Fuorisalone introduces entry fee for 2019 edition

For the first time, the Fuorisalone, the design week parallel to Salone del Mobile in Milan, will charge an entry fee. Ventura Projects, the organizer behind Ventura Lambrate and now Ventura Future at BASE, will introduce a €5 ticket for its 3,700 sqm exhibition space dedicated to academies and young designers. Founder Margriet Vollenberg states the fee aims to filter the crowd, attracting motivated visitors and deterring those seeking only cocktails and selfies, thereby ensuring a comfortable environment for exhibitors—mostly recent graduates, academies, and small businesses. The ticket will not apply to Ventura Centrale, which hosts large brand installations. The move has divided the Italian design community, with critics arguing it undermines the democratic, open-access spirit of the Fuorisalone. The article also highlights a broader governance issue: the uncontrolled proliferation of districts and exhibitors, risking the quality and coherence of Milan's design week. It calls for category associations and institutions to step in with coordinated strategies, using design thinking to segment audiences, strengthen curation, and improve content accessibility.