The 43rd edition of MCE - Mostra Convegno Expocomfort received record-high levels of satisfaction from the most critical companies in civil and industrial plant engineering, air conditioning, renewables, and water industries.
Fiera Milano City Milan, Italy – MCE 2024 boasted impressive figures, with 1,800 exhibitors, and 121,396 visitors, and 505 registered journalists from around the world. More than two-thirds of the visitors were Italian, indicating strong growth compared to the 2022 edition of the event.
“Beyond these figures – says Massimiliano Pierini, Managing Director of RX Italy – it is the satisfaction of the expectations of companies and visitors of this edition of MCE its unique success.”
The 43rd MCE - Mostra Convegno Expocomfort received 94 percent satisfaction from visitors (the highest ever recorded) and 76 percent from exhibitors, who likewise (75 percent) declared their intention to participate in the next edition, which will be held at Fiera Milano from 24-27 March 2026. (Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire data, submitted to 1,026 exhibitors and visitors).
“The result is influenced by various factors, such as the return to March and the enhancements made to the exhibition offer. These improvements were made possible through active listening and dialogue with all stakeholders in the value chain, which was implemented after the last edition. - continues Pierini – The new layout that embraced the changes in the HVAC+R market allowed visitors to follow a logical thread in their visit, guided by solutions rather than individual products.”
The initiatives between one edition and the next will continue. The new Heat Pump Technologies event is already on the calendar, from 2 to 3 April 2025 at the Allianz MiCo in Milan, a spin-off of MCE for the odd-numbered years entirely dedicated to heat pumps and related technologies. Such solutions will be crucial in reducing climate-changing emissions into the atmosphere and facilitating the energy transition, while saving on energy bills in the coming years.
Visitors
Back to figures, MCE 2024 attracted 83,763 visitors from Italy. The Centre/South had a higher growth rate compared to the past, accounting for 25.5 percent of the attendance (26.7 percent from the North East and 47.8 percent from the North West).
In terms of foreign visitors, 37,633 operators from 141 countries, an increase in attendance from Central and Eastern Europe, despite the geopolitical challenges affecting the area: in addition to Poland as a Country Partner, there was also a significant number of participants from Romania, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Numbers from the Americas were all up, with the USA, Canada, Brazil and Chile leading the way, and above all from Asia (27.2 percent), thanks to the return of Chinese visitors, but above all to the attendance from Turkey, India and South Korea.
“A total of 204 international delegations from 44 countries were hosted at the exhibition, the result of collaboration with ICE, which, in addition to its intense promotional activity and selection of operators, was able to adapt quickly to the challenges created by the managing of visas for visitors from sensitive areas.” - states Pierini.
“The participation of professional studios was interesting (11.10 percent of the total), - continues Pierini about the mix of visitors - demonstrating the market trend towards increasingly intelligent HVAC+R management and the need for advanced design based on system integration that not only focuses on comfort but also optimisation and energy saving in residential, commercial and industrial systems.”
There was a significant presence of engineers (also up from the last pre-pandemic edition) (7.1 percent) and confirmation from Installers and Maintenance (29.90 percent) and Buyers and Purchasing Managers (42.80 percent).
The exhibitors also appreciated the large and diverse audience of visitors, with 82 percent satisfaction, the highest figure ever expressed in the customer satisfaction questionnaire. “At each edition, we address visitors who are more and more professionally oriented, prepared, and with a strong propensity to use MCE as a marketplace: in fact, 41 percent of buyers report the start of negotiations and 19 percent that they have placed an order, - comments Pierini - This motivates us to define new proposals and services in order to create meaningful relationships and build audience loyalty.”
Events
12 official conferences and 65 workshops, also organised in collaboration with associations and partners, were able to tell the story of energy efficiency and the ongoing ecological transition, its environmental, social and economic implications, placing the production and use of energy at the centre of a crucial current debate. A conference programme that, among other things, involved different stakeholders in defining new plant practices for zero-energy building, sustainability and AI.
In the meeting ‘Designing the Energy Transition: How to Overcome the Challenges of the Future’, a voice was given to those called to implement concrete choices. i.e., the planners who have always been involved in this process focus on transforming contemporary urban contexts from an interdisciplinary perspective as viewed by major architectural firms. The event, which included the participation of Jacobs Italia, Lombardini 22 and Tekser, was coordinated by Prof. Giuliano Dall’O’, Professor of Environmental Technical Physics at the ABC Department (Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering) of the Polytechnic University of Milan and Coordinator of MCE Lab.
The three architecture firms also supported the Jury of the ‘MCE Excellence Awards – Efficiency & Innovation for Transition Goals’, the awards introduced this year that assessed 59 outstanding products and solutions on display, which are already key players in the energy and environmental transition process.
Another novelty was the Water Prix: the prize competition dedicated to the theme of Intelligent (use of) Water, devised in collaboration with Aqua Italia and ANGAISA. The contest registered 1,185 entries, which led to awarding over 40 instant win prizes, including Amazon vouchers, Pantone wireless earphones and iPhone 14, and the drawing of the final Super prize, awarded to a Mexican business operator from the ICE delegation. The prize was a weekend for two at the ‘La Peschiera Hotel’ in Monopoli, 2023 award-winning Blue Flag resort.
Event sustainability
RX has made the sustainability of trade shows and exhibitions a top priority. To reduce environmental impact, RX has implemented several measures, such as reducing the production of printed materials, recycling the carpeting used in aisles and setting up, and partnering with Trenitalia to encourage visitors to use public transportation to reach the exhibition centre.
With a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of invitation codes to MCE 2024 Exhibitors, Just a Drop, the international charity bringing clean water to communities without access to it, will provide access to clean water through 60 Biosend Filters and build 20 latrines, improving sanitary conditions in Kandorl Village in Cambodia. In cooperation with Banco Alimentare of Lombardy, volunteers collected food surplus at the end of the event, and 32,630 meals were distributed to people and families in need thanks to the initiative ‘Together against Hunger’.
“Our commitment lies in investing consciously in promoting technologies, applications, products, solutions, and communication models that prioritize production ethics, environmental sustainability, diversity, and quality of life. We aim to emphasize the industry’s excellence, build a better future, and enhance ethically minded models,” Pierini concludes.
