HOMI is just around the corner. The exhibition dedicated to furnishings, decorations, tableware, textiles, essences and fragrances is taking place from the 5th to 8th of September alongside the supersalone trade fair and during Milan Design Week.

Safe together

To ensure that visitors, exhibitors and organisers can participate in total safety, the Fiera Milano Group has drawn up a Protocol to contain the spread of the new strain of coronavirus, which illustrates the procedures for safely organising exhibitions in full compliance with the health protection rules and protocols issued nationally.

Only those who meet one of the requirements of the green Covid-19 certificate are permitted access to HOMI.  Green certificates are certificates that prove one of the following:

·       you have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. The green certification of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is issued in digital or print format by your health centre or your National Health Service. Currently, the certificate is valid from the 15th day after receiving your first dose until the scheduled date of completing the immunisation course (when your 2nd dose is scheduled) and nine months after completing the immunisation course;

·       you have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 (as of the end date of isolation, required after testing positive). The green Covid-19 certificate of recovery from COVID-19 is issued in digital and print format, when isolation ends, by the hospital where the patient was admitted, the local health department, general practitioners or by freely chosen paediatricians. It is currently valid for six months from the isolation end date;

·       You have a negative result from a PCR or lateral flow (rapid antigen) test for SARS-CoV-2, carried out 48 hours prior. The green Covid-19 certificate of having a negative lateral flow or PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 is issued by public health authorities, private licensed bodies, accredited health care facilities, pharmacies, or general practitioners and freely chosen paediatricians who provide such tests. The certificate is valid for 48 hours after the test.

Test hubs are available at the entrance of the exhibition centre where lateral flow tests can be performed on site. Access to the exhibition centre will be subject to a temperature check and wearing a mask is mandatory throughout.

Full details here: https://www.fieramilano.it/sicurinsieme/

The new layout

In anticipation of home and contemporary living trends, the exhibition layout is designed to guide and support the interests of operators and visitors.

It starts with the two business districts the event is organised around, Home Boutique&Design and Retail Inspiration.

The Home Boutique&Design area is dedicated to quality manufacturing, characterised by the strong identity of brands and their products, which are presented to fulfil the innovation and originality requirements of department stores and specialist shops, as well as to offer new inspiration to designers and home hospitality operators. Home Boutique&Design includes the Creazioni Italiane project, focused on Made in Italy craftsmanship and design, as well as the World Designers area, where a selection of products by international designers is on show.

Meanwhile the second district, Retail Inspiration, is geared toward a more specialist audience, manufacturers and distributors, and includes two key areas: Fragrance Inspiration and Textile Inspiration. These bring together an extensive, carefully selected range for specialist stores and homeware and gift shops.

New to this edition and designed to provide visitors with the most comprehensive service possible, are 8 themed itineraries organised into two main areas. The first is all about Natale/Christmas, with new products and design trends to celebrate this significant time of year, while the second is Think Local, a project dedicated to the European businesses which, in addition to presenting their own lines, develop products under the distributor's name or for other brands. A specific space is provided for loyalty campaign and prize competition products called Promozionale, while Home Hospitality focuses on the segment that includes boutique hotels, B&B’s, bistros and homes, and Green Home showcases design and sustainability in home décor, furnishings and gifts.  Interior Design centres on designers, architects and interior decorators coming together, featuring a broad range of refurbishing activities. Innovative start-ups and SME are the focus of Homi Next, while PED explores the small electrical appliances industry, from luxury items to products designed ad hoc for promotional activities.

News and products: exhibitors tell their stories

Using the HOMICommunity platform, https://expoplaza-homi.fieramilano.it/it you can find out which brands and products are going to be at the trade fair, schedule meetings with exhibitors, register for events and gain access to a space to bookmark your favourite companies, products, stories and the events you are most interested in as well as a calendar of all your confirmed meetings.

The item that creates relationships

Another business alliance is created as HOMI has the chance to host the special edition of PTE-Promotion Trade Exhibition (7th and 8th of September), an event focused on the world of advertising items, promotional textiles and customisation technologies. The event, centred on manufacturers, importers and distributors in the promotional industry as well as printing and customisation professionals, presents complementary product offers, particularly for the HOMI areas focused on gifts and promotional products.