Suppliers to the interior design and furniture industry to meet in Bergamo: around 200 companies, more than 20 institutional partners and over 30 events in just two days.
interzum, Koelnmesse’s event of excellence for suppliers to the furniture industry, has added a new biennial event to its brand family. Extending from Cologne to Guangzhou and Bogotá, the interzum brand family will now also gather at the heart of Italy’s furniture and interior design cluster in Bergamo.
The chosen location has proven to be an attractive destination for trade fairs thanks to its proximity to Orio al Serio International Airport, which connects Bergamo to 137 destinations and 37 foreign countries, and its closeness to Milan.
interzum forum italy is a new biennial event that will alternate with interzum cologne in even-numbered years. “What we want to emphasise is how interzum forum italy responds to the needs of our times, in which companies are looking for condensed, short and extremely effective events,” said Thomas Rosolia, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Italy. “As of today, the two halls of the trade fair grounds are almost fully booked, and we aim to reach 200 exhibitors from all over the world from the Function & Components, Materials & Nature, and Textile & Machinery sectors,” he added.
The dates are therefore set for a compact and efficient format: two days of business meetings and discussion about the latest industry topics.
The event will address the various supply chains in the sector, which have witnessed interesting evolutions in recent years. Companies that traditionally produced and processed for the furniture industry have now also turned their attention to the marine contract, caravan and automotive sectors. The forum will also shed light on trends, new technical and technological solutions, novel materials, products and processes with low environmental impact, and the digitalisation of manufacturing and services.
Presented by leading international speakers, this matrix of topics and formats responds to the needs of all the participating sectors. The extensive programme of meetings will be complemented by a mix of activities and accompanying events, some of which have been adopted from interzum cologne, while others are completely new formats. The events will include talks, the Trend Stage, the Product Stage, matchmaking sessions and special event areas.
interzum forum italy’s greatest asset is its rich congress programme covering all the relevant supply sectors: materials, components, lighting systems, machinery and equipment for the production of furniture and upholstery, including upholstery fabrics. The congress programme has been specifically curated for the different target audiences attending the event: companies and operators in the furniture and interior design industries, manufacturers of furniture materials and machinery, general contractors, design studios, planners and interior designers.
Exhibiting companies will also be able to enter their products and services for the interzum forum italy award. The best entries will be selected by an exceptional jury, formed of international experts in environmental issues, technological innovation and trendsetting. The award aims to honour pioneering ideas that pave the way for new directions in the supply chains represented at the fair. There are six awards in the Innovation and ESG & Sustainability categories, each of which is subdivided into the three exhibition segments Function & Components, Materials & Nature, and Textile & Machinery.
The members of the jury are:
Jessica Alexander, former Executive Director of the UK National Bed Federation
Sezgin Aksu, Designer
Mario Bisson, Associate Professor at POLI.design
Franco Bulian, Managing Director of CATAS
Sasha Peters, Innovation Consultant and Materials Expert
Dick Spierenburg, Designer
Matthias Pollmann, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse, speaking at the press conference for interzum forum italy, commented: “I am delighted to be here today, at such a prestigious location as the ADI Design Museum, to meet designers and experts who are a testament to the tremendous energy in the sector at the moment and to its international orientation.”
interzum forum italy prides itself on the numerous collaborations that it has established with institutions, universities, and research facilities for its debut edition. These include the CSIL research and analysis centre, the Digital Innovation Observatories of the School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano, the Department of Materials Science at the University of Milano-Bicocca, the consortium POLI.Design, and the e-commerce platform Alibaba. In addition to these partners, the organisers can count on support from The European House – Ambrosetti and CATAS as well as the event’s numerous sponsors, which include the Italian wood furniture association FederlegnoArredo, the Economic Development Department for the Lombardy Region, the Italian-German Chamber of Commerce AHK Italien, the business confederation ASCOM Confcommercio Bergamo, the Bergamo Chamber of Commerce, CdO Bergamo, Confartigianato Imprese Bergamo, and AIPI, the Italian professional association for interior designers.
interzum forum italy will be held at the Bergamo exhibition and congress centre on 6 and 7 June 2024.
