The Second Lift Expo Italia

The second Lift Expo Italia was held in Milan on December 4-6, 2024, by the Italian National Association of Elevator Components Industries (ANICA).

Milan, the capital of fashion, has always been a center of attraction for tourists from abroad. However, this touristic city is also known for keeping its finger on the pulse of the lift and escalator industry, as Italian manufacturers mostly operate in northern Italy. The Lift Expo Italy fair, organized for the second time by ANICA, the umbrella organization of leading Italian manufacturers in the lift industry, attracted great attention. This year, the fact that Lift Expo Italia and the International Sourcing Exposition for Elevators and Escalators 2024, held for the second time in Mumbai, India, coincided with the same dates, was a handicap. Although they addressed different regions, global component suppliers especially had to choose between the two fairs while others preferred to attend both fairs simultaneously. 

Access to the fair, held in the centrally located and easily accessible Allianz MiCo fair and convention center, was via gate number 8 this year. The lack of directional signs made it difficult for first-time visitors. After reaching gate number 8, going up the escalator, registering and then going down the escalator to the fairground was something I wasn’t used to.

During the transition from the registration area to the fairground, the signs on the history of the lift components positioned on the right and left were only in Italian, which was a nice detail but a challenge for foreign visitors. At the fair, held for the second time this year, 135 companies from 12 countries opened stands. Most of the participating companies were Italian, followed by companies from Germany, Türkiye and China. In the approximately 14,000 m² fair area, there was a forum area organized simultaneously and a test area where the pendulum test was held, which was the center of everyone’s attention. Different lift doors were tested with metal and sandbag weights twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon. At the show, where a different brand was tested every day, SIMAS, CMA and DAPA doors were tested, respectively.

There was also a simultaneous forum program as usual at the Lift Expo Italia, which was visited by 16,000 from 72 countries, according to fair results report. At the opening ceremony held in the forum area on the first day, ANICA President Gianni Robertelli greeted the guests in Italian, while Veronica Franzoni (ANICA board member) from Alberto Sassi greeted them in English. After various facts and figures about the fair, guests met in the cocktail area for delicious snacks following the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The most interesting part of the forum, where each session started with a pendulum test, was the panels that took place in the afternoon on the second and third days. On the second day, lift safety and work accidents were discussed in the panel, and on the last day, accessibility, design, research and standardization in lifts were discussed with participation from Venice Architecture University.

Homelifts stood out with their stylish and outstanding designs at the fair this year, while button and indicator systems followed them, which offered various product lines for the user experience. Eleport from Türkiye presented the different solutions it brought to lift design to the visitors with its cloud- and web-based software that does not require any software. The stylish glass car of Tekno SMS, as well as the homelifts exhibited by HME Montascale and NOV,A were among other interesting products.

The classic gala dinner of Lift Expo Italia was held in a different atmosphere this time. The dinner, which was open to participants and visitors, was organized in a disco format at Bobino Milano. The guests met at around 7 p.m., chatted over food and drinks and then went on stage at around 11 p.m. to dance enthusiastically until the late hours.

Speaking about the fair, Franzoni said: 

“Lift Expo Italia has been a particular success as it strengthens the interest and desire to bring back to Italy an event dedicated to our lift industry. Operators, customers, suppliers, visitors and friends came together and spent three days exchanging ideas on business and technical areas. The idea of making the pendulum test, a unique and unprecedented activity, accessible to visitors emphasized the desire to create interactive and special moments that add professional and technical value to the event. At Alberto Sassi, we are quite pleased with the event. Because it allowed us to interact with industry professionals not only from Italy but also from Europe and the Middle East. We will be at the forefront in 2026.”

The next installment of the event will be held at Allianz MiCo on October 28-30, 2026. For details, please visit Lift Expo Italia.