From 19 to 21 November, Fiera Milano will host GEE – Global Elevator Exhibition, the international event dedicated to vertical and horizontal mobility. Now in its second edition, the event aims to be a point of reference for companies, buyers and operators in a sector that is strategic for urban regeneration, energy efficiency and the modernisation of the building stock. GEE will offer three days of exhibitions, meetings and training, with a focus on innovation, sustainability and safety. The exhibition was presented on 9 October 2025 at Fiera Milano.

The event, moderated by Monica Maggioni, was attended by Paola Sarco, CEO of Made Eventi and Head of Building & Industry Exhibitions at FieraMilano, who introduced the new edition of MIBA, the building supply chain that aims to represent the entire construction industry with four simultaneous events: GEE-Global Elevator Exhibition, Made expo, SBE-Smart Building Expo and SICUREZZA.

Niccolò Aste, Professor of Architecture and Construction Engineering and the Built Environment at the Politecnico di Milano, spoke about the New European Bauhaus, an opportunity for the three-year period 2025-2027, presenting data and prospects.

Finally, a case history of Fiera Milano was presented to the public, which is transforming some pavilions to host the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

GEE in Milan with the construction industry

GEE-Global Elevator Exhibition, Made expo, SBE-Smart Building Expo and SICUREZZA are back together again, representing the entire construction industry: 8 pavilions, more than 1,250 companies and over 100 events.

The countdown has begun for GEE, the Global Elevator Exhibition, the leading event for the horizontal and vertical mobility sector organised by Fiera Milano, scheduled to take place from 19 to 21 November 2025. An event full of new developments, networking opportunities and training sessions for the entire vertical mobility and residential, industrial and urban lifting technology supply chain. A broad and complex sector that continues to evolve, driven by factors such as urban regeneration, energy efficiency upgrades, the expansion of multi-storey construction and the evolution of after-sales services.

Italy, which boasts a highly specialised supply chain in components and maintenance and is one of the countries in the world with the most installations per capita, plays a central role in innovation processes. Analysis by Anie AssoAscensori shows that every day in our country there are almost 100 million trips made by over a million lifts in operation. The domestic market is worth €2.92 billion (2023 figures) and exports are close to €1.1 billion.

The event is part of a wider trade fair ecosystem dedicated to construction, safety and smart solutions alongside MADE Expo, SBE (Smart Building Exhibition) and SICUREZZA, and under the umbrella of MIBA-Milan International Building Alliance, strengthening the link between related supply chains and creating a single exhibition platform capable of connecting manufacturers, designers, installers, maintenance technicians, property managers and institutional representatives.

A strong international presence

This structure makes GEE a privileged hub for Italian production, international technology and emerging markets to come together.

The international dimension is further strengthened by the participation of delegations of selected buyers from 24 countries, including the United States, Egypt, Brazil, South Africa and Poland.

This structure makes GEE a privileged hub for Italian production, international technology and emerging markets to come together.

Updates, discussions and specialisation

The programme is not limited to the exhibition area, but includes a series of updates, discussions and specialisation events aimed at professionals, companies and stakeholders in the supply chain. The GEE Talks programme will be divided into three strands: “Vision and market trends” to explore new market trends and challenges in the sector; “Innovation and technologies” to take stock of transformation and accessibility processes; and “Regeneration, efficiency and sustainability” with a particular focus on safety, maintenance and staff training.

Accredited training modules and certified sessions are planned for technicians, maintenance engineers and designers, in collaboration with professional associations and technical institutes. Also worth noting are B2B meetings with international buyers and round tables on major strategic issues in the sector: from the digitalisation of systems to predictive maintenance, from safety standards to European regulations, from building renovation to the transition to sustainable and accessible models.

The involvement of trade associations such as Anacam (National Association of Lift Construction and Maintenance Companies) and ANIE AssoAscensori, alongside leading scientific partners such as the Milan Polytechnic and Cresme, will ensure an integrated approach in line with the challenges facing the sector in the coming years: energy efficiency, adaptation of existing buildings, construction of vertical infrastructure for high-density cities, digitisation of assistance services and smart building management.

Sustainable construction: €20 billion in opportunities for the European market

• GEE-Global Elevator Exhibition, Made expo, SBE-Smart Building Expo and SICUREZZA are back together, representing the entire construction industry. Eight pavilions, more than 1,250 companies and over 100 events
• The new MIBA Observatory created by the Politecnico di Milano was presented: in the three-year period 2025-2027, New European Bauhaus projects will mobilise more than €20 billion in Europe, of which €2.5 billion in Italy
• Sustainability, digitalisation, security and AI are the key themes for market development on display and the focus of the entire training programme.

The evolution of the built environment towards greater environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and quality of living spaces is now at the heart of European policy: the implementation of the EPBD IV Directive (the so-called “Green Homes”), together with the Renovation Wave, the European strategy aimed at promoting the redevelopment and energy efficiency of buildings, represent the basis for structural change in the sector, and the coming years will be crucial for the revitalisation and transformation of the building stock not only in Italy but throughout Europe.

It is against this backdrop that Fiera Milano presents the 2025 edition of MIBA – Milan International Building Alliance, the format that, from 19 November, will once again bring together four events capable of recounting the evolution of buildings and cities with a holistic approach that encompasses materials, technologies, solutions and systems. GEE – Global Elevator Exhibition (horizontal and vertical mobility), MADE expo (construction and architecture), SMART BUILDING EXPO (technological integration) and SICUREZZA (security & fire) boast impressive figures: more than 1,250 companies from 38 countries, eight pavilions and a significant foreign presence accounting for 28% of the total. Among the most represented countries are Germany, Spain, Poland, France – the major European manufacturers – and China, confirming the international scope of the offering. The focus is on training and professional development, with more than 100 events focusing on the major challenges common to the four markets: sustainability, digitalisation, security and the application of artificial intelligence.

“MIBA is the result of a growth process that has brought together markets and events that were once separate, creating a system capable of transforming technological innovation and professional know-how into concrete business opportunities,” explains Paola Sarco, CEO of Made Eventi and Head of Building & Industry Exhibitions at Fiera Milano. . ‘With more than 1,250 companies participating, increasingly representative and international, MIBA offers a unique platform where numbers, projects and ideas translate into real solutions for the redevelopment and sustainable construction of buildings. Today, more than ever, integration is the key to addressing the challenge of sustainability and guiding the evolution of living spaces.”

MIBA OBSERVATORY: THE OPPORTUNITIES OF THE NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS

Produced by the Politecnico di Milano, scientific partner of the event, the Third MIBA Observatory offers a medium-term analysis (2025-2027) of the prospects for the construction sector, identifying an interesting driver of development in the New European Bauhaus (NEB), the European Commission initiative that aims to renew the relationship between society, culture and territory, focusing on buildings that combine three key dimensions: sustainability, beauty and inclusiveness.

According to the study, in the period 2025-2027, the main financial implementation tool of the NEB will be the NEB Facility, a European financing mechanism that will mobilise more than €240 million per year (50% on innovation and research, 50% on project implementation) with the aim of promoting the development and dissemination of innovative solutions for the transformation of city neighbourhoods.

A strategic factor for development, the NEB is proving to be a tool with high multiplier potential: according to some industry estimates, every euro invested by the NEB Facility produces an economic impact equal to about 30 times the initial value, thanks to the activation of national co-financing, regional resources, private capital, real estate funds, green financial instruments and public-private partnerships. It is therefore estimated that the NEB Facility could activate around €7 billion in NEB-oriented projects each year, for a total estimated volume of over €20 billion between 2025 and 2027.

For Italy alone, this would translate into a volume of NEB-oriented investments of around €2.5 billion over the three-year period.

These resources could act as a driver of innovation for the domestic market, promoting the spread of interventions on public, school, residential and cultural buildings, inspired by the principles of the New European Bauhaus (Sustainability, Beauty, Inclusiveness).

NEB-oriented investments would naturally have a significant impact on all four markets represented by MIBA.

In the construction sector – the world of Made Expo – the driving force will be the share of investments in sustainable architecture, which represents on average 25% of the total invested in NEB projects. Assuming a total annual investment of €7 billion, the European turnover attributable to sustainable architecture components can be estimated at €5.25 billion in the three-year period 2025–2027, which for Italy would translate into €680 million.

Another key element will be the digitalisation of buildings and the integration of digital technologies, smart building solutions and data management tools, solutions that will be at the heart of the SBE-Smart Building Expo proposal. Estimating that 12% of the total value of NEB projects will be allocated to this sector, the additional turnover in Europe is estimated at around £2.7 billion in the period 2025–2027. For Italy alone, this figure stands at around £350 million over the three-year period.

In NEB projects, inclusion and accessibility are fundamental values, which is why vertical mobility solutions represented by GEE – Global Elevator Exhibition are often an integral part of the design. In this case, assuming an average share of 2.5% of the value of NEB projects allocated to internal mobility solutions, turnover is estimated at around €500 million for the period in question. This estimate is approximately £55 million for Italy.

Finally, the security sector, which will be at the heart of the SICUREZZA proposal, is a cross-cutting component of NEB projects. The push towards smart and sustainable buildings involves the integration of advanced security solutions: IoT early fire detection systems, smart compartmentalisation, environmental sensors, passive surveillance and CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) technologies. With an estimated share of 5.5% of the total value of NEB funding, the annual European turnover for security is approximately €1.2 billion for the period 2025–2027. In this case, the expected value for Italy is approximately €150 million.

THE FOUR SOULS OF MIBA

GEE – Global Elevator Exhibition (19–21 November 2025, Fiera Milano)

GEE, the international hub for vertical and horizontal mobility, will feature more than 100 companies, 20% of which are foreign. A showcase for technological innovation, safety, sustainability and predictive maintenance, with a particular focus on professional training, thanks to certified industry talks and B2B meetings.

MADE Expo (19-22 November 2025, Fiera Milano)

The leading Italian event for construction and architecture, Made Expo will showcase the offerings of over 650 companies from 29 countries. Key themes of this edition will be building safety, sustainability and innovation, with a focus on high-performance materials, artificial intelligence and new design technologies. The programme includes the MADE Sustainability Prize, the return of FEL – Festival dell’Edilizia Leggera (Light Construction Festival) – and the Inspirational Talk “AI Architectural Intelligence”, dedicated to the role of AI in redesigning the spaces of the future.

SBE-SMART BUILDING EXPO (19-21 NOVEMBER 2025, Fiera Milano)

SBE confirms its role as an international platform for technological integration in buildings and cities. With over 140 exhibitors from 17 countries and a rich programme of workshops, talks and innovation squares, the event will take stock of the opportunities and risks of the twin transition of the built environment, thanks to three vertical days on decarbonisation, electrification, smart buildings and smart cities. An area dedicated to renewables and a focus on lighting technology will complete the offering dedicated to energy efficiency.

SICUREZZA (19-21 November 2025, Fiera Milano)

SICUREZZA 2025 confirms its position as the European benchmark for security & fire, with 340 exhibitors from 26 countries. With an exhibition offering that is highly representative of all sectors, it will showcase a market undergoing major change, increasingly oriented towards complex, integrated and interconnected solutions. New for this edition, the training programme is divided into three themed days – Cyber Day, Security Day and Job in Security Day – focusing on the major challenges facing the sector: data protection, which is essential in increasingly digital technologies, the customisation of solutions, the search for new talent and the development of new skills.