The health emergency resulting from COVID-19 has changed all our habits , and especially those that have to do with collective events . Inevitably, prestigious happenings such as the Salone del Mobile (but it is certainly not the only one) have felt the pinch and, at least for the 2020 edition, have been canceled.
However, more than a year and a half after the start of the pandemic , the world has begun to organize itself according to the rules of the so-called ” new normal “, calibrating the various activities – both daily and extraordinary – according to current needs . Here we are, not surprisingly, a few days before the start of the 2021 edition of the Milanese Show, which is completely new compared to what we were used to .
But in what way?
Let’s see together how the Salone del Mobile in Milan changes and what news one of the most exclusive professional design events in the world has in store.
Salone del Mobile 2021: a “hybrid” event
The 2021 edition of the famous Salone del Mobile will be held in the usual setting of Milan-Rho , for the first time delivered in a so -called hybrid form, halfway between human and digital .
Expected from 5 to 10 September in the spaces of Rho Fiera , the Salone presents first of all a new and exclusive event: the so-called Supersalone . It will be a fair setting in a decidedly lighter version than usual, and which will in fact embody the new format desired by the designer and architect Stefano Boeri (in collaboration with an international team of designers).
In fact, the Supersalone will be the point of contact between real and digital , thanks to a proposal of cultural works and unpublished projects that will enrich the well-known Fuorisalone . It is also important to remember that these installations will be accessible not only by operators in the sector , but also by the general public who, despite the obvious difficulties, continue to consider Milan the international hub for design.
It is hoped that the new format will bring benefits to the economy of the Lombardy Region , and in this sense the Salone probably represents the first of the most important events held in post-Coronavirus Italy.
In any case, the focus is on digital to “capture” a greater number of users, not only national but also international. The choice is smart, considering the travel limits and travel restrictions that still affect so many countries around the world. Technology is therefore destined to play a central role, and digital will be the means to create real-time showcases for all the brands that will participate in the event.
This does not mean, however, that the 2021 edition of the Salone del Mobile does not include “face to face” events: in fact,areas dedicated to meetings, seminars and exhibition appointments are planned , which Stefano Boeri has conceived as eco-sustainable and airy agora , professional but not for this less cultural.
In his words: “This is a special year, in which we must take into account the needs of the public who, after months of suffering, need to go out and rethink the spaces of living . This is why it is important to present top quality , new and catalog furniture. Then the business will be guaranteed with areas intended for business meetings . ”
The Supersalone: a special event dedicated to sharing, design and environmental sustainability
The aforementioned Supersalone will have its concepts to promote in order to place itself among the most interesting “ events in the event ” of this edition of the Salone del Mobile .
In addition to the marked desire to share and promote design in its purest form, well highlighted by the numbers (more than 423 brands of different product categories distributed in four different pavilions, fifty independent designers, 170 projects from 40 international design schools, twenty among the most influential personalities of the current creative scene, 110 seats awarded by the Compasso d’Oro, six great chefs, five cinematographic works selected by the MDFF), maximum attention is paid to the concept of eco -sustainability.
Again, let’s let the numbers speak : the Supersalone will avoid the emission of1.2 million kilograms of CO2 into the atmosphere thanks to the recovery of the fittings; it will provide for the total recovery and reuse of all materials and components of the set-up and common areas such as arenas, lounges and food courts; it will include chipboard panels created with 100% recycled wood and ready to be returned to the economy on a circular basis; will integrate the ad hoc setting up of a “wood” made up of about a hundred Forestami trees that will direct visitors towards the East gate, and another hundred tall trees to accompany the itinerary in the exhibition areas and in those dedicated to relaxation.
Interesting note : all the trees used (lime trees, oaks, flowering plums and ash trees) will, at the end of the event, be planted in the Metropolitan City of Milan .
Although hybrid, therefore, the Salone del Mobile 2021 is therefore really aiming high. )
A completely renovated website, dedicated to interaction
“Never before in 2020 has the opportunity to have an overview of the direction of the entire sector been lacking and this event will make it possible to discover the news and future prospects . We accepted a difficult challenge with a great sense of responsibility. The issue of safety is central and for this reason we are working with all the institutions of the territory and the realities involved to ensure that our exhibitors and visitors have an experience in complete safety starting from the green pass . Thanks to the new digital platform of the Salone del Mobile.Milano with a schedule of events, live streaming and dedicated contentwe will also be able to involve that part of the design community that will not be able to travel due to restrictions, ”explains Maria Porro, President of the Salone .
To meet the needs of digital interaction so necessary to make this year’s Salone an international success, the event’s website is also renewed .
In this sense, comments the Editorial Director Annalisa Rosso : “The platform […] brings together all the voices of our sector: brands and their products , partners , the best international authors – writers, photographers, videomakers, illustrators – called upon to do the point on our themes and to investigate different areas to provide new inspirations. The whole variegated world of design business is called on board with them : buyers , architects and designers , specialized press,enthusiasts and professionals. A dynamic community, which compares and interacts. For this reason, the key to reading this digital project is its interactivity : break out room, live chat, virtual showroom to activate a profitable and immediate exchange, in support and strengthening of what is physically happening at the fair. “
And, correctly, he defines this new chapter of the Milanese happening as a “new reality”, which for now is nothing more than a necessary effort to deal with the pandemic situation, but which in the future will probably become a practice.
