The Salone del Mobile is sold out again this year, confirming yet again its position as the go-to appointment for companies, operators and visitors within the sector. A global platform for all the latest in home furnishing, the Salone is now into its 55th year, championing innovation and internationality – in fact the number of foreign exhibitors has risen again, now making up almost 30% of all he manufacturers at the fair.

“We are ready to embark on this landmark 55th edition. It shows clear signs of being interesting and robust, in terms of both the wide-ranging commercial offering from a phalanx of the foremost companies on the national and international market, and in terms of the balance achieved between tradition and innovation in the name of quality and refinement. The ever-increasing interest show by operators, journalists and members of the public is testament to the variety and quality of the event: the Salone del Mobile, along with the city of Milan, manages to capture the attention of more than 300,000 visitors, from 165 different countries”, said President Roberto Snaidero.

This edition, at the Rho Milan Fairgrounds from 12th to 17th April, will feature the Salone Internazionale del Mobile along with the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, more than 1,300 exhibitors ranged over 145,000 square metres (to date), split into Classic and Design sections, making for a visitor- friendly floor plan and a 360° insight into the world of furniture and furnishing accessories.

The biennial EuroCucina and its collateral exhibition FTK (Technology For the Kitchen) are back – in Pavilions 9-11 and 13-15 – along with the International Bathroom Exhibition in Pavilions 22-24.

EuroCucina will showcase all the latest in the realm of high quality kitchens, responding to the escalating demand for functionality from increasingly savvy consumers. Its collateral event, FTK (Technology For the Kitchen), specialises in built-in appliances and cooker hoods, presenting the latest technology for “cooking” and living the kitchen space to the full.

The focus at the International Bathroom Exhibition, on the other hand, will be on absolutely cutting edge bathroom furniture and accessories, shower cubicles and saunas, sanitary ware, radiators and coverings, bathroom and/or kitchen taps, bath and hydromassage tubs, for putting a personal stamp on the domestic space devoted to wellness and pampering.

The 19th edition of SaloneSatellite will be in Pavilions 13 and 15, along with EuroCucina, with free entry from Cargo 4. Its corollary, the SaloneSatellite Award – now into its 7th edition – is devoted to young designers under 35, with prizes for the three best prototypes on show conforming to the product categories at the exhibition.

The Salone del Mobile.Milano philosophy is to combine business with culture, and this year is no exception. Within the framework of the XXI Triennale, Beppe Finessi has curated the “Rooms. New Domestic Landscapes” exhibition, at the Triennale di Milano from 2nd April to 12th September 2016. Given that the Salone del Mobile.Milano was one of the first to take part in the project consolidating the front line role of FederlegnoArredo in the Italian home furnishing sector, and its championing of the Italian System, along with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Triennale di Milano and Confindustria – the exhibition is intended to underscore the particular remit of interior architecture and to provide a forward-looking vision of how living will evolve.

The upcoming of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will also pay special homage to what came before “true” design. “Before Design: Classic” – a short film by Matteo Garrone – will be screened in one of the Fairground pavilions, retracing classic Made in Italy taste and its topicality in a visual and sensory journey. An exhibition, in the same spaces, will trigger reflection on the classical essence of contemporary living.

One event in the city directly connected with the Salone del Mobile.Milano is “space&interiors” – organised by the international architecture and construction biennial exhibition MADE expo – at The Mall in the heart of Milan’s Porta Nuova Design District: surfaces, flooring, doors and interior finishings will feature in a distinctive display curated by Migliore+Servetto Architects.

For the third year running, underscoring the international role of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, is the Welcome Project, in collaboration with the Municipality of Milan, the City Councillor for the Department of Employment, Economic Development, University and Research Cristina Tajani and Milan’s leading design schools – IED, Domus Academy, the New Academy of Fine Arts NABA, Milan and the Polytechnic University of Milan/Design School. In partnership with the Milan Fairgrounds, Milan airports’ authority SEA and Milan’s public transport agency ATM, the Salone del Mobile.Milano has set up several welcome points at focal points throughout the city (at Malpensa and Linate airports, the Central Station and the main underground stations). These will be manned by 100 students tasked with providing visitors with useful information on moving around the city, the fair itself, and the palimpsest of events laid on by the Department.

Negotiations with the following are under way:
- Milan Fairgrounds and ATM to enable visitors to the Salone del Mobile.Milano to acquire integrated tickets, valid for both city transport and entry to the Fairgrounds;
- Trenitalia for the provision of special stops for Freccia trains at Rho Fiera Expo Milano and discounted fares for visitors, exhibitors and journalists in possession of entrance tickets to the Salone;
- SkyTeam Global Meetings to enable exhibitors, operators and journalists taking part in the Salone to acquire plane tickets with discounts of between 5% and 15% according to class of travel.

Thanks to a partnership with the ICE – Italian Trade Agency, the 2016 Foreign Plan has been built around bolstering investments, geared to increasing the number of qualified foreign visitors and activating key contacts for B2B meetings. In order to facilitate visits to the Fairgrounds, the updated Salone del Mobile.Milano 2016 smartphone app will be available for download as of February (on iPhone, iPad and the most popular Android devices).

*Source: Salone del Mobile