Salone del Mobile.Milano reinvents the fair experience to dazzle 370k visitors

How do you turn a prestigious trade fair into a viral sensation? With a splash of innovation and a pinch of Augmented Reality, of course.
Salone del Mobile.Milano, the world-renowned furniture and design event, decided it was time to level up their visitor experience and capture the hearts and minds of the so-hard-to-impress Gen Z and Millennial crowds: that’s why they decided to collaborate with Aryel, to offer visitors a more innovative and captivating experience.

What will you learn from this customer story:

• Salone del Mobile.Milano’s need to redesign the fair experience
• A quest to conquer the younger generation’s hearth
• How Salone del Mobile.Milano leveraged Aryel’s AR magic touch
• How to turn traditional fair experience into an extraordinary exhibition with AR

Salone del Mobile.Milano had an ambitious vision for this year’s edition: to create a captivating, immersive experience that would appeal to younger generations, such as Gen Z and Millennials.

They wanted to stay ahead of the curve by incorporating cutting-edge technology and innovative strategies into their trade fair, ensuring they would not only engage their visitors but also leave a lasting impression on them. To achieve this, they sought to bring together the physical and digital worlds, offering unique and unforgettable experiences that would pique the curiosity of the attendees.

Aryel came to the rescue and crafted a series of AR-powered wonders like quizzes, customized filters, and an interactive landing page that turned Salone del Mobile.Milano into a futuristic playground for design enthusiasts.

The quizzes aim to test users’ expectations and satisfaction through a series of questions that visitors can answer via an Augmented Reality questionnaire. Compared to traditional quizzes, these Augmented Reality experiences allow users to answer by moving their heads left or right.

The first quiz, which will also be available in the days leading up to the event, aims to inform users about the activities and meetings at the Salone, while spreading awareness about the official app of the event. The second one will be distributed during and after the event, so that the organization can gather valuable information to constantly improve the Salone’s appeal to its visitors.

The AR landing page has been active since four weeks before the event and aims to tell visitors about previews and products from selected exhibitors. Each week the Augmented Reality landing page was enriched with a new animation: for the first week, for example, on a series of rotating assets, through games of anamorphisms, the word “Leading” appeared, inviting visitors to explore the exclusive contents of the Salone del Mobile.Milano on the event website.

For the Augmented Reality filters, on the other hand, the concept “Do you speak design?” was adopted, developed through a campaign that promoted dialogue about the Salone and shared on social media. Developed in full Gamification style and conceived to make the communication campaign even more compelling, the filters differ in their objectives and game mechanics: the first will allow visitors to take photographs of the furnishing elements with their initials superimposed on them, creating an original design glossary; the second, on the other hand, will involve them in searching for their favorite products, which they will then have to frame and photograph with their smartphone through the designated shapes.

These experiences, entirely realized by Aryel, will be accessible to everyone both from the Salone del Mobile.Milano app and through Salone’s proprietary communication channels, as well as other marketing materials presented during the event.

“This year’s digital communication strategy has seen an evolution of the narrative of Salone del Mobile.Milano in a more interactive and engaging way, as the trade fair experience will be. The Augmented Reality project enhances different aspects of communication within our digital ecosystem: it allows us to have different moments of connection with our community, engaging them in multiple moments of the consumer journey, starting from the digital interaction, linked to editorial content, up to the exhibition appointment, where the visitor becomes the narrating protagonist,” adds Giovanna Ferrero, Head of digital content strategy at Salone del Mobile.Milano.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, Augmented Reality has become an essential tool for trade fairs to capture younger generations. This innovative technology is transforming the way exhibitors engage with their audience, leaving a lasting impact.

Firstly, with AR, exhibitors can create virtual showrooms that allow visitors to interact with 3D models from all angles, making cramped exhibition spaces a thing of the past. The technology also enhances exhibition booths, bringing interactivity to a whole new level with quizzes, games, turning ordinary booths into the talk of the trade fair.

Moreover, AR provides personalized navigation, with curated routes through the trade fair, guiding visitors to booths and presentations tailored to their interests. It also offers real-time information about products, exhibitors, and events, ensuring they’ll always be in the loop.

On the social front, custom AR filters and photo opportunities encourage visitors to share their experiences on social media, generating a buzz that rivals the latest TikTok challenges.

In a nutshell, Augmented Reality is the ultimate trade fair wingman. From captivating product displays to delivering tailor-made experiences, AR can turn trade fairs into engaging, interactive, and totally Instagrammable events, capturing Gen Z and Millennials, leaving a lasting impression that echoes long after the fair’s curtain call.

Want to know more about the impact of AR on your marketing efforts? Reach out to our sales to get an up-close look at the future with a product demo.