Supersalone del mobile, the special event by Salone del Mobile.Milano, will take place at the Rho-Fieramilano fairgrounds from 5 to 10 September 2021
Maybe Supersalone wasn’t the best name one could think of, maybe with a little more time a better name could have been found. Maybe, but there was and there is no time. So, Supersalone is the name of the next event by Salone del Mobile.Milano, which will be an exhibition rather than a fair, but will recall the fairs of the past, where anyone, not just retailers, could buy. We have to admit that when the first rumors about pre-furnished modular spaces began to circulate, the memory of those who were there immediately went to an unhappy experience in New York several years ago, where space limitations penalized companies to the point that some of the best Italian brands were unrecognizable.
In light of yesterday’s press conference, however, what seems to be emerging is the search for a different format. An alternative to the traditional Salone, allowing companies to exhibit the products developed in the 18 months of pandemic, without deluding oneself into thinking that the September event is the 59th edition of the Salone del Mobile as it isn’t the case (we say 59th because, despite the 60th anniversary, which falls in 2021, if we consider the missed editions, the 60th has not arrived yet).
Is the Salone del Mobile necessary?
The must-ask question, of course, is, was it really necessary to have a special event in September 2021, with the next Salone del Mobile.Milano scheduled for April 2022? Maybe not. But perhaps organizing a special event to slowly start going out from this strange tunnel into which the pandemic has put us could be a sign of optimism, and we need it more than ever.
However, it should be made clear that it won’t be the Salone del Mobile we are used to seeing. There will be neither 24 pavilions nor the classic division into stands. What the Supersalone del Mobile, or special edition 2021, will have in common with the Salone del Mobile.Milano is the venue, Rho-Fieramilano, and the organization, of course. There will not even be direct sales. As the president of Assarredo, Maria Porro, explained, companies will have a QR code that will direct potential customers to the network of retailers. There may be special prices, but this is part of the commercial policy of individual companies, in which the fair plays no role.
The Supersalone del mobile
Let’s try to understand what Milan’s Supersalone in September 2021 will look like. First of all, it will have a curator, Stefano Boeri, aided by a team of professionals, architects and curators, graphic designers, experts in exhibition design. Andrea Caputo, Maria Cristina Didero, Anniina Koivu, Lukas Wegwerth, and Marco Ferrari and Elisa Pasqual from Studio Folder will collaborate with Giorgio Donà, co-founder and partner of Stefano Boeri Interiors.
Watch The Archispritz with Giorgio Donà
The goal is to build and offer a large library of contemporary design that can be found for sale, even if it may not be purchased directly on site. The products launched over the last 18 months should be placed next to the historical products for a broader overview of Made in Italy furniture.
Supersalone, among other things, means that, next to the furniture, the exhibition will include other thematic areas. In addition to the exhibition, there will be lounges for business meetings and arenas for conferences. There will be exhibitions dedicated to design schools and a special exhibition curated by ADI, dedicated to chairs. Finally, socializing and relaxation areas, food courts in collaboration with Identità Golose, for an all-round experience of Made in Italy.
Supersalone del mobile: the layout
The layout will consist of long parallel partitions, designed to display the products vertically – hanging – or, thanks to the 3-meter depth, to create connected rooms between one corridor and another. This fluid and dynamic exhibition layout will allow visitors to navigate freely inside a huge national and international archive of creativity. In spite of the various negative criticisms that will obviously flourish, it’s hard to imagine a different route with pandemic limitations still in place, as is likely.
Discover the booths of the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2019
Supersalone in Milan and worldwide thanks to a digital platform
Whatever people may say, the physical experience still plays the main role. However, the digital side cannot be neglected anymore. For this reason, the Salone del Mobile.Milano has developed a digital platform, which will be officially presented on June 30. This platform, besides offering content and services to companies, will be very useful, especially this year, to allow the many who cannot get to Milan to see in real time what is happening in Milan. [Roberta Mutti]
See you at the Rho-Fieramilano fairgrounds from 5 to 10 September 2021 for the Supersalone del mobile
