Today is the final day of the Saloni 2010, which opened at the Milan Fairgrounds on 14th April,along with the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, SaloneSatellite and the biennial Eurocucina and International Bathroom Exhibition.

By midday today, with 297,460 accredited sectoral operators  +7% up on last year, it was plain to see that the Saloni are going from strength to strength. 56% of the operators came from abroad, confirming the fair’s international appeal.

These figures are further bolstered by the 32,103 members of the visiting public who attended the Sunday opening – making a total of 329,563 attendees – plus the 5,791 communications operators, including 5,110 journalists from all over the world.

“I believe that we can deservedly claim that today’s results are extraordinary” – said Cosmit President, Carlo Guglielmi – “The Saloni have demonstrated yet again that, as far as trade fairs in this particular sector go, they are in pole position globally, and this edition has proved that they are a huge media phenomenon and an unfailing barometer of habits. The data is even more astonishing, given the on-going economic climate within the sector and, especially, given the chaos caused by the grounding of planes that prevented some potential visitors from getting to Milan. Had it not been for the ash cloud, our estimates show that we might have been able to double the growth factor, with a larger number of visitors from abroad.”

“We are also greatly honoured by the attention and appreciation shown by the political world, which has been very marked over the last few days” – Mr. Guglielmi went on  not least the Prime Minister’s visit to the Saloni on Saturday to familiarise himself with this great expression of manufacturing and exhibition excellence, borne out by today’s results.”

“The enormous success of this 49th edition is due in particular to the efforts and investments of the exhibiting companies which, despite the credit crunch, have come here to showcase extremely prestigious and innovative products and stands” – said FederlegnoArredo President, Rosario Messina. “This positive result therefore augurs well for the endeavours of our companies, which recognise the Saloni as being the industrial system’s major vehicle for communication. We now have our sights firmly set on celebrating 50 years of the Salone del Mobile with major events and investments.”

The collateral exhibitions organised by Cosmit for the Saloni also went down well with the visiting public: the video-installation “A Celestial Bathroom” at the Planetarium was a sell-out, and crowds also flocked to the “Tutti a tavola!” (“Everyone to the Table!”) exhibition, which stays open until 9th May at the Gallery of Modern Art at Villa Reale and the Pinacoteca di Brera.

“Because of the way we operate and through the “City of the Saloni” project, which links the trade fair with the cultural events set up in the city of Milan, we have cemented our position yet again as the mouthpiece for both the industrial system and for the values inherent in our sector, but that’s not all. Being culturally-aware and investing in the city of Milan through prestigious events is a strategic and crucial part of the life and work of Cosmit,” concluded Mr. Guglielmi.