Pitti Immagine cancels E-p Summit edition in Florence

Pitti Immagine has cancelled the E-p Summit edition, a trade fair scheduled for April 9, 2026 at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence, due to participation demand. A few months ago, a decision was made to reduce the event dedicated to fashion technologies to a single day. On March 19, as stated on the trade fair's website, the company decided to cancel it entirely.

"Following a careful evaluation of company commitments and participation request trends, Pitti Immagine has decided to cancel the upcoming edition of E-p Summit, scheduled for April nine in Florence, at the Stazione Leopolda. The company apologises to the operators who have already registered for this change of schedule and for any inconvenience this may cause, while guaranteeing a prompt refund of any expenses incurred," the statement reads.

Pitti Immagine cancels E-p Summit

"The cancellation of this edition of E-p Summit, which we prefer to call a suspension, is prompted by changes in the sector of events dedicated to digital technological innovations and by a series of overlaps in the calendar that create dispersion and confusion. Certainly, the news from the war fronts, with its impact on the economic situation, has not helped us," added Ivano Cauli, general manager of Pitti Immagine. He stressed that the company is working to find a format, date and opportunity to usefully reposition these activities within the Pitti Immagine portfolio as soon as possible.

April event was to be based on a new, focused, networking-oriented format

The format dedicated to enabling technologies for fashion has changed several times in recent years. Coupled with the trade fair's move from Milan to Florence from 2022 (the year of recovery after the forced suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic), it has failed to find a winning formula. The April event, for example, was supposed to be based on a new, focused, networking-oriented format.

"High-impact talks to share practical insights; demos near the stands to see the technologies in action; and qualified connection moments designed to create valuable contacts. A new layout and a continuous flow of activities will encourage discussion between brands and technology companies, accompanying participants to the traditional evening networking session," read the presentation of the event. The event was later cancelled and was also supposed to cover artificial intelligence and the digital product passport.

The first edition of the event dedicated to technology was called Decoded Fashion Milan and debuted in 2013, at La Pelota in Via Palermo. The Decoded Fashion event, at that time, took place from London to Singapore, from Tokyo to New York, in the most important fashion capitals. In 2018 Pitti decided to part ways with Decoded Fashion, creating an event dedicated to fashion technologies, named E-p Summit. The 2019 and 2020 Milan editions of the 'fashion tech' trade fair were also single-day events.