The 84th version of Macef, International House Exhibition, in Milano, Italy, closed after receiving more than 85 thousand visitors, of whom 11,513 were foreigners (+ 5.8%, with respect to the January 2007 edition) and with double the top buyers coming from around the world.
“We have bet on quality and we won - says Sandro Bicocchi, Managing Director of the Fiera Milano International, who organizes the exhibition - ; the new triennial plan for the development of the event, based on a strong co-marketing with the exhibitors, presents good prospects. The winning formula of this Macef demonstrates the fact that, in some pavilions, a waiting list was created. The objective, shared by Fiera Milano, is to invest looking at, first of all, the quality of the exhibition project.”
“The guiding lines for the future of Macef - continues Bicocchi - are innovation and internationalization. What unites them is reality, the capacity this exhibition has to present to the market modern products not only in a formal sense (something which also occurs), but as a function of the concrete accomplishment: beautiful and useful products, reasonably priced and therefore accessible, which move the sales volume of a sector with an estimated value of 5 billion Euros."
Israel, Italy and Japan received the Massimo Martini Design Award, the international contest of projects reserved by Macef to young designers from all the world, which this year was dedicated to the food of tomorrow with the title Dining in 2015 - at work - during travel - at home, which is granted by Fieramilano.
The first three prizes (one for each category) were won by Fragile, designed by the Israelis Jerusalem Mey and Boaz Kahn, which consists of a saltcellar that, to be used for the first time, has to be broken in two parts; then a prize was awarded to the group of Italian designers (Roseto degli Abruzzi) formed by Andrea Cingoli, Paolo Emilio Bellisario, Cristian Cellini and Francesca Fontana with the project din-ink, a novel set of traveling cutlery made with the classic lids of the “biro” pens. The third prize was awarded to the Japanese Shuhei Senda, with leaf-shaped spoon, a spoon in the shape of a leaf which is not particularly functional, but instead bases its “message” of innovative object on the fact that the beauty and singularity of the object should fill a mechanical gesture like taking food to the mouth with poetic value.
The objective assigned by the exhibition to the participants was to project, making inevitable reference to the stereotypes that accompany our vision of “possible future”, place settings and cutlery, products and instruments for the table and the kitchen (excluding home appliances). “We decided to set our Dining in 2015 – remarks Nello Martini, Exhibition Director of Macef – because among several possible futures 2015 proposes and prospects, to the city of Milan and then to all of Italy, the eventuality of the world Expo, a real magnifying glass under which will pass, confronting the entire world, all our abilities, real or supposed. Therefore, 2015 is the goal of excellence towards which all of us are aiming.” | 
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