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«The strength of the Show is that it gives everyone the opportunity to grow, to already large and consolidated companies as well as smaller ones, who here can meet operators from all markets and not only buyers and architects, but also the protagonists of sectors such as nautical or hospitality, opening up new development channels.”
While waiting to know the final data of the Salone del Mobile, which will be communicated this afternoon, president Maria Porro draws a more than positive assessment of this 62nd edition, in which many exhibitors (around 1,950) and many operators from all over the world have invested to participate despite the difficult market moment, demonstrating «the importance of the Show and the quality of Italian brands», adds Porro. The very long queues at the turnstiles and in front of the stands were not just a perception of those who came to the fair: estimates speak of a double-digit growth in attendance compared to last year (when visitors were more than 307 thousand), which should exceed share 350 thousand. An edition «beyond all expectations», comments Claudio Feltrin of FederlegnoArredo.
Exhibitors satisfied with turnout and contacts
The satisfaction of the entrepreneurs is palpable: «If the Show works, then our system works too, because now it is no longer just a fair, but a great event that attracts the whole world to Milan», says Massimiliano Messina, president of Flou – . All of Asia has returned and also the Arab countries, in particular Saudi Arabia, which is growing a lot – he explains –. In these markets, the distribution model through resellers does not work so much as that of large projects for very important individual clients who ask for complete, turnkey projects for ultra-luxury villas or hotels.
Figures with whom it is difficult for a company to come into contact and the Salone del Mobile serves precisely to meet these opportunities, but also to showcase, in our stands, the ability of Italian companies to provide for the realization of the entire project, not only of individual products”. In fact, this difference was seen when walking around the stands: fewer and fewer objects on a pedestal and more and more projects, which express the vision and lifestyle of a brand, expressed in all environments, often also touching on the architectural aspects, like boiserie doors.
This is the case of Molteni&C, flagship company of the Molteni Group, which this year at the show launched its new business unit dedicated precisely to these structural elements. «The Show is very important to be able to tell our customers about this news and to make them understand we have created a stand of 2 thousand square meters in which to show off, in a concrete way, what we are able to do and offer to the market», explains the managing director of the group, Marco Piscitelli, who confirms the feeling reported by many entrepreneurs of a large turnout at the stand. «Even a company as large as ours needs to meet new customers, because we have to tell the market about today’s Molteni, which is different from that of a few years ago – adds Piscitelli -. Having such an expanded range of products and solutions, we need increasingly involved partners who invest heavily in our brand.”