Salone Internationale del Mobile di Milano, known as the "Olympic" event in the global furniture industry, will be held in Shanghai, China in 2016. Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai is a gathering place for top international home furniture brands, top designers, architects and traders, and leads the design trends in furniture, home, architecture, accessories, and lighting fixtures.

A trade fair in the prestigious Shanghai Exhibition Centre will take the excellence of Italian furnishing and lifestyle to the Chinese. The Salone del Mobile’s substantial cultural role will be underscored by the Master Classes and SaloneSatellite.

The launch of the first edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai was announced to the Italian press in Milan. It will be held from 19 to 21 November at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre, an extremely prestigious venue that hosts top level cultural and arts events and is one of the city’s points of reference.

The debut of the Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai is a fundamental step in the Federlegno Arredo Eventi strategy for developing the Chinese furniture market which, after a period of research and scouting, has resulted in a series of operations and services over the last two years geared to facilitating the entry and consolidation of Italian companies within the sector.

The latest market data confirm the increasing business market opportunities: between January and September 2015 sales rose 19% and prospects are for even greater improvement, with growth predicted to hit 40% by 2019.

The huge input by the government, and Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Deputy Economic Development Minister Carlo Calenda in particular, ICE – Italian Trade Agency – and the leading Italian institutions present in China, has been fundamental from the outset.

In this new venture, Federlegno Arredo Eventi will also be able to rely on its strategic partnership with BolognaFiere, and with its President Duccio Campagnoli in particular, not least his exhaustive knowledge of the country and its market dynamics.

The Salone del Mobile.Milano Shanghai will extend over around 4,000 sqm, showcasing all the best Italian design and furniture has to offer. Manufacturers and visitors will take part by invitation only.

Successfully trialled in Russia, the Master Classes devoted to key issues in architecture and design and featuring leading representatives of the Italian design world, will also form an integral part of the Salone del Mobile.Shanghai.

The event will also feature SaloneSatellite, the launch pad for young designers under 35, a prime opportunity for interface between leading sectoral businesses and emerging young Chinese designers, increasingly making their mark at international level, and protagonists at the last SaloneSatellite in Milan.

While the exhibition proper will be reserved for sectoral manufacturers, several areas inside the exhibition space will be made over to leading proponents of the Made in Italy lifestyle, showcasing the best in Italian living.

(Source: Salone del Mobile.Milano)