Salone del Mobile, the war in Iran does not stop exhibitors and visitors

This is no different for the companies that will be exhibiting at the fair or presenting their collections in their shops in the city. "At the moment we have no notice of cancellations from customers coming from the Gulf area, who are mostly waiting for further developments and are carefully monitoring the evolution of the situation," says Fabiana Scavolini, managing director of Scavolini. "Despite the current uncertainty related to air connections, we remain confident in the possibility that they will be able to attend the Show. Davide Malberti, CEO of Rimadesio, does not detect any official cancellations by international buyers either: "There is rather an attitude of greater attention, with some requests for updates and clarification, particularly from operators from the Gulf area and some Asian markets. However, at present, the overall picture remains stable,' he points out. Beniamino Garofalo, managing director of Unopiù, also has no evidence of cancellations, 'but we expect a lower turnout from customers and architects from the Gulf area,' he admits

For Jamila Abdallah, Listone Giordano's Middle East market manager, "A wait-and-see situation prevails, but while the dealers have all confirmed their presence, for now, the designers are divided between those who will try in any way to get to Milan and those who have already decided to postpone their visit until next year. However, the problem is limited to the Emirati operators, who are above all afraid of not being able to return'. Confirms Massimiliano Messina, president of Flou: "Many customers from the Gulf area have cancelled, for fear of not being able to return. We are taking action to understand how we can help them in their travels. The problem does not concern other geographies for now, on the contrary: we have signs of recovery from China and we believe that, in view of the agreement with Mercosur, there is growing interest from South America. So I really don't think it will be a subdued show, even if, unfortunately, many operators will be missing'.

Businesses' fears, however, concern the effects of the war in a broader sense: after the almost total closure of the Russian market, the slowdown of the Chinese market and the uncertainties on the US market due to tariffs, the Middle East has represented the most dynamic growth in recent years and has attracted the most investment.The current crisis is jeopardising a market that, between January and November 2025, generated furniture exports worth 1.8 billion euro (FederlegnoArredo data), of which almost 432 million are in the Emirates and 205 million in Saudi Arabia (here, in Riyadh, a spin-off of the show is scheduled for next November, whose "zero edition" was held with great success last autumn).

"The concern is strong," admits Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo - but at the moment we are not registering any clear signs of a slowdown. There is, if anything, a slowdown in the negotiation of some ongoing projects in the area, but not a cancellation'. Obviously, everything will depend on the duration of this war since, in perspective, 'the Gulf area is one of the most promising areas for us'. A prolongation of the war would in fact lead, 'in the medium to long term, to a sharp rise in transport costs, as well as logistical difficulties in securing supplies in warehouses, to compensate for the longer delivery times,' adds Feltrin.