The news arrived only in the evening, but for days – and especially in the last hours – rumors and concerns were in the air. The Salone del Mobile.Milano has been rescheduled for June. The continuation of the healthcare emergency caused by the Coronavirus left no choice in the matter, after having blocked entire regions of northern Italy and the whole city of Milan, which was to host the fair starting on 21 April.
Postponed for two months, the Salone will be held from 16 to 21 June: the decision was made by the board of directors of FederlegnoArredo Eventi which gathered for a special assembly. A difficult but reasonable decision, banishing the fear of total cancellation, which would have been much worse, estimated as implying a loss for the economy of over 120 million euros.
“This confirmation of the change permits companies – summoned to act with full responsibility – to present their already prepared exhibits to an international audience that frequents the annual appointment with Salone del Mobile.Milano, as a reference point for creativity and design,” stated the press release issued in the evening by Salone del Mobile.
Milan “cannot stand still,” to use the words of the mayor of the city Beppe Sala to support the event (together with Fabrizio Curci, CEO of Fiera Milano), who called for “an effort on the part of our friends in the furniture sector and the Salone del Mobile,” also asking them “work to prevent the virus of demoralization from spreading as well.”
The mayor also made a particular appeal to the central government to support a fundamental sector for the country’s economy, and he urged the hospitality sector to do its best to facilitate visitors, given the exceptional character of the situation.
