45,000 attendees and 2.1 million unique users reached digitally: a record-breaking outcome for the 21st edition
The 21st edition of the Trento Festival of Economics closed with an extremely positive balance. Organized by the Il Sole 24 ORE Group and Trentino Marketing for the Autonomous Province of Trento, in collaboration with the Municipality and the University of Trento, the Festival focused on the theme “From the market to new powers. The hopes of the younger generations.” Over five days, more than 830 speakers and over 350 events animated 18 venues and 4 city squares, with extraordinary participation confirming the growth of the “squirrel community.”
The Festival once again proved to be an open space for economic, political and social dialogue, capable of making complex topics accessible and engaging a broad and diverse audience. Significant attention was given to panels on geopolitics, artificial intelligence, energy, youth and work, within a rich program that featured 147 academics, 35 economists, 126 institutional representatives, 129 business community leaders, 20 ministers and 5 Nobel laureates. Events within the Fuori Festival, as well as the formats Territorial Economies and Meet the Author, were also well attended.
A Festival strongly oriented toward young people, who also took center stage through the “Call for Ideas – The Voices of Tomorrow”: 14 young participants aged 18 to 30 were selected from hundreds of applications to speak alongside economists, academics and entrepreneurs.
The Festival on digital platforms
Digital results confirm the Festival as a permanent platform for debate and participation, with a particularly strong impact on younger generations thanks to an accessible editorial strategy and the involvement of influential creators.
Overall, the Festival generated more than 3.2 million views (+52% vs. 2025) and reached over 2.1 million unique users, supported by 625 pieces of content published across official channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X). Community engagement was high, with over 70,546 interactions (+118%) and an average engagement rate of 3.3%. Creators also made a significant contribution: more than 70 pieces of content generated over 2.27 million views, reaching 1.26 million unique users and more than 42,600 interactions.
Amplification across Il Sole 24 ORE Group’s cross-media platform
Live streaming on the Il Sole 24 ORE website totaled 1 million views, while live coverage engaged over 200,000 users. During the Festival days, the website approached 4 million users, while social content across the Group’s profiles generated 6.5 million views. Podcasts also performed strongly, with 100,000 audio streams.
The Il Sole 24 ORE Group also chose the Festival’s international stage to present the innovative 24 ORE NextMed project, dedicated to the Wider Mediterranean—an international strategic editorial platform designed to connect companies, institutions and stakeholders along the Europe–Balkans–Africa–Gulf axis through a multichannel content ecosystem and a permanent Observatory focused on geopolitical and economic analysis and relationship-building among public and private actors.
With more than 300 people involved, the Il Sole 24 ORE Group ensured comprehensive event coverage through dedicated inserts and an online special. Editorial teams from Il Sole 24 ORE and Radiocor played a central role, feeding content to digital platforms and social channels, alongside the new TV channel IlSole24OreTV, which closely followed events, sessions and key figures with continuous video storytelling, including live broadcasts, backstage access and original formats.
Radio 24 energized the Festival with live broadcasts and events from the brand-new stage truck in Piazza Fiera, also used in the evening for live podcast recordings, in addition to the usual sold-out La Zanzara show at Teatro Sociale. Piazza Fiera also hosted the debut of Casa Sole, a new space for public interaction and dialogue, featuring engagement initiatives designed for readers—from the Sole prize wheel to the Ask the Expert booth.
Tourism impact and participation of students and families
The Trento Festival of Economics confirmed its positive impact on hospitality and the local economy in 2026. During the event week, hotel occupancy exceeded 95%, with visitors staying not only in the city but also in nearby areas, benefiting retail, dining, services and the local business ecosystem.
More than 2,000 students attended Festival events, alongside a broad audience including the scientific community, business leaders, young people and families, with strong appreciation for the Fuori Festival and MUSE activities.
Partners
The 2026 edition recorded a record 64 Business Partners and 12 Media Partners, including 7 international outlets, confirming the Festival’s growing global relevance.