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Milan’s Salone del Mobile: day one is fast approaching

The 61st Salone del Mobile, scheduled for April 18–23, will see the return of the biennial Euroluce lighting exhibition

Milan’s Salone del Mobile: day one is fast approaching
By Redazione The Plan -

An overhauled layout and a program of educational events worthy of a major city like Milan, from April 18 through 23, Salone del Mobile returns to Milan’s Rho exhibition complex. About to be staged for the 61st time, this international event has returned to its traditional springtime slot, after being rescheduled during the pandemic. The 2023 event was officially launched by exhibition president Maria Porro; Milan mayor, Beppe Sala; as well as many of the key figures from this important event that’s in the process of a major revamp to better respond to the ever-changing needs of exhibitors and visitors.

As part of updating a formula that’s been in place for some time – and in so doing, expressing the innovative spirit that’s the true nature of Milan – a new layout has been created to improve the exhibition experience. The chief focus of the revamp is the needs of visitors and simplifying navigation through the event. But it also offers exhibitors greater visibility, which has led to a move to single-level booths.

“We’ve worked to accommodate the ideas and suggestions that have been fed back to us over the years,” explained Maria Porro. “We began by looking at some fundamental questions, such as: What will be the new role of Salone? How and where should we start planning its evolution? We’ve listened to the people who make Salone what it is – namely, its exhibitors and visitors – conducting over 2300 interviews and setting up focus groups. All of this led to the idea of organizing the event on a single level to improve visitor flows. Our work on the design of the interior of the halls was something akin to urban planning. Starting with Euroluce, the biennial event dedicated to lighting, a sector that’s seen some major changes over the years, we redesigned the pathways, mixing exhibitor booths with interdisciplinary educational content on the relationship between light, architecture, art, and science. This is a change that will eventually spread through the entire exhibition, which we believe will contribute to reinventing the exhibition paradigm.”

In addition to the almost two thousand exhibitors who’ll be gathering in Milan – including over 550 industry talents under 35 and 27 design schools – this year will see the return of Salone Satellite as well as the Euroluce biennial, not staged since 2019, whose theme this year is The City of Lights.

 

A glimpse at Euroluce 2023 …

Muranè, Matteo Thun e Benedetto Fasciana Intothesign, courtesy of Matteo Thun e Benedetto Fasciana

The design and setup of this innovative, hyper-contemporary exhibition was entrusted to Lombardini22, a Milan-based architecture and engineering practice, which created a new platform intended to give exhibitors improved visibility, more opportunities, and greater value. The 31st edition of the event – to be held April 18–23, 2023, in Halls 9, 11, 13, and 15 – will therefore also be an opportunity to present a new way of designing an exhibition space and, at the same time, reimagining the role of exhibitors in that space. The interiors of the four halls – all of which will be darkened so that the lighting products can be shown off to best effect – have been redesigned to make it easier for visitors to navigate the event, while giving exhibitors greater visibility by providing them with booth spaces that best suit the needs of each. The layout, based around an irregular ring, was the result of a study of visitor flows and the principles of universal design. In fact, the exhibition layout is the result of an urban design approach applied to a tradeshow – a tradeshow dominated by the theme of The City of Lights. From the earliest stage of its design, attention was paid to the event’s “streets,” their dynamics, and the formal and informal networks that can give life to community. The richness of city streets has been reproduced through the visibility of exhibitors’ displays, the variety of services on offer, and, in particular, by the program of educational events, installations, and exhibitions. Management of this aspect of the event was entrusted to Beppe Finessi, who’s currently putting the finishing touches to a multifaceted, polycentric, and multidisciplinary exhibition with associated public areas, each designed by a different architect.

Among the many public spaces, Aurore is a large arena-type area designed by Formafantasma in Hall 13. It will provide space for relaxing like a city square as well as offering an immersive experience on lighting-related themes through installations that combine different shapes, colors, materials, and sounds. It will also be the setting for talks, conferences, and lectures that will create a union between business and education. Among the events to be staged here, Massimo Curzi is curating a solo exhibition of Hélène Binet, one of today’s most important photographers. Through an original selection of images, the event will demonstrate how her work investigates the relationship between natural light and architecture.

 

… and Salone Satellite

Salone del Mobile.Milano Courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano

With 550 exhibitors making their way to Milan for the event, Salone Satellite will be staged this year for the 24th time. The theme for 2023 is “Design Schools – Universities / Building the (Im)Possible. Process, Progress, Practice.” Gaetano Pesce will be returning to Milan for the event in response to an invitation to discuss the landmarks of his long career and his interdisciplinary contribution to the world of design. At a time of great environmental, economic, and social change, this is sure to generate some valuable ideas that can be taken up by students, emerging designers, businesses, and the design world as a whole. The exhibition design, curated as usual by architect Ricardo Bello Dias, will also contribute to this, with the various institutions’ booths arranged in a circle.

 

Salone’s commitment to sustainability

Salone del Mobile.Milano Courtesy of Salone del Mobile.Milano

Again this year, Salone is working to find suppliers of recycled, recyclable, and reusable materials for the construction of common areas. It will then work to recycle these resources and absorb the waste produced. Salone’s organizers will be working with partners that legitimately place the welfare of humans and our planet at the center of their operations. And they’ve already expanded last year’s exhibitor guidelines for sustainable booths. As evidence of the event’s commitment to making sustainability a central element of business decision making, in 2022 Salone del Mobile joined the United Nations Global Compact, the largest global initiative for business sustainability.

“We’re delighted that Salone del Mobile is returning, with a new formula, to its traditional slot on the city’s calendar of events,” said Mayor Giuseppe Sala. “The streamlining of visitor flows, opportunities for discussion and reflection, and the chance for professionals to interact face to face on themes relating to sustainability and the industry’s economic and social responsibilities will all contribute to making the exhibition a thoroughly engaging experience.”

>>> Read our review of the 2022 event.

 

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Credits

Location: Milano, Italy
Date: 18-23 april

Individual photo credits are included in each gallery image

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