Salone del Mobile, Euroluce Forum debuts in 2025

Despite the difficulties of the German economy in recent years, Germany remains a key outlet market for the furniture sector, and for the lighting sector in particular, second only to France (both accounting for around 11% of total exports) in terms of the volume and value of Italian products exported, with 130 million euros in purchases from Italy between January and July 2024 (+0.6% compared to the same period in 2023, according to data from FederlegnoArredo's Study Centre) out of a total of 1.1 billion in exports from the sector in the first seven months of the year (+0.7%).

It is no coincidence, therefore, that the international road show of the Milan Furniture Fair started in Germany - specifically in Munich - to present the 2025 edition of the event to operators and the press. Next year (from 8 to 13 April), lighting will play a leading role in the biennial Euroluce.

And if two years ago Euroluce was the forerunner for the new exhibition format adopted by the Salone del Mobile, for 2025 it also presents itself with important novelties. These include the first The Euroluce International Lighting Forum, the new biennial appointment with a programme of conferences, round tables and workshops dedicated to lighting design themes, scheduled for 10 and 11 April. Among the protagonists of the meetings will be names such as DRIFT, A.J. Weissbard and Marjan van Aubel.

"The new Euroluce is proposed as the event that represents all the souls of light, the decorative one, but also the architectural one, in which the design element takes on increasing importance," explains Carlo Urbinati, president of Assoluce, the association of FederlegnoArredo that represents manufacturers of lighting fixtures, solutions and systems, a sector that in Italy has about 1,290 companies, 10,700 workers, for a turnover that in 2023 touched 2.4 billion, down 3% compared to 2022 (data from the Fla Studies Centre).

The decision to devote a space for reflection and discussion on the future of lighting - from the point of view of those who design it, those who produce it, and those who sell or use it - came in response to the need expressed by the community of professionals, Urbinati points out, who need compasses in times of rapid change. "Light can no longer be considered only as a commodity, evaluated on the basis of quantitative performance," adds the president of Assoluce. "It is now very clear that good light contributes to people's wellbeing, so a designer's conscience is necessary.