The Milan Furniture Fair, originally scheduled on April 21-26, has been postponed to June 16-21 due to the coronavirus emergency.

The postponement is expected to cause a sizeable negative impact on business, valued at over €120 million. Last year, the event welcomed over 386,000 visitors from 181 countries.

Among them, huge markets like Asia, and key destinations for Italian exports in Europe, like Germany and France. The Fair's President Claudio Luti described the event as “more than a simple fair, a place where a lot of business gets done.” This year’s edition was set to host 2,200 exhibitors.

In a press release, the organisers said that “confirmation of the change of date (...) - strongly supported by the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala - means that manufacturers, in a major show of responsibility, will still be able to present their finalised work to an international public that sees the annual Salone del Mobile Milano event as a benchmark for creativity and design.”
 
After the news was first reported by the ADN Kronos agency, mayor Sala posted a Furniture Fair video on Facebook, and said that  “It’s the right decision. I am calling on our colleagues in the furniture sector (...) to pull together and make sure Milan doesn’t grind to a halt. We need of course to work in order to stop this virus from spreading, but we must also take care not to spread another virus, lack of confidence. Milan has to carry on.”
 
Sala also appealed to the Italian government to help the design industry: “it is crucial that everyone does their bit. I’m asking the government to intervene and help a sector that is essential for our economy. I am also appealing to hoteliers (...) to be especially careful about how they set the price of hotel rooms.”