Building exhibition confirms positive trend

The Saie building exhibition in Bologna closed its doors on 17 October at the end of the five-day event. Of the total of 168 327 trade visitors who registered their attendance, 7 198 came from abroad. The exhibition area of 230 000 m² was occupied by 1 890 exhibitors, with 450 from outside Italy. The building and construction sector in Italy is experiencing positive momentum. The experts predicted that the year 2004 will bring growth for the sixth time in succession, according to the fair organisers in their final report. The overall increase in production should be 1.5 per cent for 2004.