Today, organizers announced that the 59th Salone del Mobile.Milano, an annual deign market hosted each spring in MIlan, will be postponed due to the global spread of coronavirus. In a morning meeting, stakeholders elected to postpone the event, originally scheduled for April 21 to 26, until June 16 to June 21.
"Confirmation of the change of date for the trade fair – strongly supported by the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala – means that the manufacturers, in a major show of responsibility, will be able to present their finalized work to an international public that sees the annual appointment with the Salone del Mobile.Milano as a benchmark for creativity and design," said Salone del Mobile.Milano stakeholders in a press release.
The decision to postpone Salone del Mobile.Milano comes on the heels an coronavirus outbreak in Italy with over 322 individuals confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus, at press time. Postponing the event, which features more than 2,300 companies each year and attracts almost400,000 visitors, professionals, and journalists annually, could have a impact on Milan's design economy which Beppe Sala, the mayor of Milan, touched on in an address to the public:
"I am calling on our colleagues in the furnishing sector and the Salone del Mobile to pull together to make sure Milan doesn’t grind to a halt," Sala said. "We need to work objectively to stop this virus spreading, but we must also take care not to spread the virus of distrust. Milan has to carry on."
