Salone del Mobile is not just the biggest event in the design calendar where innovative launches are revealed to the world for the first time; you can also watch some of the biggest names in the business debate and discuss the key issues of the day in a cultural programme of live conversations.
Following last year’s success at the fair, the 2025 edition of talks and round table discussions is back, taking place over four days from 7 April. Titled ‘Drafting Futures: Conversations about Next Perspectives’, the series has been curated by Annalisa Rosso, editorial director and cultural events advisor of the Salone.
The programme of talks and round table discussions will feature some of the most interesting and authoritative names in international design. Their conversations will aim to show how planning, design, art, set design and writing may help decode the present and predict the future.
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Opening proceedings on 9 April will be Valeria Segovia, principal and design director of Gensler in London, the world’s largest architecture firm, who will be in conversation with architect and journalist Massimo De Conti.
On 10 April, architect Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group, and Oliva Sartogo, co-founder & architect lead VIV Arts, will invite us to explore how materiality, technology and human interaction can redefine the future of urban planning.
On 11 April, Lesley Lokko − architect, Venice Biennale curator and founder of the African Futures Institute − will explore the role of imagination with Pritzker Prize Executive Director Manuela Lucà-Dazio.
And on 12 April, Oscar-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino will conclude the series by debating the idea of ‘waiting’ – the theme of his installation, ‘La dolce attesa’ at the Salone Pavilion 22-24 this year – with Antonio Monda, journalist and New York University professor.
The afternoon Round Table events will explore themes affecting the industry, with topics such as: The Business of Design: Global Perspectives on Trade, E-Commerce, and Distribution (10 April) and The Business of Hospitality: Where Design Meets Functionality (11 April).
It’s all happening in the Drafting Futures Arena, created by Formafantasma, who have recycled the seating from the last edition. The space will also host, for the second time, the Salone Library – a collection of books curated by the speakers themselves, who for 2025 have taken light as their focus in honour of Euroluce. salonemilano.it/en/drafting-futures-2025
