(Finance) – Nature at the center of the 2024 edition: with “Nature Matter” Fuorisalone invites a profound exploration of the connection between these two words. Reflections on matter and attempts to transform it have always been at the center of human culture, who studies, experiments and manipulates it in order to interpret the relationship with the natural world. The word “nature” instead it is a strong reminder of the most urgent and current issues of our present and underlines the importance of promoting projects oriented towards increasingly sustainable solutions and environmentally friendly. Matter Nature thus becomes, for Fuorisalonethe central interpretation key to observe and map the initiatives that during Design Week 2024 give life to new languages and visions with respect to the actions that design is able to activate in the context of a radical rethinking of the relationship between man and the environment he inhabits.
Like every year, Fuorisalone takes over the trendiest urban areas of Milanidentifying 1124 locations totals to explore in search of the most innovative trends related to design but also to materials engineering, to new technologies and experimentation. No more stands but experiential installationsoften location specific, which aim more to convey the designer’s idea and research rather than the product in itself, which still remains present but not always the protagonist.
Born as an informal event in the 80s and then included, in the 90s, in the official schedule of the Salone del Mobile, as an alternative for all the brands and designers who could not find a place within the main event, the Fuorisalone, recently evolved into a more structured design week, it is today a event of very wide appeal which surpasses the Salone itself in terms of number of visitors and contributes significantly to the city’s related activities which, according to a study by Confcommercio, in total comes close to 261 million eurosscoring one growth of 13.7% compared to the previous year, thanks above all to foreign visitors who will be 73% of the total. In this case, an estimated per capita expenditure of 274 euros per day is estimated, 10.1% more than in 2023, divided between shopping, catering and overnight stays. In relation to this last segment, short-term rental apartment bookings grew by 6.7% (64.5% this year), while hotel bookings decreased by 9%.
However, it is difficult to estimate the total visitors of the Fuorisalone which, thanks to its capillarity, involves almost the entire urban area and the population who, like it or not, finds itself involved in the various initiatives. The most reliable projections, however, settle on 500,000 total visitorsmarking the busiest week ever within the schedule of city events.