WIM2021 Ended With Positive Predictions of the Italian Wedding Industry Growth in 2022
More than 60 buyers and just as many sellers met for 2 days with the big names in the wedding industry of Italy to discuss the outlook for the wedding industry in Tuscany on 22 and 23 November 2021. With great participation by hotel and venue professionals and wedding vendors, and a strong interest in the numerous themed panels which featured the sector's media, trade associations The Wedding Industry Meeting 2021 was a great success.
WIM2021 closed in Siena taking stock of the sector's recovery after the pandemic. The event showed that the wedding season, after the stop imposed by the pandemic has resumed abruptly catching many operators by surprise, but the growing trend towards booking longterm events - even up to 2024 - will give operators greater certainty in planning investments. According to experts, in fact, in the next 3 years in Italy there will be a steady 20% increase in weddings over 2019.
Read: Why Tuscany is The Best Wedding Destination in Italy
During WIM2021 many sessions took place that analysed the sector. These included the 'Digital Thermometer' session presented by Sinerbit, a company that has been working in the wedding marketing sector for over 6 years, which reveals a boom in searches for the keywords 'Tuscan wedding' by the Asian market in 2021, equal to +467%, after the 73% drop it recorded in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. The research analysed Tuscany's web reputation within the global destination wedding market by studying the search volume for certain keywords on google search engine and the most used hashtags on Instagram.
According to Digital Thermometer, presented by Lorenzo Mosti, digital strategist manager of Sinerbit, in 2021 even Australia looked with great interest at Tuscany: +600% of searches for 'Tuscan wedding', after the 86% drop in 2020. The USA also did well with +30% for 'Tuscany wedding' and +50% for 'Florence wedding', the Gulf countries with +33% for 'Tuscany wedding' and South Africa with +33% for 'Tuscany wedding'. The reputation of Italy and Tuscany as a wedding destination also tops the world rankings on Instagram. Looking at the global trend of hashtags related to the various destinations, the hashtag #weddinginitaly has recorded a growth of 37% and confirms itself as the first country in the world in absolute numbers. Among Italian destinations, #weddingintuscany was used 38% more than in 2020, making it by far the most used hashtag.
As for the trends that emerged during the discussion with experts, the focus on sustainability stands out: the bride and groom are asking for recycled or recyclable materials, zero-carbon products, clothes to rent or to donate after the ceremony. Lastly, the requests that came loud and clear from WIM2021 focus on cooperation between institutions and companies. Operators are asking for clear regulations specific to the sector and incentives to encourage cooperation between trade associations and Convention Bureaus, to create a network and guarantee certainty for the end consumer and associates.
Alberto Tirelli, Councillor for Tourism and Productive Activities of Siena, was present at the ribbon cutting ceremony of WIM2021. "The Municipality of Siena has strongly wanted and supported this event since the very first moment when Corsini Events proposed it to us. We are very pleased and honoured that it took place in Siena, but we are convinced that the whole of Tuscany should enjoy it. Seeing all these people promoting the territory of Tuscany as a whole is a great achievement because the brand that gets the most international attention is precisely that of 'Tuscany'. So, we have sown the seeds together and hope to reap the benefits in the coming years”.
Conceived by Tommaso Corsini, Founder and General Manager of Corsini Events Group, the Wedding Industry Meeting is organised in collaboration with Tuscany for Weddings, the wedding division of Destination Florence Convention and Visitors Bureau, which has been working on behalf of Toscana Promozione Turistica since 2021. The event has been organised under the patronage of the Region of Tuscany, the Municipality of Siena and the Municipality of Florence, and with the support of the Convention Bureau Terre di Siena.
To learn more about Destination Weddings in Italy click here.
