In April, Milan hosts the renowned Salone del Mobile, originally established in 1961 as a platform for Italian furniture and now the world's largest exhibition of its kind. With 300,000 to 400,000 visitors expected in 2024, Maria Porro, the first female president of the event, emphasises the unpredictability of what innovative designs and trends will emerge.
While the specifics of products and exhibits remain undisclosed, Porro signifies a shift in the Italian design community towards a younger and less male-dominated talent pool. Prior to the fair, scheduled from April 16 to 21, Porro toured the U.S., promoting Salone del Mobile in cities such as Dallas, New York, Chicago, and Miami.
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Porro underscores the importance of targeting the right countries and markets for the fair's promotion, highlighting the significance of the U.S. for Italian brands. Emphasising quality over quantity in terms of visitors, Porro, also the head of communications for the family-owned Porro furniture brand, advocates strategic marketing efforts.
While the use of generative AI for campaign imagery marks a new era for Salone del Mobile in 2024, with the AI analysing social media conversations about design, Porro acknowledges the increasing utilisation of AI in the design community. Although AI is currently employed for technical purposes and product development, the challenge lies in exploring its creative potential.
According to Porro, the creative use of AI is an evolving field without established rules. She anticipates that the next few years will be crucial in defining these rules and discovering wise applications of AI in the design industry.