The 58th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano has ended on an extremely high note, both in terms of turnout and in terms of quality of trade relations, testament to the power of attraction and inclusiveness of all the fairground pavilions right from the very first day. The 386,236 attendees, over the 6 days, from 181 different countries made for a 12% increase over the 2017 edition, which also featured Euroluce and Workplace3.0.
This edition demonstrated, yet again, just how great a pole of attraction the Salone del Mobile is, increasingly global, inclusive and attuned not just to the creative and productive furnishing system, but also to the city of Milan and its institutions. This Salone was also testament to the fact that the combination of business culture, brilliant Italian skills and the ability to work as a team is a recipe for excellence. The presence of high-ranking government and institutional figures was concrete proof of the Salone’s standing as one of the drivers of the Italian economy, thanks to the fruitful relationship between business, city and region that it manages to generate each year.
2,418 exhibitors, 34% of them from 43 different foreign countries, were split between the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, Euroluce, Workplace3.0 and S.Project, including the 550 designers under 35 who took part in SaloneSatellite.
The new narratives and exhibition formats at Workplace3.0 – ranged over the Salone Internazionale del Mobile pavilions, as has been the case with the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition for years – and S.Project – a multidimensional space for reflection on the latest product and interior design strategies – were greeted with great interest both by the professional attendees and by the exhibitors themselves, who recognised the value of multisectoriality, synergy and quality.
The 30th, record edition of Euroluce proved a real crowd-puller, featuring integrated and smart lighting, increasingly design-focused.
AQUA, Leonardo’s Water Vision was also a huge attraction, averaging over 2,000 visitors a day. Conceived in partnership with Balich Worldwide Shows, it breathed new life into the Conca dell’Incoronata and was a perfect progression of the Salone in the city. It was a unique event of its kind, a site-specific immersive installation harnessing a mixture of design, technology and special effects to provide an original and contemporary narration of Leonardo Da Vinci, the designer par excellence.
There was an equally great influx of visitors to the installation devoted to the Renaissance genius at the fairgrounds – DE-SIGNO. The Art of Italian Design Before and After Leonardo. Curated by Davide Rampello and beautifully narrated by Diego Abatantuono, DE-SIGNO combined the languages of film and theatrical scenography to compare and contrast the savoir faire of today’s businesses with Leonardo’s design skills and the creativity of the Renaissance workshops, demonstrating just what and how much contemporary Italian design owes to Leonardo’s genius.
Two particular occasions served to underscore the Salone’s connection with the city of Milan and its strategic partnership with the Municipality and with the Teatro alla Scala Foundation – the latter is set to run until 2021, when the Salone del Mobile celebrates its 60th anniversary. The concert conducted by Riccardo Chailly and the Gala Dinner, right on the stage of the most famous theatre in the world, signalled the start of the week, while the evening event at Palazzo Marino, hosted by the Mayor Giuseppe Sala, marked the close of the business event. During the course of the evening, the Salone del Mobile.Milano also presented a Special Lifetime Award to Mario Bellini, the multifaceted and innovative Milanese designer, many of whose furnishings and objects have become icons capable of anticipating or revolutionising taste and style. This award is intended as a thank you for his huge contribution to the Salone through his collaboration with so many exhibiting companies.
The next edition will be held in Milan from 21st to 26th April 2020
Source: https://www.salonemilano.it