From April 18 to 23, the 61st edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will take place at Fiera Milano Rho, bringing “beautiful” and “well-made” back to a stage of international importance. A return that has in itself a character of exceptionality, not only because of the quality of the proposals and the protagonist companies, but also because of the acceleration that the Exhibition will prove to have given to the process of transformation and evolution of the trade fair event. The Show has always demonstrated an extraordinary curiosity, willingness and openness to confrontation and a great desire and ability to improve, innovating established formulas. In these complex years, reflections, research, and questions about the future of fairs have been on the agenda and have led to a concrete revision of the exhibition format with the goal of being able to continue to generate value for the entire design community.
From this positive and constructive energy, the three important new features of this edition are born: the single exhibition level, with exhibitors from the upper pavilions (8-12, 16-20) relocated to the lower ones to simplify, improve and enhance the fruition and visitor experience; the new layout of Euroluce, which, from being stand-centric, will bring man and the fruition of the Event back to the center, thanks to a ring-shaped, smart, hyper-accessible and better connected route; the cultural component, will be integrated into the spaces of the biennial of light through interdisciplinary and experiential content, ranging from architecture to art with exhibitions, talks, workshops, and site-specific installations.
“One of the characteristics of the Salone del Mobile is its ability to evolve to respond to the most urgent challenges of contemporaneity. We did this in 2021 by inventing Supersalone, the first global event after the very hard months of the pandemic, with last June’s edition, when we returned to the traditional format by embracing the challenge of sustainability, and we continue to do so with the 2023 edition. After three years, it was unthinkable to return to April, our traditional position in the calendar, as if nothing had happened. We have worked to shape the suggestions and visions that have emerged in recent years starting with fundamental questions: what new role for an event like the Salone? How and where to start designing its evolution?” says Maria Porro, president of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. “We collected the needs of those who make and live the Salone, exhibitors and visitors, with more than 2,300 interviews and thematic working groups. Thus, the idea of a single-level exhibition was born to facilitate flows, and we did almost ‘urbanistic’ work on the internal design of the pavilions. Beginning with Euroluce, the biennial dedicated to the world of lighting-so profoundly changed in recent years-we redesigned the paths by integrating the companies’ spaces with interdisciplinary cultural content concerning the relationship between light, architecture, art and science. A metamorphosis that in perspective will affect the entire Salone, which has the ambition to contribute to redesigning the trade fair model,” Porro concludes.
“The ability of the Salone del Mobile.Milano to experiment, innovate and be an interpreter of change mirrors the dynamism and desire to do, more and better, of the wood-furniture companies that have made Italian design, the design par excellence in the world. The 61st edition, with the biennial Euroluce, will be able to unleash that energy that our companies, large and small, have used to bring the supply chain to a production turnover of almost 57 billion euros in 2022 with a plus 12.7 percent compared to 2021 (FederlegnoArredo Study Center Preconsuntive data) synthesis of a plus 11.1 percent of the Furniture Macrosystem, a plus 14.3 percent of the Wood Macrosystem and a plus 15 percent of the Wood Trade. The Italian market reached plus 12.3 percent, thanks in particular to the positive contribution of some sectors, including building finishes (doors, windows, wood flooring) while exports, which make up 37 percent of the total supply chain, are estimated to have grown by plus 13.3 percent, driven in particular by the United States (third destination behind France and very close behind Germany). These results are the offspring of several factors: from the effectiveness of building bonuses, to the newfound centrality of the home during the pandemic period, to the recognition – even in emerging markets – of the undisputed quality and excellence of our products, to the determination of companies to continue to invest. A success that rewards the constant research and innovation work of our companies in the field of product durability, the use of secondary raw materials, energy saving and human resources training. In a word, of product, process and social sustainability. And it is precisely this concept of sustainability that FederlegnoArredo has been promoting by embarking for some years now with its associates on a path that will lead us to be undisputed leaders in a matter in which we already excel, as demonstrated also by the recent recognition by the UN as the first wood-furniture supply chain in the world to join the Global Compact. Federation, entrepreneurs and Salone del Mobile are walking in unison toward a common goal that encapsulates the highest value of doing business: responsibility toward the future,” comments Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo. One of the keys to the next edition will be the perfect combination of digital and real, which will allow an exponential enhancement of the experiences, narratives, and content that will happen day by day.
