Bolognafiere: new partnerships to drive growth in fashion, pet products and wine
Agreement with White Milano for events abroad. The range of services for the pet industry is being expanded in India and Turkey
Key points
Diversification and partnerships: BolognaFiere’s growth strategy relies on these two key assets, with the latter effectively serving as the means to achieve the former.
And the results are clear to see, as explained by the chief executive of the Bologna-based trade fair group, Antonio Bruzzone, when commenting on the figures for the first half of 2026, published last Thursday, which showed a 4 per cent increase in revenue to €200.8 million, despite the fact that the first six months of even-numbered years are traditionally a weak period for the company.
Fashion and Beauty Connection
A new strategic partnership was announced yesterday – following the one signed last Friday with the Class Group to acquire a 51 per cent stake in Gambero Rosso – this time in the fashion sector. BolognaFiere Cosmoprof, which organises the international cosmetics trade fair, and M Seventy Group, the company behind White Milano (an international event dedicated to contemporary fashion), have in fact strengthened the existing partnership between the two brands to highlight the connections between the worlds of fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Thanks to this collaboration, BolognaFiere will take selected highlights from the Milan event abroad via Cosmoprof’s international network.
Focus on the Pet Economy
Another sector in which the group is investing heavily is the pet economy, where it is one of the world leaders thanks to the Zoomark trade fair, which takes place every two years in Bologna. The group’s offering is further strengthened by ‘PetBridge, powered by Zoomark’, a new B2B event set to debut on 25 and 26 November in Mumbai, organised by a new subsidiary (51 per cent owned by BolognaFiere) in partnership with Inspira Events, an Indian platform dedicated to connecting the rapidly expanding Indian pet care industry with the global market. It is estimated that the pet economy in India will reach a value of $3.6 billion by 2024 and will exceed $7 billion by 2030.
And after India, Turkey: in collaboration with Petzoo Eurasia, BolognaFiere Group will launch a new pet trade fair in Istanbul from 2028. “We are also exploring possible partnerships in Saudi Arabia, in connection with the Saudi Pet and Simec trade fairs,” explains Bruzzone. “The aim is to create a trade fair platform that will strengthen our offering in Italia, held every two years, alongside new annual trade fairs in strategic markets.”
