Every year, in April, the Salone del Mobile turns the international spotlight on Milan, transforming it into the world capital of design with the great festival that animates the city. The induced activities recorded in 2024 amounted to 275 million euros (+13.7% vs 2023).

Data on which the research gives an idea about the next 2025 edition are 37 data holders, 86 sources, 10 Working Tables with 130 stakeholders, and 530 field observations. These are just a few numbers that summarize the research activities that have converged in (Eco) Sistema Design Milano, the first chapter of a larger project conceived and promoted by the Salone del Mobile, with the scientific supervision of the Politecnico di Milano to know, for the first time on a database, the dimensions and dynamics of the relevant international “event”, which every year,  in April, generates economic growth and innovation, contributing significantly to the identity of Milan, the Capital of Design.

The protagonists of the first “snapshot” of a complex and dynamic ecosystem are Salone del Mobile.Milano, which in its last edition confirmed its ability to be an international catalyst with a record of 370,824 attendees, of which 65.6% were from abroad, and the “off” in the city, a complementary element with its network of urban events (1,326 in the last edition). The same ecosystem historically includes Milan, where, from 2009 to 2023, the number of companies and professionals in the Design Core – a sector with design as its primary activity – grew by 66%: 2,275 to date. Of these, 12% run by young people, 13.7% by foreign citizens, and 27.2% by women, a figure higher than the European average of 24%. Thanks to a close connection with the event, these numbers confirm the territory spreading design knowledge, which feeds experiences of experimentation, innovation, comparison and learning. The first edition of the Report was possible thanks to a sharing of objectives between the Municipality of Milan and the Lombardy Region, the collaboration of the respective municipal and regional departments of competence, a large number of trade and professional associations, study and research centres that have made available a substantial set of data sets, a fundamental starting point for any reliable interpretation of the phenomenon.

“This Report aims to share data and interpretations, at the service of the entire citizenry, to inform with greater awareness the strategies that must guide the future, starting today,” said Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. “The results of this exploration give a first physiognomy of a vital ecosystem, which distinguishes in its complementarity and synergy with the territory, what happens every year in April in Milan from what happens in other fairs and design weeks worldwide. The main challenge is to keep the event attractive, maintain the high quality of the offer, and contemporarily solve those latent critical issues that characterize events of this magnitude. Milan has once again become an intercontinental stage, thanks to a Salone that, in terms of attendance, has exceeded all expectations: a goal but also a starting point, achieved thanks to the commitment of the Wood-Furniture industrial chain, which every year bets on the event, contributing, together with the schedule of events in the city, to the leadership of Milan, the Capital of Design”.

In a context of unstable markets and geopolitical crises, to look to the future, the system must maintain its balance, with a sharing of objectives between public and private players and a strategy of “if, yes” instead of “no, why“, as suggested by sociologist Charles Landry, one of the leading international experts in creative cities, entrusted with the opening of the presentation meeting of the Report,  A tool created and made available to all city decision makers to reflect and act and better inform tomorrow.

“The Salone del Mobile.Milano and the Milan Design Week are an eloquent example of how a city can build its identity and attractiveness around a specific theme,” commented Stefano Maffei and Francesco Zurlo, head of the Department of Design – Politecnico di Milano research team.

The Milan Design System, also thanks to this careful analysis, pursues continuous improvement and is a candidate to imprint a legacy. “The term ecosystem encompasses the very concept of complexity. The impact of major events, such as the Salone del Mobile and the Design Week, on Milan, the territory and related industries is an articulated phenomenon that is not easy to interpret. Precisely for this reason, we believe that the Politecnico di Milano, in training and research, is up to this challenge,” commented Donatella Sciuto, Rector of the Politecnico di Milano. Salone del Mobile.Milano represents the culmination of a path that, every year, wood furniture companies undertake to support their recognized leadership worldwide. Our industrial fabric, made up of many companies – small and even smaller included – makes participation in the Salone del Mobile an unparalleled strategic value as a showcase to attract the design world to the Lombardy capital. An absolute unicum of which our companies are the driving force and contemporarily the end user because the primary objective of our fair is to allow Made in Italy design to continue to export to the world, open up to new markets and weigh more and more on Italian manufacturing,” said Claudio Feltrin, President of FederlegnoArredo. FederlegnoArredo is ready to do its part so that the dialogue between those who create business and those who animate the city is increasingly synergistic“.

Find the Report here

Salone del Mobile.Milano