Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023: here's what happened

ingressi, euroluce, rho fiera, salone milano

Courtesy FederlegnoArredo, ph. Francesco Rucci

With a +15% compared to 2022, the new format of the 61st edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano confirms the success of the new format of the event

The Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 saw the participation of more than 2,000 exhibiting brands, 34% from 37 different countries, including 550 young designers from 31 countries, and 28 design schools and universities from 18 countries. In terms of visitor turnout, in six days there were 307,418 registered visitors, 15% more than in 2022, from 181 countries. The 65% of buyers and sector operators from abroad is particularly significant. China has returned to being the first country after Italy, followed by Germany, France, the United States, Spain with Brazil and India on equal terms. Over 5,400 accredited journalists, 47% of whom from abroad.

ingressi, rho fiera, salone milano — Ph. Luca Quagliato

Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, had this to say: “The 61 st edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano was an international success and we are really delighted that it exceeded expectations. The number of attendees makes for an exceptional result, which we worked very hard, deeply and radically for, to bring new meanings and values to the trade fair visit and create new experiences for the visitors who came along.”

ingressi, rho fiera, salone milano, euroluce — Courtesy FederlegnoArredo, ph. Francesco Rucci

“We invested in quality and demonstrated our desire to carry on producing innovation and ‘telling the stories’ of our companies and our products. Yet again we have been the engine that has fired up the city. The contribution of the Italian Trade Agency ICE has been invaluable and irreplaceable, supporting us as we have opened out to new markets such as India, and growing markets such as America. Digital has also played a vital role this week, as it did the preceding months, allowing us both to make contact with new countries and to maintain a strong relationship with those unable to join us. I should like to thank everybody for their commitment: the companies who took part and put their money on their products, the organisers, the fitters and the curators who all put their faith in the event.” said Maria Porro

arena, aurore, euroluce, shigeru ban, yoko choy, salone milano — Aurore, ph. Francesco Merlini

Besides attesting to the international importance of the Salone, the unswerving support of the Italian Trade Agency ICE and SIMEST also included their invitation to more than 220 buyers and 240 journalists from 64 other countries, allowing them an opportunity to come and meet the exhibiting companies. Our close collaboration with Fiera Milano, which helped to make this event possible, is also crucial.

Claudio Feltrin, President of FederlegnoArredo, summed up the success of the Salone thus: “The exhibitors made good use of their resources, the visitors made good use of their time. This is borne out by the figures, by the palpable enthusiasm right through the week and by the huge press presence and that of the institutions with which we have shared issues that are fundamental for the wood-furnishing industry, such as training, internationalisation, sustainability and short supply chains with timber made in Italy.”

ingressi, rho fiera, salone milano, est — Ph. Marco Mazzoni

The figures registered by the digital platform throughout the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 exceeded even the greatest of expectations. The website, newsletters, apps, push notifications and social networks narrated the event on a daily basis as it unfolded, along with the activities dedicated to the public and the brands and the innovations showcased by the companies by way of products, workshops and installations. This live narration followed the activation plan initiated in the weeks running up to the event and the multichannel planning that also took in the behind-the-scenes activities of all the professionals involved.

The international design community responded enthusiastically: on the social media front, 30 million accounts were reached and the content notched up 6 million video views, around 80 million impressions. There were around a million visitors to the site and more than 7 million page views. The updated Salone del Mobile.Milano app has seen the number of downloads triple since the beginning of the year, thanks to the new interactive mapping service, which registered more than 350,000 sessions during the fair, and enabled more than 750,000 scans through the matchmaking service supporting the visitor experience and promoting effective interface with the exhibitors.

The regular publication of dedicated content on the Chinese WeChat channel, the streaming of talks organised at the fair and a daily podcast featuring the voices of some of the protagonists of this edition all contributed to the narration of the Salone at global level. New developments worthy of mention include the launch of the TikTok channel, which featured dedicated storytelling, including the input of content creators, notching up 4 million video views and attracting an audience of more than 3 million. A number of augmented reality activities were also developed, not least the competition to win an exclusive Piquadro backpack, which registered more than 10,000 sessions.

Thanks to all, then, and see you again at the next edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano from 16th to 21st April 2024!