PUSHING AHEAD: Uncertainties related to the coronavirus pandemic are extending into 2021: On Thursday, Salone del Mobile organizers said it would postpone the international furniture and interior design trade show to Sept. 5 to 10. It was originally slated to take place from April 13 to 18 at Milano-Rho fairgrounds.
Last March, as the first wave of COVID-19 cases was spreading in Italy and abroad, Salone said it would skip the 2020 event entirely, hosting instead the 60th edition in April 2021. The second wave of the pandemic hitting Italy over the past few weeks scuttled that plan.
“Being able to hold the Salone [del Mobile] next year is an absolute priority for all of us whose lives depend on the design sector. We have tried very hard over the last few weeks not to make announcements that might subsequently have to be denied or revised in the wake of the evolving situation,” said Claudio Luti, president of the Salone del Mobile.
He noted that the new dates were selected to reflect the needs of other trade-show operators in the country hosting their shows at the Fiera Milano pavilions.
As reported, five Italian fashion fairs including Micam, Mipel, Lineapelle, TheOne Milano, and Homi Fashion&Jewels Exhibition jointly revealed this week that they would postpone their upcoming editions at the Milano-Rho pavilions to March 20-24 — a month later than usual.
“Now that we have achieved the best possible all-round solution, thanks to the collaboration of Fiera Milano, we are in a position to confirm the new dates. We also believe that moving the fair to September will leave enough time for the ongoing acute phase of the pandemic to subside and that this will provide a real chance to jumpstart the design [sector] on a global level,” Luti added.
The Salone del Mobile and the related Design Week, animated by a events across the city, is the most important global event in Milan, which is considered the international capital of design. In particular, it’s one of the key trade shows for the Fiera Milano company because of its international attractiveness.
“We’ll be there, and we’ll be even more attractive and more motivated, just as motivated as the companies working to design and manufacture the best possible products. After such a lengthy period of physical and social distancing, we would like to be able to see the Salone as an opportunity for IRL meetings and discussions, and a chance for us all to share our excitement with a city buzzing with new ideas,” Luti noted.
In 2019, 386,236 people from 181 different nationalities visited the event, which hosted 2,418 exhibitors, 34 percent of them from foreign countries.
Listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, Fiera Milano’s shares were down 1.9 percent to 2.84 euros by early afternoon on Thursday.
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the September edition of the Salone del Mobile will be flanked for the first time by the biennial Euroluce, EuroCucina and the Salone Internazionale del Bagno trade shows dedicated to lighting, kitchen design and bathroom furniture, respectively.
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