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Oct. 10 - Oct. 17, 2004 |
September is trade show season
Designers and manufacturers from around the world gather for shows in Udine, Verona, Bologna
By Mark Curtis
Originally Published: 2004-09-26
With summer unofficially behind us, it's time for business to kick into a higher gear and the Italian design industry is no exception. This month sees a number of design trade shows presented around Italy which aim to stimulate both domestic and international markets.
Just concluded this week was the 28th International Chair Exhibition at Udine. Presented by Promosedia, a partnership between the local chamber of commerce and local industry, this Italian seating showcase featured some 6,000 related products from about 200 exhibitors. This year‚s fair was held in Torreano di Martignacco.
Udine is a manufacturing marvel when it comes to the production of chairs. Drawing on a long tradition of craftsmanship, the 100 square kilometre Industrial Chair District of the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the source of 30 percent of the world's chair production (as well as 80 percent of the domestic output and half of European production). Befitting its large role in the area's economy, industry leaders commissioned the design of the world's tallest chair a decade ago and the resulting seven storey high pine chair makes for an impressive sight in Manzano. The economic district includes 1,200 chair and chair parts manufacturers which employ a total of 14,000 workers and annually produce 44 million chairs for residential and contract markets in Italy and around the world. Although the wood chair is the region's traditional specialty, other materials are also used in chair production.
The Udine chair showcase was established in 1977. In addition to featuring the work of local designers and manufacturers, the exhibition also presents the Caiazza Memorial Challenge, an international design competition for students and young designers who get the opportunity to show their work and make contacts in the industry. While inevitably a celebration of the area's rich tradition in chair production, the Udine show also highlights the newest technologies employed by local companies.
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