a few editions ago was less interested in us. Whether hunting for curiosities, fashion accessories or home décor objects, young people are looking for “experiential” pieces with a history. More generally, this tells us that collecting itself, as a market, has new life and still great potential.”
These nine days of art captivated the Fiere di Parma public with rare pieces, objects with a timeless charm, and vintage fashion by the most prestigious brands. The pieces, some of them unique in their kind, were beautifully displayed in 40,000 square miles of exhibition area distributed over 4 pavilions.
“Is there anything more emotional than a goodbye?”, wrote an Italian migrant leaving on 28 September 1926. The emotions, the fears, the often unfulfilled expectations of those leaving Italy from the middle of the 19th century onwards in search of a better future, featured in the touching and very popular collateral exhibition “The ships were setting sail. Home sweet home America”, curated by Massimo Cutò, journalist and collector.
Another great success was the exhibition “Olivetti #HistoryofInnovation”, organized by the Olivetti Historical Archive Association in Ivrea, which shone a light on the distinguishing trait of the history of Olivetti, namely, the virtuous combination of design and corporate culture.
Focus on the phygital aspect will feature more and more prominently in the future of Mercanteinfiera – which returns to Fiere di Parma from 1 to 9 October. Due to the pandemic, online business relationships have grown stronger and have also been nurtured through mercanteinfiera.com. A platform that serves as a pivotal link, allowing visitors to keep up to date about the range of exhibition pieces between the various in person editions.
From 10 to 20 March, the platform had a total of 542,000 page views and over 15,000 unique visitors/users. And the success we celebrate multiplies.
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