Salone del Mobile.Milano begins the second phase of the Road to Salone 2024 in the United States with two strategic dates for announcing and promoting the trade fair, which will take place in Milan on April 16 – 21, 2024.
First in Dallas, on January 23, and then New York, on January 25, the top brass of the Salone del Mobile.Milano and the Italian Trade Agency Miami, the office responsible for the design industry in the U.S. – which has co-established and coordinated the Salone’s mission in the United States , in collaboration with the major American associations of architects, designers and builders, have created meeting opportunities dedicated to presenting the 62nd edition of the trade fair.
In Dallas on January 23, a conference was scheduled for April’s Salone with the fair’s President Maria Porro and noted architect Adam D. Tihany, a pioneer of the hospitality sector, in attendance, which dealt with the subject of the contract. The stop in Dallas concluded with a presentation in partnership with AIA Dallas and a meeting with Texas trade to highlight the double value of what the trade fair has to offer: its strictly commercial value with the presence of more than 2,000 brands, as well as the trade show value, for its path of evolution and metamorphosis.
Texas is the third state in the U.S. for authentic Made in Italy purchases (nearly 5 billion USD in 2022) and currently it is also set to overtake California in 2023, having already exceeded 2022 levels in only 11 months. Design contributes to this national production success, having doubled pre-pandemic numbers and adjusting to approximately 400 million USD (+100% over 2021).
Texas is also the site (with Florida and Arizona) of new residential developments and is increasingly a technological place par excellence.
The activity and development of IT and electronic companies and start-ups are increasing greatly, above all in Dallas and Austin, the so-called Silicon Hills, a continuously growing trend at the expense of historic sectors such as aerospace and petroleum.
In New York, on January 25, there is also be a double commitment: an exclusive press event led by President Porro to illustrate what’s new for 2024 and to converse with two special guests – Michele De Lucchi and Stephen Burks, two exceptional endorsements of the Salone experience; and a conference in partnership with AIA NYC, with the participation of Lombardini22, in 1st place in the Guamari ranking of Top 200 Italian architecture and design companies based on sales, specializing in the sectors of Office, Retail, Urban, Living, Hospitality, Education, Data Center, ESG and neuroscience. Since 2023, it has also accompanied and supported the Salone in its project towards the evolution of the layout and the trade show experience.
New York/New Jersey and the Tri-state area represent an undeniable point of departure to promote (almost) all Italian sectors, with special reference to design.
For years now, the most important Italian companies that exhibit at the Salone have built and continue to expand important distribution channels in the New York area.
Flagship stores and shops specializing in Italian products are an absolute reality in the Big Apple, with their greatest expression on Madison Avenue, on 5th Avenue, in Soho and in the Meat Packing district.
Quote from Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Italian Trade Commissioner Miami: “Bringing the Salone into smaller U.S. cities (Dallas and later cities in Nevada and Illinois) where it is less known is part of a post-pandemic strategy to promote authentic Italian design (and this does not just apply to this product) by presenting well-known trade show formats and international content in meeting places directly in the geographical areas with the greatest growth in purchases and new residential developments. We are close to ending 2023 with a new record of Italian sales in the U.S. (70 billion USD to which Italian design products also contribute) and where the Salone, as always, feeds the American passion for architectural offices, designers, builders and engineering companies for a production that is viewed not only as unique and current, but also increasingly innovative and conscious of green solutions in the area of sustainability and circular economy.”
Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano
Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano comments, “The Salone has always had in its DNA a bent towards internationalization, which has been the spark that over the years has ignited the many visits and repeated presence on American soil, a land which still stands out as the primary market outside the EU and a key market for companies exhibiting at the Salone. We are here to meet a public that is experienced, attentive and demanding, made up of industry professionals, journalists and designers who are the ideal visitors to the Salone del Mobile and the target audience for exhibiting companies. We will tell these visitors about the value of the Salone, with its capacity for innovation: a constantly evolving format that in 2024 will present a usable and fresh edition, vital and lively, rich in new elements, open to influences, supported by neuroscience and listening to all the players. At the center, the sector’s best companies, with a focus on Kitchen and Bath, will present what’s new and what are the trends for the coming years. In dialogue with the different companies’ spaces, there will be a lot of special content (installations, talks, bookstores, happenings, restaurants…) which, by putting the project’s size at the center, will open new living scenarios, thanks in part to a team of international curators. The Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024 is once again configured as the most important international hub for the world of design and furniture, an event not to be missed and one in which to immerse yourself.”
Marco Sabetta, General Manager of the Salone del Mobile.Milano adds:
“The international tour to promote the 62nd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano was truly an important momentum boost, which is already bringing huge results in terms of promotion and incoming from all over the world. For this reason, we have strengthened the U.S. phase by adding more cities than in 2023. During the stops, we will meet with the press, designers, architects, and representatives of companies and from the distribution world to tell them about what will happen in Milan; this will help us attract not only new visitors but also “higher quality” visitors, professionals who will arrive prepared for what they will see or what they want to see, with a visit that is already perfectly organized, and aware of the value of the experience that they are about to have. And this will contribute to creating value for the exhibiting companies.”
The Salone – fortified by strong roots in the Italian culture of doing business and “bel disegno” – is, in fact, a global catalytic force: 34% of exhibitors come from 37 foreign countries, 550 young designers from SaloneSatellite from 31 countries and 28 design schools and universities from 18 countries. And further still: 65% of buyers and industry professionals come from 181 countries. Of the more than 5,000 accredited media members present in the last edition, 47% came from abroad.
After Miami, Dallas and New York coordinated by the ITA – Italian Trade Agency – with the technical partnership of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Road to Salone will continue on to Las Vegas (February 20) and Chicago (February 22), in order to bring to the U.S. the information and culture of the Salone, an inspiring force for creative and professional relations, which continue to strengthen over time. These meetings represent a unique opportunity for the Salone to be able to promote all its initiatives and to share the first pieces of information about the new format and the content of the 62nd edition of the trade show.