50 YEARS YOUNG I SALONI

I Saloni will celebrate their 50th birthday next April. A milestone anniversary that will be celebrated in the full awareness of the fact that everything that has been accomplished by all those who have shown their commitment to the Saloni, right from the very first day, must be carried forward tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, for (at least) another 50 years, increasingly and constantly better. A great many events are planned, both at the Fairgrounds and in the city of Milan.

“50 years young” stands out in bold letters on the first publicity page advertising the upcoming Saloni. This is a tongue-in cheek way of proclaiming their age, an ironic play on words that resonates with their nature and spirit, young and lively. 

They are wearing those 50 years well, given that visitor numbers have gone up from 12,100 in 1961 to 297,460 in 2010 and that the initial 328 exhibitors over what was then 11,000 square meters of display space have become over 2,500 in an area now measuring in excess of 200,000 square meters. The figures for 2010 were no less impressive, with 5,110 journalists from 65 different countries representing the press, and a visiting public of over 32,000 people on the Sunday alone. Having notched up 50 years doesn’t mean that it’s time to rest on our laurels, rather that we must continue to build on them, looking to the future, the next 50 years, with a well-structured project that, along with the usual exhibition events – the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, the biennial Euroluce / International Lighting Exhibition and SaloneUfficio / International Biennial Workspace Exhibition and SaloneSatellite – will involve the city of Milan, providing an opportunity for reflection on design, on the world of industry that has made it all possible, on creativity and on culture. 

From Tuesday 12th to Sunday 17th April, there will be a double appointment, both at the Fair itself and in the city, in keeping with Cosmit’s policy of being constantly on the look-out for the balance between tradition and innovation in the name of quality. 

The Rho exhibition complex will provide a chance to see, touch and try out the best products the world of domestic furnishing has to offer – from beds to wardrobes to chairs to interior and exterior lighting systems to office furniture – in terms of typology – from stand-alone pieces to coordinates and style from classical to design to modern – not to mention the trendsetters of tomorrow. There will be a new layout for the areas assigned to the exhibiting companies, with an extension of the design sector in Pavilions 16-20 and a new collection for Euroluce / the International Lighting Exhibition  in the interconnected 4 single-storey Pavilions, 9-11 and 13-15 – and SaloneUfficio / International Biennial Workspace Exhibition – in Pavilions 22-24 – strategically located opposite each other and between the West and South Gates (Porta Ovest and Porta Sud). The city, for its part, will play host to an overarching cultural project that will be staged at various historical venues. 

Innovation lies at the heart of all the events: innovation in people and in things, looking back at the past with an eye to the future. Innovation was what spurred on that initial group of entrepreneurs, culminating in September 1961 in the first ever Salone del Mobile. It was during this period that Italian design was born, a celebration of the amazing union between the business world and the creativity of the masters.