Milan Design Week 2023, a reflection

It’s Monday and we’re slowly starting to feel our feet again after a bumper week of design inspiration at Milan Design Week 2023.

We kicked off our week in Alcova with a pertinent talk by Disegno and Map Project Office titled “Where Next with design weeks?” chaired by Oli Stratford, an extension of their "Where Next? Conversations with Map Project Office" podcast series. The panel reflected on the value design weeks bring to the industry.

It planted a seed for many discussions we had during the week, especially at Euroluce where the size and scale of the booths were closer to pre-pandemic levels and the spend on certain stands such as those with entire restaurants inside, was eye-watering. The transportation impact and its carbon footprint alone raise significant questions as does the knock-on effect of everyone flying in to see them.

There were many conversations around not just the commercial expense but whether these sorts of investments can be justified, particularly where many stands will primarily be thrown away at the end (worth reading Katie Treggiden 's article in Dezeen on this topic and Nathaniel B. 's article here too).

These threads of discussion were ever-present in our chats throughout the week, mindful of Clerkenwell Design Week , London Design Festival and more around the corner. The challenge remains if you choose to exhibit, in finding a balance between standing out in the sea of activity and not getting the return on your often significant investment.

What is clear is that very little can replace the in-person experience. Stepping into the heavenly-scented rooms at the GUBI installation took our breaths away and the decadent swimming pool scene tucked away at the back was never something you could replicate remotely.

Alcova, with its changing locations, brings us new and innovative ideas and brands in an unusual setting and it’s always a must-see now when we go to Milan. Stark metalwork, graffiti-filled walls and unexpected surprises gave us lots of inspiration both for Sandford and for our clients too. crafting plastics! studio used specialist materials that caught the UV light in the space to change the look of their installation piece which was a clever way to work with the surroundings and showcase their products.

At Salone, there were huddled groups discussing products and deals being made with contingents from the Far East, India, and Australasia back again after a few years away. Those exchanges have both commercial and brand value, that’s certain.

And specifically in Euroluce, PRECIOSA LIGHTING had an immediate impact when you entered the vast hangar with an intimate audio-visual display using their crystal lighting. It captivated many people’s attention as soon as they stepped foot inside.

Generally, discussions centred around content and how we have seemingly returned to the status quo that we had before the pandemic. Furious marketing recalibrations were started in recent years to refocus on digital content but that has seemingly been brushed under the handwoven carpets as we now see a rinse-and-repeat approach in some districts to event design.

Instead of trying to replicate or replace the in-person experience, ask how digital can extend your brand story. It’s more than a few carousel Instagram posts. A wealth of content ideas could support both those attending and those watching from afar. Sam Philpott , Senior Strategic Designer at Lotus and a panellist at the Alcova talk even mentioned the idea of the ‘Metaverse’ and NFTs for future experiences - now there’s a challenge…

We’re now back on terra firma and the connections made with design friends old and new will never easily be replaced (and shouldn’t be). But let Milan 2023 be a springboard for challenging the way we have always done things and allow people to bring some fresh ideas to the expertly crafted table, questioning the need for so many of these events and whether we should populate the calendar quite so heavily all year round.

Take a look at our Instagram feed for some of our Milan highlights www.instagram.com/sandfordpr