Key Takeaways: 

• Skip the lines and taxis by buying bus tickets at tobacco stands; buses run every 10 minutes.
• If possible, book hotels six to eight months ahead and dinner reservations three weeks prior to Cosmoprof.
• Pre-plan which halls to visit, avoid Sundays when locals invade, and start using My Match six weeks earlier.

In the beauty world, all roads lead to Bologna … every March. For almost six decades, Cosmoprof Worldwide has served as the industry’s ultimate proving ground. It’s a sprawling, high-energy stage where the future of beauty is charted across three interconnected shows. But when the global beauty industry descends, this quaint university town virtually bursts at the seams, transforming its medieval quiet into a high-octane hub of commerce. For those who have walked these halls for 20 or 30 years, the trade fair is a grueling, rewarding rite of passage that requires as much logistical stamina as it does business acumen.

Success at Cosmoprof Worldwide requires a badge, and a tactical roadmap. BeautyMatter gathered intel from show veterans who have made the voyage to the medieval city for decades, including Ian Ginsberg, President of C.O. Bigelow, who attended his first Cosmoprof in 1988; Anisa Telwar Kaicker, CEO of Anisa International (first in 2002); and BeautyMatter’s own co-founder John Cafarelli (first in 2018). Their hard-won wisdom, combined with expert guidance from the Cosmoprof team, will help you navigate both the show and the city like a seasoned pro.

Before You Go: Strategy Over FOMO

The biggest mistake first-timers make is trying to see everything. "You have to have a plan,  because people don't realize how massive this place is," Ginsberg warned. "Ahead of time, you need to say, ‘I'm going to go to these buildings and skip these other ones.’”

Cosmoprof isn't a single trade show but three interconnected ecosystems: Cosmopack, Cosmo Perfumery & Cosmetics, and Cosmo Hair, Nail & Beauty Salon (HNBS). Like Ginsberg said, rather than attempting to hit everything, dedicate at least one full day to your primary area of interest.

If you're a brand, buyer, or retailer: Focus on Cosmo Perfumery & Cosmetics, particularly Halls 14, 26, and 36. Pavilion 36's Premium and Indie Brand Areas are essential for discovering differentiated brands and new retail opportunities.

If you're in product development or sourcing: Cosmopack (Halls 15, 15A, 18, 19, 20, and 28) is where you'll find ingredients, packaging innovation, private label solutions, and contract manufacturing.

If you're in the professional channel: Cosmo Hair, Nail & Beauty Salon (Halls 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37, MALL and MALLN) delivers tools, treatments, and live demonstrations for salon-based businesses.

Don't miss the curated special exhibition areas, which include: Hall 14's Extraordinary Gallery and Beauty Tech areas; Hall 20's Fragrances & Ingredients Zone; Hall 21's green and organic focus; and country pavilions in Halls 16 and 22 and the outdoor areas.

Don’t wait until you’re at the gates to handle the basics. Make sure you’re fully registered and have your digital ticket downloaded and ready on your phone before you even leave your hotel.

Strategy also extends to your arrival time. Strategy also extends to your arrival time. Because there is essentially only one primary way into the fairgrounds, the entrance can be a zoo if you arrive exactly when the doors open on the first day. To avoid the most crushing crowds and the bottleneck at the entrance, seasoned pros suggest arriving a little later on the first morning once the initial surge has moved through the turnstiles.

Download the official Cosmoprof map ahead of time and build a realistic route. "At Cosmoprof, ROI is built through intention, curation, and relevance," the Cosmoprof team emphasized.

Digital Networking: Start Early

Start using the My Match digital networking platform four to six weeks before the show. "The most effective approach is to start using the platform when agendas are still flexible and decision-makers are actively planning their schedules," advised the Cosmoprof team.

Create a thought-out profile that clearly outlines your role, market focus, and business objectives. Focus on a limited number of highly relevant contacts each day, quality over quantity here. When reaching out, propose specific meeting times and locations. And during the show, use My Match to fill last-minute gaps and capitalize on spontaneous opportunities.

Getting There: The Milan Connection

Choosing your connection is a high-stakes game. There are no direct flights to Bologna from the US, and a single delay in London or Paris can mean hours of waiting. Many veterans bypass this by flying direct into Milan (MXP). It’s often more reliable, less expensive, and offers a direct high-speed train connection to Bologna Centrale that takes about an hour.

Getting Around: The Bus and the Bike

Here, insider knowledge saves you hours of frustration. While many first-timers assume they need taxis or Uber, veterans know better. Uber exists, but if you can manage to snag one, it’s a long wait and it can be expensive. Cabs are another option. That said, “the hotel has to call them and you have to sit and wait, and because so many people overwhelm the city. Getting one is sometimes impossible,” Ginsberg said.

The insider bus hack: Buy bus tickets at tobacco stands or sandwich shops across from the train station for about €2. "I just buy a huge stack of them and I hop on the bus right there and it takes 10 minutes to get to the fair," said Ginsberg.

The real test comes when leaving the fairgrounds. "The line could be three or four hours long," Ginsberg reported. "People just wait to take a cab, but buses come frequently. They're huge. And you just squeeze in there like sardines, but it's 10 minutes in and 10 minutes out."

Yes, you'll be packed in. Ginsberg joked about watching New Yorkers lose it when "Italians have no respect for lines. If you ever want to find the New Yorkers, watch the Italians cut the line, then they start screaming." But you'll be back at your hotel in 10 minutes instead of waiting hours for a taxi.

The official Cosmoprof shuttle buses are also reliable, offering direct connections throughout the day. Whatever you do, don't drive; traffic and limited parking will only add unnecessary stress.

The bike alternative: For the adventurous, use the RideMovi bike-sharing app. It’s often the fastest way to cut through traffic and navigate the city's streets on your own terms. Most important: You can also plan your departure to avoid the crowds. Saving 30 minutes can make a big difference.

Where to Stay: City Center Versus Fairgrounds

Since hotels fill up six to eight months in advance and we're now just a month out, be prepared to book farther from the fairgrounds or explore alternative options. The decision comes down to two strategies.

Near BolognaFiere: Areas around Via Stalingrado and the Fiera District offer efficiency and proximity. "It's great for early-morning meetings and long days on the show floor," noted the Cosmoprof team. You'll also find yourself surrounded by industry professionals, creating informal networking opportunities.

Ginsberg has stayed at the Royal Carlton for the past 10-15 years. His criteria: "I have to stay where the hotel has a gym. It's got to have a bar, and I have to know the running route." The Carlton became a networking hub "where people would be hanging out at the bar after the show every night, you know, in the morning at breakfast and hanging out at night before they went to dinner or even after dinner."

The Grand Hotel Majestic già Baglioni is another iconic gathering point, with its Caffè Marinetti perfect for meetings and aperitivo.

Historic City Center: Neighborhoods around Via dell’Indipendenza, the Quadrilatero, and the University Zone place you at the heart of Bologna's social and culinary scene, where most business dinners and spontaneous connections happen. The trade-off is a longer commute, but many executives prefer being where the action is after hours.

Thanks to new high-speed trains, some attendees now stay in Milan (57 minutes), Florence (37 minutes), Modena (20 minutes), or Ravenna (20 minutes). For Milan, you’ll need to reserve your trains and get tickets well in advance. But Ginsberg prefers staying in Bologna: "I just don't want to add the extra stress."

As Telwar Kaicker noted, "You don't need five-star, you just need comfort, clean, and accommodating. The quaintness of the hotels is what makes it very 'Italian.'"

Navigating the Show: Timing and Strategy

Avoid Sundays. Ginsberg issued this critical warning: "Try not to be there on Sunday. They claim it's not open to the public, but I don't believe them. The public is able to get tickets on the weekend. You can't even move. They go to the hair buildings and they walk away with massive shopping bags full of anything."

Follow the 60-30-10 rule: Spend 60% of your time on the exhibition floor and meetings, 30% on educational sessions like CosmoTalks and the new Cosmetics Stage, and leave 10% open for serendipity.

Best times for networking: Early mornings offer less crowded environments and more focused conversations. Late afternoons are ideal for catching decision-makers who are more available.

Use the networking lounges: The new areas in Cosmo Perfumery & Cosmetics feature comfortable seating, charging points, and semi-private corners. They're ideal for 20-30 minute meetings with clear agendas, but also work beautifully for spontaneous conversations between scheduled appointments.

Build in buffer time: "Overbooking meetings without buffer time" is one of the most common mistakes, the Cosmoprof team noted. Underestimating travel time between pavilions is another. The scale is truly massive. Respect it.

Where to Eat: Book Early, Eat Well

"Bologna is one of the food capitals of Italy," said Ginsberg, who's been eating at Franco Rossi every Saturday night during the fair for 40 years. "It's real pasta, real bolognese. And they're also known for mortadella. They have sandwich places that just sell mortadella sandwiches with pounds of mortadella on them."

Book reservations two to three weeks in advance, earlier for larger groups. Early dinners work best on busy show days.

The Social Scene: Anisa’s Top Picks

For Telwar Kaicker and her team, the dining experience is as much about the atmosphere as it is the pasta. Anisa International’s Sarah Heath shares the spots that have become their home away from home in Bologna:

• Va Mo La (Via delle Moline 3/A): A warm, funky little place where you can eat while reading a book and listening to jazz. "While we are more often socializing than reading, we always have a nice time here," Heath says. Their must orders: the traditional tortellini in broth and tagliatelle bolognese.
• Il Tartufo Trattoria (Via del Porto 34): This family-run gem is a favorite for truffle lovers. The team consistently orders the risotto in an aged Parmesan wheel with fresh truffle along with the steak. "We run into so many people in the industry here, so it’s always a social experience too," Heath notes.
• La Prosciutteria (Via Guglielmo Oberdan 19/A): Located conveniently across from their hotel, this isn't a formal sit-down dinner spot, but it is an essential pit stop. It always has a long line, and for good reason; the team grabs sandwiches and charcuterie boards here when they need something high-quality and fast to take away.

Classic Bolognese Institutions

Franco Rossi (Via Goito, 3) remains Ginsberg's top pick for the full Bologna experience. "Franco Rossi is still alive. He's like 90 years old. He walks around, he's always impeccably dressed. And it's just a party. They have this old woman singer who comes in with an old guy who plays guitar. The whole place starts singing." The restaurant was mentioned in John Grisham's The Broker, and "he has a shrine to John Grisham in the corner."

Cafarelli, who plans his evenings at least a month in advance, recommended:

Ristorante Da Cesari (Via de' Carbonesi, 8)  "Family-run since 1955 and considered by many the benchmark for classic Bolognese cuisine. Refined but warm."

Trattoria dal Biassanot (Via Piella, 16) "A beloved local institution known for soulful, no-nonsense Bolognese cooking. Intimate and authentic."

Ristorante da Nello al Montegrappa (Via Monte Grappa, 2/b) "A historic address just off Piazza Maggiore. Elegant, dependable, and ideal for hosting international guests."

Diana Ristorante (Via Volturno, 5) "A grand, old-school dining room with impeccable service. A strong choice for formal business meals."

Ristorante I Portici (Via dell'Indipendenza, 69) Bologna's only Michelin-starred restaurant in the city center, housed in a former theater.

Worth the Journey

Trattoria Del Gallo in Castel Maggiore (about 20 minutes by taxi). "This legendary trattoria is absolutely worth the ride. Rustic and traditional: This is Bologna at its most authentic," said Cafarelli.

When You Need a Break from Italian

After days of tortellini, Cafarelli recommends Gusto Chengdu or Sui for bold Sichuan cuisine, or MIC Ramen Bologna near the train station for excellent Japanese ramen.

As Telwar Kaicker perfectly captured it: "Not eating all day, standing on your feet for nine hours, and finally sitting down to a big bowl of pasta and a glass of Italian red wine. That feeling is unbeatable. That's why I'm still going all these years later as CEO. The food. The company of the customers. And the excitement of who we'll meet next."

The City Itself: A Medieval Time Capsule

Don't miss Bologna's charm beyond the fairgrounds. "It's a medieval city," Ginsberg described. "It's a town frozen in time." With 100,000 students and multiple universities, it's vibrant without being touristy.

The Piazza Maggiore and its 13th-century buildings form the city's heart. Via dell’Indipendenza, the main street running from the train station to Piazza Maggiore, is where "the whole world walks up and down," according to Ginsberg.

You can even run around the fortress that still circles the city, a route Ginsberg has been taking since the ’90s.

Making Meaningful Connections

At a show with a massive number of attendees, strategy matters. "Quality always beats quantity when it comes to networking," the Cosmoprof team emphasized. "Ask purposeful questions and focus on shared challenges, rather than delivering quick pitches."

Take notes immediately after each meeting to capture key insights. Follow up the same evening with a short, thoughtful message. This is what transforms connections into meaningful relationships.

Telwar Kaicker's origin story proves the potential: "We started in the American Pavilion in the tiniest booth imaginable: a table and a few chairs. There, we met a Target buyer, which became a pivotal moment in our history, especially since I had just started my own manufacturing facility at the time. That said, the quality of opportunity absolutely still exists."

What to Remember

"We learned that logistics matter," Telwar Kaicker reflected. "Your transportation to and from the show is a big deal, make it a priority.” When it comes to accommodations, Telwar Kaicker says five-star luxury isn’t necessary. Look for something clean and comfortable.

Ginsberg's decades of experience boil down to this: "I've stayed at almost every hotel in Bologna" and tested every transportation option. "The show is overwhelming enough" without adding logistical stress. His advice: Buy those bus tickets, book your hotel in the city center if you want the full Bologna experience, make dinner reservations early, and have a clear plan before you step onto the show floor.

With 2026's program featuring CosmoTalks, the new Cosmetics Stage, expanded networking areas, and the World Massage Meeting, this year's Cosmoprof promises to deliver even more value, as long as you approach it with intention.

As the Cosmoprof team put it: "Some of the show's most transformative insights and connections come from off-agenda moments, so build flexibility into your schedule to seize them."

And remember: Avoid Sundays, take the bus, and always book Franco Rossi for Saturday night.