On January 27, 2026, at 3:30 p.m., Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, officially presented the 2026 Trade Fair Calendar at the Farnesina.
This strategic roadmap highlights the most significant international exhibitions scheduled across Italy’s key productive sectors and outlines the government's initiatives to accelerate the internationalization of Italian companies.
The event featured high-level participation from Italy’s trade fair organizations, AEFI and IT-EX, alongside major "Sistema Italia" institutions including ICE (Italian Trade Agency), SACE, SIMEST, and CDP.
Trade fairs remain a strategic pillar of the Italian economy, serving as a global stage for the nation's supply chains. Italy currently holds a dominant position in the global market:
Global Ranking: 4th in the world for covered exhibition space (2.5 million square meters), trailing only China, the U.S., and Germany.
European Ranking: 3rd in Europe by turnover, following Germany and France, while maintaining an edge over Spain, the continent's fastest-growing market.
Italian trade fairs directly mirror the country’s export-oriented economy. Five core sectors—Agri-food, Construction-Furniture, Fashion-Beauty, Technology, and Leisure—form the heart of the "Made-in-Italy" brand, representing 63% of the nation’s total export value.
Building on the momentum of 2025—which saw 915 fairs and over 17 million visitors—Italy has planned 878 events for 2026. This includes 276 international and 202 national fairs. The sectoral distribution for the coming year is as follows:
12%: Food, Beverage, and Hospitality
11%: Textiles, Clothing, and Fashion
11%: Sports, Hobbies, Entertainment, and Art
9%: Technology and Mechanics
8%: Agriculture, Forestry, and Livestock
7%: Jewelry, Watches, and Accessories
The Strategic Role of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA)
As the operational arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA/ICE) continues to lead the charge in supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In 2025, the Agency allocated over €200 million for internationalization programs. Specifically, €90 million was invested to facilitate participation in fairs abroad, while €35 million was dedicated to attracting international buyers to Italian soil.
Through these efforts, the Agency organized 245 national pavilions abroad, supporting over 6,500 Italian companies, and brought 11,500 foreign operators to events within Italy. This robust calendar for 2026 reaffirms Italy's commitment to remaining a primary global hub for trade, innovation, and economic partnership.
Follow the latest news on Google News
