Italian trade fair Padelness attracts 10,000 visitors to first edition

The first edition of Padelness, a new padel and fitness trade fair in Italy, held on 22-24 November 2024 at the Mostra d'Oltremare in Naples, attracted around 10,000 visitors, the event’s organisers have said.

The fair is a B2B and B2C event targeted at companies and entrepreneurs specialising in padel and fitness, as well as enthusiasts, professionals and amateur players.

The inaugural edition featured 105 exhibitors, as well as 394 players involved in official tournaments taking place at the fair. Along with Italy, visitors came from 15 countries in Europe and elsewhere.

The fair was centred around three large pavilions across 9,000 square metres of exhibition space, as well as four indoor padel courts, one pickleball court and two fitness stages.

The event included 20 hours of conference sessions, and also encompassed the International Padel Federation’s FIP RISE Open MCV, part of the Cupra FIP Tour 2024.

In addition, there were seven amateur tournaments, 30 clinics with padel instructors and personal trainers, and 80 masterclasses with national and international presenters.

The 2025 edition of Padelness will take place on 21 to 23 November and will again be held at the Mostra d'Oltremare.

The attendance figures for the first event have come amid continued strong growth for padel in Italy. According to Playtomic’s latest Global Padel Report, 577 new courts were built in the country in 2023, bringing the total to 8,347, second only to Spain with 16,126. The number of courts grew by 7% in Italy, compared with growth of 5% in Spain.

In the Playtomic report, Italy was ranked sixth in terms of growth in interest in the sport, sitting behind Panama and ahead of Chile. The ranking was based on Google searches as at May 2024 compared with the same point last year.

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