All the numbers of the Festival of Economics

The digital results of the Festival of Economics 2026 confirm the event's ability to be a permanent platform for debate and public participation.

The impact on the new generations was particularly significant: through an accessible editorial strategy and the targeted involvement of authoritative creators, the Festival succeeded in bringing complex content out of the specialist circuits, making it usable, sharable and culturally relevant for broad and transversal communities. A result that strengthens the positioning of the Festival as a point of reference not only institutional and cultural, but also digital and generational.

The results confirm the strength of this narrative ecosystem: more than 3.2 million overall views of organic content (+52% compared to 2025) and more than 2.1 million unique users reached demonstrate not only an increase in visibility, but above all the Festival's ability to generate debate, discussion and authentic involvement around major contemporary issues. A goal built through an articulated editorial strategy, with 625 pieces of content published on the four official channels - Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X - designed to make major economic issues accessible and relevant even to non-specialist audiences.

The level of participation generated by the community was particularly significant: over 70,546 spontaneous interactions (+118% compared to the previous edition), with more than 31,326 'likes', 1,978 comments, 5,378 shares and 1,875 saves. Numbers that testify not only to the visibility of the event, but above all to the Festival's ability to stimulate discussion, in-depth analysis and active involvement around the proposed contents. The average Engagement Rate of 3.3% - a figure that is still partial and being updated - confirms the quality of the relationship built with the digital audience.

Further strengthening this capacity for dialogue was a strategic influencer marketing activity, developed with the aim of bringing the Festival closer to the languages and interests of the new generations. The involvement of authoritative creators and profiles in the sphere of economic, financial and technological divulgation - from Starting Finance to Il Punto Economico, passing through Economika, Pillole di Economia, University Network and Techy Ita - made it possible to amplify the Festival's narrative within highly profiled and participative communities.

The more than 70 contents created by the creators independently generated more than 2.27 million views and reached 1.26 million unique users, with more than 42,600 total interactions, 2,700 saves and generated 2,000 sessions on the site. This result confirms the effectiveness of the digital strategy adopted and the ability of the Festival of Economics to speak to young people with authenticity, credibility and tools consistent with contemporary ways of using information.

Great amplification was produced by the coverage of the Festival and Fuori Festival events on all the social channels of the Il Sole 24 ORE Group - Il Sole 24 Ore, Radio 24, 24 ORE Eventi, 24 ORE Cultura and 24 ORE System - reaching a total of over 10 million users.

Remarkable results on the digital audience front: the live streaming events on the Sole 24 Ore website reached one million views, while the coverage and live commentary of the five days were followed by more than 200,000 users, double the number of last year. The relevance of the topics dealt with and the guests who took part is also confirmed by the number of users who passed through the Sole 24 Ore website, which almost reached 4 million during the days of the Festival. Success also for 24Ore Podcast: the live schedule of 6 episodes of original podcasts produced by Il Sole 24 Ore and Radio 24, including the episodes of the daily podcasts of Il Sole 24 Ore "Start" and "Macro", the special episodes of "Tecno" and "2024" and the first episode of the new season of "Materie", also drove the online audience, which recorded 100,000 audio streams.

Extraordinary circulation results also for the content produced on all the social channels of the Il Sole 24 ORE Group, which totalled 6.5 million views, driven above all by video coverage on Instagram. The contributions of Nobel Prize winners, statements by Ministers and leading Italian politicians and interviews with the guests of the Fuori Festival, as well as the morning Press Review with the Deputy Editors of the newspaper, live from Trento, were the most popular with the public.

The Il Sole 24 ORE Group has also chosen the international stage of the Festival to present the innovative 24ORE NextMed project, dedicated to the Enlarged Mediterranean, a strategic publishing platform of international importance designed to connect businesses, institutions and stakeholders along the Europe-Balkans-Africa-Gulf countries axis through a multi-channel content ecosystem and a permanent Observatory dedicated to the analysis of geopolitical and economic scenarios and the building of relations between public and private actors.

On the information front, the press office of the Autonomous Province of Trento, in coordination with the press offices of the Il Sole 24 ORE Group and Trentino Marketing, involved over a hundred journalists, administrative and secretarial staff, video operators, photographers, IT technicians and communication personnel. This work was also made possible thanks to the support of the Trentino system's Communication Table, coordinated by the provincial press office, and the press officers of the local authorities.

Over the course of the Festival, 160 press releases were made, together with approximately 7,000 photographs produced and selected for the official communication of the event. A total of 49 interviews and 65 video services dedicated to the programme events were also carried out, as well as more than 30 Press Points with national and international authorities. There were 1,359 subscribers to the Festival's media newsletter.

The 2026 edition also recorded a record number of accredited journalists and operators: 456 in total, 250 of whom were present in Trento, with reporters from the main local and national newspapers.

The first press review data count more than 950 articles published in the press to date, around 4000 web articles and 269 radio and television reports, a clear increase compared to last year. Extensive and constant coverage by local and national newspapers, which have reported in real time on the evolution of a Festival rich in content and opportunities for debate, confirming its centrality in the Italia and international debate.

The 24 ORE Group, present with more than 300 people between editorial staff and the company, deployed all its information production capacity to recount the days of the Festival by producing five inserts dedicated to the event, from Thursday 21 May to Tuesday 26 May, an online super-dossier on the Sole 24 Ore website. The involvement of the Sole 24 Ore journalists and the Radiocor Press Agency was even greater to guarantee maximum coverage of the event in coordination with the multimedia editorial staff, who fed the digital platforms, social channels and the new satellite TV channel IlSole24OreTV, which followed events, appointments and protagonists of the Festival and Fuori Festival closely with a continuous video narration made up of live, backstage and stories, including original formats and dedicated content.

Radio 24, in addition to the 3 live shows and the sold out appointment with La Zanzara at the Teatro Sociale, broadcast from the brand new stage-truck in Piazza Fiera the live broadcasts of the programmes on the schedule, allowing the Trento audience to meet their favourite presenters and experience the emotions of live radio and behind the scenes, to which were added live recordings of the Group's podcasts in the evening. Also making its debut in Piazza Fiera was Casa Sole, a new space for meeting and dialogue with the public, which participated with interest in the engagement initiatives designed specifically for readers: from the Sole prize wheel to the Expert Replies box.

The 2026 edition of the Festival also recorded a historic record number of partners for the event: 64 Business Partners and 12 Media Partners, including Il Sole 24 Ore, ilsole24ore.com, Radio 24, the Radiocor news agency and IlSole24OreTv, the LinkedIn News platform, Sky Tg 24, Financial Times, the Spanish ElEconomista.es, the Dutch De Telegraaf, the Danish Politiken, the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun, the Chinese Wenhui Daily, testifying to the increasingly international interest aroused by the Economy Festival of Trento. 

Fuori Festival: successful entertainment, outreach and innovation for all ages

Great success once again this year for the Fuori Festival, the programme designed five years ago to bring economics and major current affairs topics closer to the broader and more transversal audience of young people and families through the involvement of popularisers, talent, creatives and protagonists of contemporary culture. Among the most popular with the public were science popularizers Mario Tozzi and Gabriella Greison, appointments dedicated to financial education, such as Young Finance, social economy with Luca Trapanese, and culture with Edoardo Prati, a student and content creator with millions of followers. There was also great interest in the meetings with Nicoletta Carbone of Radio 24 dedicated to wellbeing and mental health.

On the entertainment front, particularly popular were the meetings-events with Uto Ughi and Giovanni Allevi, for classical music, the evenings with singers Arisa and Angelica Bove, for pop music, and with Elio and the Zelig Lab comedians, for the space dedicated to humour. Finally, success for the MUSE initiatives dedicated to children with many educational workshops and entertainment.

In 2026, the Trento Festival of Economics confirmed its positive impact on the hospitality system and the city's economy. During the week of the event, hotel occupancy in fact exceeded 95%, with widespread attendance not only in the provincial capital but also in the surrounding areas. This result testifies to the Festival's ability to attract audiences, speakers, operators and visitors from all over Italia and abroad, generating concrete spin-offs in the area. Significant benefits were also recorded for businesses, restaurants, services and the local entrepreneurial fabric, which during those days saw an increase in flows, consumption and opportunities for relationships, confirming the Festival as an important engine of economic, social and cultural vitality for the city of Trento.

The Festival works to be more and more technological and accessible: around 170 audio and video technicians were engaged in the 22 locations of the event to ensure live streaming and on-demand coverage of almost all the scheduled events.

Content distribution to accredited media and access to photo and video material was managed through a dedicated cloud platform, which facilitated the sharing and dissemination of content by leading national and international media outlets.

Also confirmed is the remote simultaneous translation service for all events in non-Italian languages, to support the Festival audience.

Among the main novelties of this edition was the introduction of the simultaneous transcription service in Italian of over 110 events, available both during live streaming and in on-demand content. The service has also been made available in presence on the screens of the Sala Filarmonica and the Itas Forum, contributing to making the Festival even more inclusive and accessible.

More than 2,000 high school students from the Province of Trento and from outside Trento attended the Festival events. An extraordinary interest not only in the many events dedicated to them, but also in the more technical and scientific ones scheduled in the various halls of the event.

Among the public, in addition to the scientific community, the business community and young people, there were many families present, also from outside Trentino, who particularly appreciated the proposals of the "Fuori Festival", enriched this year by the programme dedicated to MUSE. For this edition, the museum has further expanded its spaces and activities aimed at the public, doubling the proposal from Thursday to Saturday: in addition to the activities set up in the outdoor spaces, the rooms of the museum Lobby have also been involved.

Particular attention was also paid to World Biodiversity Day on 22 May, with special events and initiatives organised together with MUSE on the topics of sustainability, nature and science.

Among the most appreciated initiatives was the exhibition dedicated to the international satire review 'Sorrisi dal Mondo', curated by the Andromeda Art Studio of Trento and set up in the exhibition spaces of Palazzo Trentini. The Studio d'Arte Andromeda also curated comics and drawing workshops for schools, children and young people, hosted in the spaces of the MUSE Courtyard, contributing to making the Festival even more participatory and open to the creative languages of the new generations.

Economies of the Territories: Trentino as a laboratory for comparison and participation

The 'Economies of the Territories' format, the programme that involved 21 territorial realities of the Trentino system through more than twenty appointments distributed over the days of the Festival, was confirmed once again in this edition.

Traditionally organised by the stakeholders of the territory, the meetings represented a space for dialogue and in-depth analysis capable of enhancing projects, skills and experiences that from Trentino open up to the national and international panorama, bringing together institutions, associations, enterprises, foundations, the world of research and civil society.

The topics covered went far beyond the economy in the strict sense, touching on areas such as culture, health, new leadership models, technological innovation, education and youth participation. An articulated programme that helped to further broaden the Festival's view of the great changes that are affecting territories and communities today.

The entities involved in the "Economie dei Territori" programme and to whom thanks are due were: Altroconsumo, Associazione Artigiani Trentino, CALRE - Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies, Council of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Confindustria Trento, Confprofessioni Trentino, Provincial Commission for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men, Federpreziosi, Fiavet Trentino Alto Adige, FIMAA Trento, FIPE - Federazione Italiana Pubblici Esercizi, Fondazione Caritro, Fondazione Demarchi, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Fondazione Negrelli, Gruppo Giovani Imprenditori del Terziario, Gruppo Giovani Imprenditori Confindustria Trento, IPRASE, Movimento dei Focolari, Servizio Lavoro della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Pensplan Centrum and Trentino Digitale.

The hospitality of the Festival dell'Economia took place again this year at Palazzo Roccabruna, home of the Enoteca Provinciale and home of Trentino products, where the Trentino Lounge came to life. A space designed to tell the story of the territory through its flavours, people and realities that every day contribute to building the value of Trentino hospitality.

The project was jointly curated by Trentino Marketing, the Trento Chamber of Commerce and the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione, giving concrete form to the message that accompanied the days of the Festival: 'The taste of doing together'. A choral tale that focused on the collaboration between institutions, producers, the world of education and catering in the area.

Four chefs from different valleys and gastronomic sensibilities of Trentino took turns in the Trentino Lounge: Gianpaolo Burba of the Maso Burba restaurant in Piano di Commezzadura, Stefano Croce of the Agriturismo El Mas in Moena, Luca Zotti of the Lusernarhof restaurant in Luserna and Sandro Favè of the Passo Valles refuge, located on the pass of the same name between Trentino and Veneto. A culinary proposal that combined mountains, tradition and contemporaneity, enhancing local products and identities.

The protagonists of the days were also the boys and girls of the Professional Hotel Training Institute of Rovereto who, together with the teachers and under the coordination of chef Stefano Goller, animated the kitchen and room service. An experience that combined training, gastronomic culture and active participation in an international event such as the Festival of Economics.

During the course of the days, the products and realities of the territory were highlighted thanks to the participation of the Melinda Consortium, the La Trentina Consortium, Astro, the Sant'Orsola Cooperative, the Agri 90 Cooperative, Agraria Riva del Garda, Trentingrana - Gruppo Formaggi del Trentino and the Provincial Federation of Breeders.

Levico Acque, Bontadi Caffè, Aflovit and the Bakery Association of the Province of Trento also supported the project.

Particular attention was paid to Qualità Trentino certified products, an expression of values that deeply identify the territory: reliability, Alpine identity, sustainability and attention to the quality of production. A heritage that the Festival of Economics also helped to recount through the experience of hospitality and the table.