HOUSTON (UNITED STATES) (ITALPRESS) – After the two stops in Miami (last December during World Art Week) and New York City (in January), the Salone del Mobile.Milano concludes its U.S. tour in Texas in the city of Houston with a new strategic appointment for the Event, which will take place in Milan, April 8-13, 2025. Protagonists will be more than 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries, the first International Forum on Light, five days of Talks and Roundtables, more than 30 globally renowned speakers, and three grand installations between fair and city, shaped by the visionary gaze of acclaimed artist Robert Wilson, Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino, and French luxury hospitality architect Pierre-Ives Rochon.
Corollary to this is the announcement that 2024 (after 2022 and 2023) also closed with another record for Italian sales of authentic products in the US: with a total of USD 76.4 bn, this is another +5% over 2022 (it was 73 bn) but above all a +55% over 2020, the negative peak of the pandemic. Furniture and construction participate in this result with more than USD 3.7 bn and +42% also on 2020.
In Houston, on Feb. 20, the management of the Salone del Mobile.Milano and the Italian Trade Agency Miami, the sectorially competent office for design in the U.S.-which co-planned and coordinated the Salone’s mission to the U.S.-in collaboration with the main American associations of architects, designers and builders, held a meeting dedicated to telling the main news, activities and events of the 63rd edition of the Exhibition.
Texas is the third U.S. state for purchases of authentic Made in Italy (with more than 5 bn Usd in 2024) and design contributes to this success of domestic productions having doubled the pre-pandemic figures and settling at about 300 million Usd (+100% over 2021). Texas is also home (with Florida and Arizona) to new residential developments and increasingly a technological location par excellence. There is a sharp increase in the activity and establishment of companies and start-ups with an IT and electronics vocation first and foremost in Dallas and Austin, the so-called Silicon Hills, a trend that continues to grow at the expense of historical sectors such as aerospace and oil while Houston always remains the American and world capital for aerospace and oil.
Says Carlo Angelo Bocchi, Italian Trade Commissioner Miami: “The new record of Italian sales in the U.S. comforts us in the path taken post covid by our companies that are innovators, sustainable and careful to use design to improve every aspect of daily life, bringing well-being and quality. The choice of products goes against the choice of price that Italy has never belonged to, and bringing the Salone (among the exhibition formats with the highest international notoriety and content) to cities like Houston has always fueled the American passion of architecture firms, designers, builders and engineering companies for a production that is perceived as unique and trendy, but also increasingly innovative and attentive to green solutions in the area of sustainability and circular economy.”
The Houston meeting, in the context of the Show’s international tour, represents a unique opportunity for the Show, which thus strengthens its dialogue with a key market, creates strategic connections and establishes itself as a global platform for business and innovation. Meeting directly with international designers, companies, stakeholders and media allows them to share visions and strengthen ties with the design community. Each stop on the tour is an opportunity to communicate the business and cultural value of the Salone, building quality relationships and expanding the network of stakeholders who converge on Milan each year for a unique and strategic experience for the industry.
“It is a real pleasure to be able to return to the United States, a country that reconfirms itself as a user of the highest value for the Salone brand, with 7,023 professional operators attending the 2024 edition (+16% vs. 2023), corresponding to 6th place out of 150 countries of origin,” says Andrea Vaiani, General Director of Salone del Mobile.Milano. “We are here to tell about the next Salone, an extraordinary edition in terms of content, innovation and strategic vision. An essential appointment for the sector, which will bring together the excellence of global design, with exceptional protagonists, leading companies and new emerging realities. More than 2,000 exhibitors will be present – 38 percent from abroad – and 148 brands including debuts and returns, spread over more than 169,000 square meters of exhibition space, entirely sold out. An edition that will mark the long-awaited return of Euroluce, with more than 300 brands from 25 countries. Big space also for SaloneSatellite, with 700 designers under 35 and 20 international Schools and Universities. All these numbers attest to the Salone’s strategic role as a platform for business, innovation and internationalization: an excellence also confirmed by the economic value of the exhibiting Italian and foreign brands, which together generate more than 16 billion euros in turnover.” “Stimulating new visions,” he continues, “will be a high-profile Cultural Program, with three site-specific installations Villa Hèritage by architect Pierre-Yves Rochon, La dolce attesa by Paolo Sorrentino and Mother by an undisputed genius like Robert Wilson. Especially important, because the first of its kind, is the focus on light design with the debut of The Euroluce International Lighting Forum. To complete the offer, the Talks and Round Tables of Drafting Futures, with the protagonists of the contemporary scene.”
For Luca Adornato, Marketing and Communications Director of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, “the red thread linking all these activities, events and speeches of the 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano is the communication campaign Thought for Humans., signed by Dentsu Creative Italy. A concept that reaffirms the heart of design: being created by and for humans, responding to their needs, values and experiences. So we chose U.S. photographer Bill Durgin, whose innovative artistic language explores the relationship between body and material. His shots reveal the deepest essence of design: showing how materials blend harmoniously with the human body, the campaign also alludes to the entire production process, its environmental impact and, above all, the value of design as a whole. Thinking for man means putting not only the object at the center of the project, but its meaning, its function and its relationship with those who live in it and the space they inhabit.”
Adornato, then, concluded, telling how the innovative character of the Event also passes through its digital dimension: “The digital platform of Salone del Mobile.Milano is not only a support to the physical event, but a real enabler of business, networking and knowledge. We recently revamped our website to offer an even more intuitive and personalized user experience, with optimized access to exclusive content, interactive tools such as maps and wayfinding, and advanced matchmaking services to facilitate valuable connections. For exhibitors, the show introduces dedicated digital services to amplify their visibility and optimize meetings at the show. For visitors, in addition to online ticketing and interactive browsing, the personalized video showreel service returns, allowing them to receive a digital summary of their experience at the show.”
– photo GP Communications North America Inc – –
(ITALPRESS).
