Salone del Mobile, why global companies come to Milan

Eigenbrod is very satisfied with how the exhibition went. "We closed a lot of contracts and opened up new channels on the international markets". If she really has to say something is wrong, the German manager points out 'that the stand organisation before the exhibition could be less complicated. And hotel prices have gone through the roof'.

The relationship with designers is one of the main reasons why THG Paris, a leading French tap manufacturer, participates in the Salone. "In Milan," says Eric Boulin, THG's head of foreign markets, "you can easily meet all the world's designers, even on an informal basis. Here we launch the new collections and we are sure that everyone sees them. On sales, THG's strategy is very well defined: 'In Milan the global market, in London, Dubai, Frankfurt and New York the regional markets.

Four thousand visits in three days is the provisional balance of Vondom, the Spanish outdoor specialist. "We are closing many contracts. In Milan,' says Dahiana Murillo, manager of the marketing area, 'we have the possibility of having a large stand that enhances our offer. At the Valencia and Paris Fairs, we are not able to bring all the products'. Positioning is also decisive. "This year," says Murillo, "the location in one of the design pavilions brought us many high-end customers and buyers.

The Japanese Karimoku group, with two thousand employees and a turnover of 140 million, has chosen a differentiated strategy for its four brands at the Salone del Mobile. "The Karimoku Case products," says Shingo Matsuura, the group's overseas sales manager, "we are exhibiting them here at the Fair. Karimoku, Mas and Hybridisation, the project with Zaha Hadid, are on Via Tortona. It is an opportunity for differentiation that only Milan gives you'. Karimoku Case, Japanese furniture contaminated with western style thanks to collaborations with designer-stars, has grown year by year at the Fair. "We arrived at the Fair 15 years ago," says Matsuura, "and only missed the appointment because of the pandemic. Here we made ourselves known and here we found distributors and customers. The city's services and the Fuori Salone have also grown'.