The Pitti Immagine fair that presents the world’s best artistic perfumery proposals ended yesterday at the Stazione Leopolda (Florence, 14-16 September 2018), with results and feedback that highlight its role as an international reference point for the industry. Appreciation was expressed for the latest ideas presented by the exhibitors, for the quality of the members of the trade attending and for the success of the program of events dedicated to the market and contemporary olfactory culture which were the protagonists of both the fair and the many venues around the town.  In fact there was a high level of participation in the first edition of “La Città delle Fragranze” [The City of Fragrances] - the packed calendar of initiatives that encompassed Florence.
 
Around 2,150 buyers arrived from more than 50 countries to discover the latest ideas presented by the 190 maisons and brands that took part in this edition - 70% of which from abroad. The most significant figures regarded the international markets: the numbersof foreign buyers confirmed the high levels achieved at the last edition, with a total of almost 700 overall.  The best performances were by buyers from Germany (+15%) and Spain (+12%), there was also growth in attendance from the Gulf states and markets in the Far East; attendance from France, Switzerland, Ukraine, Japan and United States remained steady; there was a slight drop in buyers from United Kingdom, Russia and Netherlands.
France was still at the top of the ranking of Pitti Fragranze’s reference markets followed by Germany, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Japan and United States.
There were around 1,450 registered buyers from Italy – basically confirming the figure for last year – with the quality of attendance increasing at every edition: in fact the buyers present at the fair represented the best stores, the best perfume boutiques and the most important Italian department stores.
 
“We worked hard to create an edition that was even more focused on the selection and scouting of the artistic perfumery proposals” says Agostino Poletto, general managerof Pitti Immagine “presenting lots of products by emerging brands - showcased inside the Spring section - alongside the latest creations from the sector’s key names. We have heavily invested in an even richer and multi-faceted program of events that takes a closer look at the market and the cutting edge trends in olfactory culture. The results and quality of the buyers who came to Florence – all the top names in national as well as global retail – confirm the objectives we set ourselves. Fragranze is increasingly a privileged observatory on the innovations and trends in the world of fragrances. This is also confirmed by the strong public participation in the Talks at the Leopolda: 7 rendezvous and more than 10 special guests were involved in presenting the results of the first sector Observatory organized by Pitti Immagine and realized by Hermes Lab and the Università del Sacro Cuore in Milan; the series of meetings conducted by Chandler Burr on the emerging markets of the Far East as well as the focus on Vanilla and the other valuable raw materials from Madagascar curated by Mane. I will end by expressing my great satisfaction for the results obtained by “La Città delle Fragranze”, this edition’s brand new feature: the initiatives scheduled were very popular, with enthusiastic feedback received both from the members of the trade as well as the public of enthusiasts. And we would like to thank all the partners around the town who were involved in the project for making this possible”.
 
Here are some of the figures for “La Città delle Fragranze”, the program of events organized by Pitti Immagine involving museums, historic buildings, gardens, perfume boutiques, concept stores and gourmet venues:
 

48 events in total, 28 locations involved, 14 sold out guided tours.