The 64th edition of the Salone del Mobile begins: 1,900 exhibitors and sold out pavilions

Ribbon cutting at Fiera di Milano Rho for the 64th edition of the Salone del Mobilewith over 1,900 exhibitors from 32 countries and 16 sold out pavilions, in a context marked by international uncertainty. In the morning the arrival of the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni marks one of the central moments of the inaugural day.

The Prime Minister walks through the pavilions between the stands, recalling the weight of the supply chain: “I am happy to be here to bring the Government’s attention and solidarity towards a fundamental Made in Italy supply chain with over 50 billion in turnover, 2.3% of the GDP, 300,000 employees, stable and growing exports in some new markets”. Shortly afterwards, the deputy prime minister and minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini also arrives for a visit among the exhibitors and an institutional greeting. The opening ceremony takes place in front of the event’s leaders and institutions.

The president of the Salone del Mobile, Maria Porroinsists on the international dimension of the event and on the role of the event as an industrial platform capable of connecting businesses and markets, and of design as a vehicle of culture and peace. Also on stage is the president of FederlegnoArredo, Claudio Feltrin, who recalls the economic weight of the wood-furniture supply chain and the need to support competitiveness in a complex phase for demand. Also present at the inauguration was Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who underlined the contribution of internationalization and economic diplomacy to the expansion of Italian companies on foreign markets. It was Tajani himself who gave the Salone an important institutional recognition: the Salone del Mobile.Milano was awarded the title of “Ambassador of Italian design in the world”, as part of the Farnesina’s strategy to strengthen economic and cultural diplomacy.

The appointment is accompanied by the signing of a framework agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and FederlegnoArredo to support the internationalization of the wood-furniture sector, with the involvement of the diplomatic-consular network, the Italian Cultural Institutes and the ICE Agency. For the president of Lombardy Attilio Fontana this event “confirms how Milan represents the place where the contemporary takes shape in Italy. It is not just a trade fair event, but a real economic and planning infrastructure capable of relating vision and production, creativity and market”.

The Salone del Mobile confirms itself as the most international of Italian trade fair events and the economic and commercial heart of the Milan Design Week. According to Confcommercio estimates, the event is destined to generate revenue of around 250 million euros in the area. Behind the event is a supply chain which, according to data from FederlegnoArredo, is worth 27.7 billion euros, with exports exceeding 14 billion and a contribution to the trade balance of over 8.4 billion. Among the focuses of this edition, not to be missed are Eurocucina and the Salone del Bagno, while among the new features debut the Raritas Salon, dedicated to special collections and reinterpretations of icons of Italian design, and the Contract Salon, a project curated by Rem Koolhaas which focuses on large international projects, a segment that continues to drive the sector in a phase of retail slowdown.