The Mondadori Group announces it has concluded an agreement today on the disposal of the business units involved in the logistics activities of Mondadori Libri and Mondadori Retail to CEVA Logistics Italia S.r.l..

The agreement marks a further step in the plan to focus on core businesses, including through the disposal of the Group’s non-strategic assets, in a highly competitive market populated by international players. Among these players, following a tendering process, the Group has chosen CEVA Logistics Italia, already a provider of Rizzoli Libri distribution services, as its qualified partner.

The agreement will increase flexibility in managing logistics services and will reduce operating costs starting from 2018, guaranteeing the Mondadori Group and its customers high quality standards.

Additionally, the agreement envisages:

• the disposal of the logistics business units of Mondadori Libri and Mondadori Retail to CEVA Logistics Italia (a workforce of approximately 110 employees) for a consideration of 0.5 million euro;
• the disposal of the Verona-based site used for these activities to AKNO Trading S.r.l. (property company part of the AKNO Group, industrial partner of CEVA Group) for a consideration of 6 million euro;
• the conclusion of an exclusive agreement for the supply by CEVA Logistics Italia of logistics services to the Mondadori Group’s Books and Retail areas for a period of 9 years, which entails compliance with pre-set KPIs and SLAs (Service Level Agreements), as well as joint improvement actions.

The disposal of the above business units and the supply of services will take effect as from 1 May 2017.

The disposal of the site at closing date will produce a (pre-tax) gain of 4.2 million euro, already included in the guidance for 2017 disclosed to the market last 21 March (with no impact on estimated adjusted EBITDA which, by definition, excludes non-recurring income).

Today, the Shareholders’ Meeting of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., chaired by Marina Berlusconi, approved the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2016, and reviewed the 2016 consolidated financial statements of the Mondadori Group, which show a net profit of 22.5 million euro, improving by 16.1 million euro, therefore tripling versus 6.4 million euro in 2015.

In his report, CEO Ernesto Mauri presented the key figures on the performance of the Mondadori Group in 2016, as disclosed to the market last 21 March.

The Shareholders’ Meeting, in accordance with the Board of Directors’ proposal, resolved to fully cover the loss for the year of 15.2 million euro of the Parent Company Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. (versus 32 million euro in the prior year) by using a corresponding amount of reserves.

Moreover, the Shareholders’ Meeting resolved, in ordinary session, on the following items on the agenda:

Confirmation of the co-opted director

The Meeting confirmed Paolo Ainio as Director – previously appointed by cooptation by the Board of Directors on 28 July 2016 – until the expiry of the term of the Board of Directors (approval of the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2017).

The professional profile of Director Paolo Ainio is available on the website www.gruppomondadori.it, Governance section.

Based on the information available to the Company, to date Paolo Ainio holds no shares of the Company.

Banzai media s.r.l. financial statements approved

The Shareholders’ Meeting approved the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2016 of Banzai Media S.r.l., merged by incorporation in Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., with accounting and tax effects from 1 January 2017.

Remuneration report

The Shareholders’ Meeting approved Section One of the Remuneration Report on the policy adopted for 2017 regarding remuneration to directors and executive managers with strategic responsibilities.

Renewal of the authorization to purchase and sell treasury shares

Given the approaching expiry of the previous authorization resolved on 21 April 2016, the Shareholders’ Meeting renewed the authorization to purchase treasury shares up to a cap of 10% of its share capital. The Shareholders’ Meeting also authorized to sell the treasury shares acquired by the Company in compliance with art. 2357-ter of the Italian Civil Code.

To date, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. holds a total of no. 80,000 treasury shares, equal to 0.031% of the share capital.

Here below is the information provided on the authorization issued by the Shareholders’ Meeting, also with reference to the provisions of art. 144-bis of Consob Regulation no. 11971/1999:

Motivations

• to use the treasury shares purchased as consideration in the acquisition of interests as part of the Company’s investment policy;
• to use the treasury shares purchased in the exercise of option rights, including conversion rights, deriving from financial instruments issued by the Company, its subsidiaries or third parties, and to use the treasury shares for lending, exchange or transfer transactions or to support extraordinary transactions on the Company’s capital or financing transactions implying the allocation or sale of treasury shares;
• to undertake any investments, directly or through intermediaries, including for the purpose of containing abnormal movements in share prices, stabilizing share trading and prices, supporting the liquidity of the share on the market, in order to foster the regular conduct of trading beyond normal fluctuations related to market performance, without prejudice in any case to compliance with applicable statutory provisions;
• to rely on investment or divestment opportunities, if considered strategic by the Company, also in relation to available liquidity;
• to sell treasury shares as part of share-based incentive plans pursuant to art. 114-bis of the TUF, and of plans for the free allocation of shares to Shareholders.

Maximum number of purchasable treasury shares
The authorization refers to the purchase of a maximum number of ordinary shares with a nominal value of euro 0.26 each up to a cap of 10% of the Company’s share capital.

Criteria for purchasing treasury shares and indication of the minimum and maximum purchasing cap
Purchases shall be made pursuant to the combined provisions of art. 132 of Legislative Decree no. 58/1998, of art. 5 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014, (ii) of art. 144-bis of the Issuer Regulation, (iii) of the EU and national legislation on market abuse, and (iv) of Accepted Practices.

Purchases shall be made on regulated markets, according to operating criteria which do not allow the direct combination of the purchase negotiation proposals with pre-determined sale negotiation proposals.

The minimum and maximum purchase price shall be determined under the same conditions established by the preceding Shareholders’ Meeting authorizations, i.e. at a unit price not lower than the official Stock Exchange price of the day preceding the purchase transaction, reduced by 20%, and not higher than the official Stock Exchange price of the day preceding the purchase transaction, increased by 10%.

In terms of daily prices and volumes, the purchase transactions shall be completed in compliance with the conditions established in art. 3 of the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052.

Any completed transaction shall be subject to disclosure pursuant to the terms and criteria set out in art. 87-bis of Consob Regulation no. 11971/1999.

Purchases instrumental in (a) the support to market liquidity and (b) the purchase of treasury shares to build a so-called “treasury shares” portfolio, shall also be made in accordance with the conditions provided by market practices, under the combined provisions of art. 180, par. 1, lett. C) of the TUF and of art. 13 of (EU) Regulation 596/2014.

With regard to the sale of treasury shares, the Shareholders’ Meeting resolved to authorize the Board of Directors to sell purchased treasury shares: (i) through disposal of the shares on regulated markets; (ii) as consideration in the acquisition of interests as part of the Company’s investment policy; (iii) in the exercise of option rights, including conversion rights, deriving from financial instruments issued by the Company or third parties; (iv) to service share-based incentive plans approved by the Shareholders’ Meeting without any time limits.

Duration
Until the Shareholders’ Meeting called to approve the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2017.

Adoption of a Performance Share Plan

The Shareholders’ Meeting approved the adoption of a 2017/2019 Performance Share Plan, in accordance with art. 114-bis of Legislative Decree no. 58 of 24 February 1998, intended for certain executive directors, executives with strategic responsibilities and certain second-line executives of the Group, in accordance with the conditions previously disclosed to the market last 21 March, pursuant to art. 84 bis, par. 1, of Consob Regulation no. 11971/1999.

For details on the 2017/2019 Performance Share Plan, the beneficiaries and the main characteristics of the Regulations of the Plan, reference should be made to the information document drawn up by the governing body, pursuant to Consob Regulation no. 11971/1999, and to the explanatory report, published on the Company’s website www.gruppomondadori.it, “Governance/Shareholders’ Meeting” section.

In extraordinary session, the Shareholders’ Meeting resolved on:

Amendments to the by-laws

The Shareholders’ Meeting resolved on the amendments to art. 7 (adoption of increased voting rights pursuant to art. 127-quinquies of Legislative Decree no. 58/98) and art. 17 (amendments to appointment procedures for the Board of Directors by means of a so-called blocked lists system) of the Company by-laws.

For further information, reference should be made to the proposed resolution approved by the Board of Directors on 21 March 2017, as illustrated in the specific report prepared by the Board of Directors, pursuant to and for the purposes of art. 125-ter of the TUF, and of articles 72 and 84-ter, and of Annex 3A, Schedule 3, of the Regulation adopted through Consob Resolution no. 11971 of 14 May 1999, available at the registered office of the Company and on the Company’s website www.gruppomondadori.it, “Governance/Shareholders’ Meeting” section, and to the new text of the Company by-laws, which will be made available on the Company’s website within the time limits established by current laws.

The minutes of today’s Shareholders’ Meeting will be made available according to the procedures and time limits of law.

The Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo, the largest space dedicated to culture and leisure in the heart of Milan, celebrates with the public it’s first 10 years with a calendar of events, from 19 April right through to the end of May.

For tens years an exceptional driver of cultural events and presentations in the city, the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo has in this time become an established point of meeting and entertainment for Milan with a varied offer ranging from meetings with authors, singers and protagonists from the world of entertainment to workshops and initiatives for children.

In the week from 19 to 23 April dedicated to the  new book fair Tempo di Libri, the Mondadori Megastore Duomo will also become one of the locations for Fuori Tempo di Libri, a series on events that will animate the city of Milan with book-related activities such as readings, literary cocktails and musical performances.

The inaugural event will take place on Wednesday 19 April, from 5.30 pm to 9 pm when the megastore will be animated by cosplayers and literary-themed games (Sherlock Holmes, Madame Bovary, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter), wine and chocolate to toast the store’s 10^th anniversary, free sweets for customers and the opening to the public of the 3^rd floor terrace, for those who wish to photograph Piazza Duomo from a privileged vantage point.

At 6.30 pm authors in conversation moderated by Alessandro Barbaglia, with the writers Paola Calvetti (Mondadori), Fabiana Giacomotti (Mondadori Electa), Marco Weiss (Frassinelli) and the B.Livers (Sperling&Kupfer).

The cosplayers of Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Madame Bovary and Alice in Wonderland will also animate Sunday 23 April, from 5.30 to 9 pm.

An award ceremony will take place on Thursday 20 April at 6 pm for the first edition of the competition “6 romanzi in cerca di autore” (6 Novels in Search of an Author), organised by Kobo Writing Life, Mondadori Store and PassioneScrittore, and aimed at aspiring authors and self publishers.

At 6 pm on Friday 21 April the protagonists will be the singer Nada, presenting her new album La posa, recorded with Ferruccio Spinetti and Fausto Mesolella, and the writer Antonio Dikele Distefano, bookseller for a day.

On Saturday 22 April at 6.30 pm, another opportunity to hear authors in conversation moderated by Alessandro Barbaglia, with the writers Carolina Bocca (Mondadori Electa), Maurizio de Giovanni (Einaudi), Marcello Fois (Einaudi), Sabina Minardi (Piemme), Sara Rattaro (Sperling&Kupfer) and Michele Vaccari (Frassinelli) and finally, on Sunday 23 April at 4.30 pm, the actor and director Gabriele Lavia will meet the public and sign copies of the book Se vuoi essere contemporaneo leggi i classici (Piemme).

Not only the Mondadori Megastore Duomo, but also the Mondadori Megastores in Via Marghera and Via San Pietro all’Orto and the Rizzoli Galleria will host stories and authors during the week of Tempo di Libri.

At the Mondadori Megastore in Via Marghera, a series of aperitivi with authors will start on Wednesday 19 April at 7 pm 19 with Giulio Xhaet and his I sogni di Martino Sterio (Mondadori Electa), continuing on Thursday 20 April at 8 pm with Giacomo Mazzariol and Mio fratello rincorre i dinosauri (Einaudi), together with Alessandro Barbaglia.

On Friday 21 April at 5 pm, David De Juan Marcos will meet the public to present La migliore delle vite (HarperCollins) and at 7 pm 19 another aperitivo presented by Alessandro Barbaglia withSergio Bambaren, the author of Storia della piccola volpe che mi insegnò il perdono (Sperling&Kupfer).

And finally, on Saturday 22 April at 7 pm, a aperitivo with the authors Enrica Tesio (Mondadori) and Guido Catalano (Rizzoli) on the subject of ET Telefono Casa – Dialoghi d’amore del terzo tipo.

On Thursday 20 April at 7 pm, the  Mondadori Megastore in Via San Pietro all’Orto will host Leslie Lokko, author of La debuttante (Mondadori), in collaboration withDonna Moderna, and on Saturday 22 April at 6.30 pm, the poet Roberto Mussapi with La piuma del Simorgh (Mondadori).

At the Rizzoli Galleria on Wednesday 19 April at 6.30 pm, Andrea Salonia will present the book Domani, chiameranno domani (Mondadori) and on Thursday  20 April at 5.30 pm an event for children with a preview of the illustrated concert byLittle Pier, author of the album Lasciateci la fantasia.

Meanwhile, on Friday and Saturday authors will become booksellers for “È tempo di librai”: on 21 April from 6.30 to 7.30 pm, Roberto Perrone, and from 7.30 to 8.30 pm Marcello Simoni; and on 22 April from 7 to 8 pm Marco Malvaldi and from 8 to 9 pm Paola Calvetti.

Events marking the 10^th anniversary of the Mondadori Megastore Duomo will continue for the whole of April and May.

For more information and a complete list of events, please go to: www.eventi.mondadoristore.it

The Mondadori Group is among the companies who have won the Randstad Employer Brand 2017, the award given by Randstad – the world’s second largest player in the human resources services sector player – of the basis of the most complete and representative global survey on employer branding.

The result of the survey show that the Mondadori Group is Italy’s third most sought after company, and the only company included form the media, news and culture sector.

“We are extremely proud to have received this award in a period when the Mondadori Group is growing, following an extraordinary year that marked a trunaround for the company,” commented Daniele Sacco, the Mondadori Group’s head of human resources and services. “The two big acquisitions of 2016, of Rcs Libri and Banzai Media, have enabled the Group to consolidate its leadership in the core businesses, books and magazines. And this has led to the integration of additional know-how and new professional profiles, which have joined the excellent resources that already exist inside Mondadori,” Sacco underlined. “But, in a market in continuous transformation like that of publishing, it is essential to be constantly open to change. Our aim is to pursue excellence not only in business terms, but also in the HR area and there is still much to do. Mondadori will need to be increasingly able to attract and develop talent in order to go on creating an environment that is stimulating, enhancing and inclusive.”

The Randstad Employer Brand study, commissioned by the TNS research institute, was conducted independently – i.e. no company can put their own name forward for inclusion –  on a sample of over 160,000 people in 26 countries with an extensive analysis of almost 5,500 companies. The study measured the perceived attractiveness of Italian companies for potential employees. In Italy over 5,000 people, aged between 18 and 65,  were interviewed, between November and December 2016 a sample that included people in employment, students and unemployed who were asked, “Where would you like to work?” and given a list of 150 companies with over 1000 employees, based in Italy and operating in 17 different sectors.

Running from April 13 to September 17, 2017, the exhibition NEW YORK NEW YORK. Italian Art: Rediscovering America is curated by Francesco Tedeschi with Francesca Pola and Federica Boragina, sponsored by the City of Milan – Culture, Museo del Novecento and Intesa Sanpaolo – Gallerie d’Italia, in partnership with the publishing house Electa.

The exhibition unfolds between the two museums and presents, through more than 150 works, the stories of Italian artists who traveled, stayed, worked and exhibited in the United States, particularly New York, or just imagined the New World, all seeking a freer spirit and different models from old Europe.

The Museo del Novecento presents the American imagination and above all the intense relationship with the city of New York, as it was perceived by Italian artists, with works by Afro, Paolo Baratella, Corrado Cagli, Pietro Consagra, Giorgio De Chirico, Fortunato Depero, Tano Festa, Lucio Fontana, Emilio Isgrò, Sergio Lombardo, Titina Maselli, Costantino Nivola, Gastone Novelli, Vinicio Paladini, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Mimmo Rotella, Alberto Savinio, Toti Scialoja, Tancredi, Giulio Turcato. A separate section is devoted to Ugo Mulas’s photographs of New York and American artists.

The Gallerie d’Italia in Piazza Scala, Intesa Sanpaolo’s museum premises in Milan, will present a broad reconstruction of relations with American institutions, galleries and collectors, who have enhanced the Italian artistic presence in the United States.

Starting from the exhibition Twentieth-Century Italian Art, presented in 1949 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Gallerie d’Italia is featuring masterpieces by Umberto Boccioni, Giacomo Balla, Carlo Carrà, Giorgio Morandi, Massimo Campigli, Marino Marini, Virgilio Guidi, Renato Guttuso, Fausto Pirandello, Armando Pizzinato, Alberto Viani, and continues with works by artists of the fifties and sixties such as Carla Accardi, Afro, Gianfranco Baruchello, Enrico Baj, Alberto Burri, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Alik Cavaliere, Ettore Colla, Pietro Consagra, Piero Dorazio, Domenico Gnoli, Lucio Fontana, Pino Pascali, Achille Perilli, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Mimmo Rotella, Giuseppe Santomaso, Mario Schifano, Francesco Somaini, Toti Scialoja and Emilio Vedova.

Il Mio Papa, the world’s leading weekly entirely dedicated to Pope Francis arrives in Portugal with the name of O meu Papa.

Week by week, the magazine will offer Portuguese readers  an account of the figure of Pope Francis through anecdotes, stories and curiosities, also about the daily life of the Pontiff, with the same design – colourful and vibrant, high-impact, rich in photographs – that characterises Il Mio Papa.

In addition to keeping all the main characteristics of the Italian edition – in particular the weekly publication, a decisive factor in ensuring a constantly up to date magazine that is close to readers – O meu Papa will have pages specifically conceived for the Portuguese public that Pope Francis will meet on 12 and 13 May in Fatima, on the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady at the Cova da Iria, to which, every week, the magazine will devote a special section.

On newsstands every week, on Fridays, O meu Papa will also give space to the biography of Francis, told in 15 parts.

O meu Papa is published under license by Goody, Portugal’s leading publisher with an extensive portfolio of magazines that also includes numerous foreign titles.

Tomorrow, as part of the Milano Design Week, sees the start of Icon Design Talks, an important appointment in the world of architecture and design, produced by Icon Design, featuring the protagonists who are re-designing our cities, our homes and our lifestyles.

A special event of the meetings will take place on Friday 7 April at 11.30 am, “Writing and the city”: a talk between Rem Koolhaas, winner of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture, and Stefano Boeri, the Italian architect and urban designer.

The Icon Design Talks, that will continue to Sunday 9 April at the Microsoft House, spring from the desire of Icon Design, the Mondadori Group magazine edited by Michele Lupi, to offer the city an authoritative, useful and curious overview of the future of design, and to speak to the many international visitors who come to Milan for one of the most eagerly awaited weeks of the year.

“A laboratory of ideas to extend our reach in the design area,” said the editor Michele Lupi, “giving the entire city the opportunity to know the personalities and stories of some of the leading protagonists of the world of architecture, a characteristic trait of a magazine with a unique formula, that is widely appreciated by both enthusiasts and professionals.”

This is the spirit that has led to the first edition of Icon Design Talks, an extensive programme of events that will enliven Milan during the Design Week. The heart of the event will be at the new Microsoft headquarters, in Viale Pasubio 21, in the dynamic Porta Nuova – Porta Volta district, a brand new space which aims to welcome over 200,000 visitors by offering technologies, skills, as well as opportunities for training and exchange in the digital area. This is where the six days of meetings, open to the public, will take place with more than 20 events including master classes, lectures and round table discussions featuring more than 40 guests from all over the world.

In addition to Rem Koolhaas and Stefano Boeri, taking turns on the stage of Icon Design Talks will be Mario Bellini, Alberto Alessi, Piero Lissoni and Antonio Citterio, Patrik Schumacher – Zaha Hadid Studio, Gregg Jones – Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Marcel Wanders, Max Lamb, Alice Rawsthorn and the chef Bruno Barbieri, Massimiliano Locatelli Barber & Osgerby, Michele Brunello, Dror, Barbara Radice, Giovanni Gastel, Marco Amosso, Silvia Robertazzi, Patricia Urquiola and Alberto Zontone.

THE PROGRAMME

The Icon Design Talks will officially begin on Tuesday 4th at 6:30 pm with “Unconfined: The New Galaxy Design” at the presence of Patrik Schumacher, director of the Zaha Hadid Studio since 2016, Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Marketing, at Samsung Electronics. Moderator: Michele Lupi.

The marathon will begin on Wednesday 5 April at 10:30 am with the first master class  “Porta Nuova: sustainability and innovation in architecture and design” in the presence of Alida Catella, CEO of Coima Image, Kelly Russell, Managing Director and Marketing & Investor Relations Manager of Coima and the architect Gregg Jones, of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. Together they will talk about the great adventure that began many years ago involving the Porta Nuova project, one of the biggest architectural and urban redevelopment projects in Europe, developed and managed by COIMA SGR, and now a symbol of the new Milan which has transformed the Garibaldi, Isola and Varesine districts. Moderator: Michele Lupi.

Then at 5:30 pm, the second master class entitled “Timeless Design” promoted by B&B Italia where, under the guidance of Manolo De Giorgi, architect and professor of interior architecture at the Politecnico di Milano, three key figures of Italian architecture and design: Mario Bellini, Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni will discuss how the concept of timeless design can change compared to a historical period characterised by rapid technological development and the contamination of increasingly expanding multiculturalism.

On Thursday 6 April  at 10:30 am Alice Rawsthorn, the New York Times design critic, will give a lecture entitled “Design Now” followed by a series of lectures by Max Lamb, Massimiliano Locatelli and Barber & Osgerby.

The afternoon begins with a round table that will launch “Manifesto for Urban Creative District“ promoted by China House Vision between Asia and Europe: neighbourhoods conceived on the basis of high aesthetic canons, functional, sustainable and socially inclusive. Live bodies linked to the territory, flexible enough to adapt to changes in a society in continuous transformation. These are the objectives that House Vision Future Life Lab, the Sino-European Innovation Centre, and Dontstop architecture, sponsored by UNESCO ICSSD, brought together in a manifesto with guidelines for new standards of design, for use in thinking about the development potential and urban renewal of Asian countries. Host: Michele Brunello, architect and co-founder of the Sino-European Innovation Centre, together with Vittorio Sun Qun and Caterina Fumagalli.

The afternoon continues with a lecture by Dror Benshetrit at 5:30 pm, followed by another round table dedicated to “Smart working: transparency and dynamism in the workplace” that will focus on the Microsoft case and the AGC Glass Europe Headquarters, and featuring Paola Cavallero, Marketing & Operations director of Microsoft Italia.

At 5.30 pm, Alberto Alessi will talk about “Italian Design Factories and the Alessi case history (1921-2017)” and at 6.30 pm Giovanni Gastel will take part in the presentation of the book “Why death doesn’t separate us” by Barbara Radice, published by Mondadori Electa.

Friday 7 April – Special Event

On Friday 7 April, at 11:30 am, “Writing and the City”, an unmissable conversation between Rem Koolhaas and Stefano Boeri, moderated by Manuel Orazi.

Starting from the their publications, the two ‘archistars’ will discuss the relationship between architecture and the city while trying to answer the question “Why should an architect write about a city when the modifications that he or she makes are already a powerful act of writing on the physical body of the city itself?”

“Language can be seen as an ancient city: a maze of narrow streets and squares, of old and new houses, and of houses with additions from various periods; all surrounded by a network of new suburbs with straight regular streets and uniform houses”.

Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophische Untersuchungen, 1953

Rem Koolhaas is one of the most influential and discussed theorists of contemporary architecture, some of his books have even become genuine best sellers. In 1975, with Madelon Vriesendorp and Elia and Zoe Zenghelis, he founded the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), of which in 1977 also Zaha Hadid become a member. In addition to designing buildings around the world with OMA, Koolhaas works in non-architectural disciplines – including politics, publishing, media, fashion and sociology – through the AMO think tank, founded in 1999, which is a counterpart of OMA on the research side. In 2000 he was awarded the Pritzker Price for Architecture.

Stefano Boeri is professor of urban design at the Politecnico di Milano and has taught as a visiting professor at many international universities, including the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), the Berlage Institute in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Strelka Institute in Moscow, the Accademia di Architettura in Mendrisio and the Politecnique du Lausanna. He is the architect of many notable buildings , such as the Bosco Verticale in Milan (winner of numerous international prizes), the Villa Mediterranée in Marseille and the Casa del Mare on La Maddalena. His studio, Stefano Boeri Architetti, is currently working on urban development plans around Europe and in other parts of the world.

The location for this special event will be the Maria Teresa Room at the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense (Maria Teresa room), in Via Brera 28.

IDD – Innovation Design District is a new district of in the city that looks at the contemporary Milan: an innovative place in the heart of the city, where ideas are turned into projects. Its boundaries take in the area between Porta Nuova and Porta Volta which, in recent years, has undergone large-scale urban redevelopment to become an authentic symbol of a changing Milan.

IDD, conceived and developed by the Mondadori Group and Mediamond, aims to create connections, by promoting the area and supporting all of the cultural and commercial activities related to the values of experimentation and creativity. It does this by talking about this part of town: mapping what’s new, the architecture and design, trends in culinary and gastronomic excellence, technology and the digital world, fashion and cinema, exhibitions and the most stimulating cultural and entertainment events.

“The debut of the Innovation Design District is part of the City’s broader plan to bring the vibrancy and creativity of the Design Week in all areas of the city, convinced that they are not only an opportunity for exposure or for meetings between professionals and experts but, above all, an occasion to offer the city and its people the chance to discover new creative languages ​​and young talents in tune with the many craftsmen and businesses in the neighbourhood,” explained Cristina Tajani the City Councillor for Labour, Production, Fashion and Design who continued: “the Design Week continues to grow in the city and the entire metropolitan area of ​​Milan. The meetings and vitality in the design areas are increasingly attractive; an achievement that has been made possible thanks to the team work between the Milan City Council and the various operators united in a desire to promote Milan and its characteristic creativity and innovation.”

The inauguration of IDD – Innovation Design District coincides with the 2017 Design Week and at the same time as the launch of the first edition of Icon Design Talks, a new appointment with architecture and design created by the magazine Icon Design. Thanks to the support and cooperation of the City of Milan, the new district will continue its activities during the whole year involving – in view of the weeks dedicated to fashion, design, food and cultural festivals – the district’s key players and becoming the theatre for events of international significance and a magnet for the city.

“The Milan Design Week is one of the most significant moments of the year for the Mondadori Group for which architecture and design is one of its particular areas of excellence,” said Carlo Mandelli, General Manager, Magazines Italy of the Mondadori Group. “We have the most extensive and varied editorial offer in the Italian market – with successful brands that range form Interni to CasaFacile, Icon Design and Casabella – which enables us are able to talk to an already huge audience of enthusiasts and professionals and that today, thanks to the Icon Design Talks, will expand even further. Moreover, the development, with the support of the City of Milan – who along with Mediamond I want to thank – a city district dedicated to innovation and creativity, allows us to take a step further and to extend our reach. It is also a reflection of our approach to publishing, one that includes promoting new initiatives and projects able to make exclusive concepts and content. linked to the most innovative aspects of our city and the great names of design, appealing also for the general public”, Mandelli concluded.

“IDD means creating a network and to facilitate dialogue between some of the biggest brands in technology, finance, food and design in an initiative which sees Milan at the centre of the international stage”, said Davide Mondo, CEO of Mediamond. “In fact, the creation of the district has two meanings: to amplify all of the initiatives that companies want to develop and organise a programme of quality events of which, along with the Mondadori Group, we will be the creators and directors”.

THE NEW IDD

The Porta Nuova project, one of the largest urban and architectural redevelopments in Europe, developed and managed by COIMA, has completely redesigned the Garibaldi, Isola and Varesine areas – a mix of skyscrapers and designer architecture, a business centre with restaurants, green spaces and pedestrian areas – transforming the area into one of the most dynamic and popular areas of Milan. So much so that  a number of international giants of finance and hi-tech have chosen to locate their headquarters right here.

The impetus for change has extended to Porta Volta, in the area between Viale Pasubio and Viale Crispi, along the route of the ancient Spanish Walls, where today stands the steel and glass architecture of the Feltrinelli Foundation. Here, cafes, art galleries, concept stores and artisan’s workshops live alongside start-ups, digital classes, video games and next-generation consoles.

On the occasion of the 2017 Fuorisalone, IDD is launching a partnership with the Porta Nuova Smart Community (PNSC) to promote initiatives related to architecture and design in the area. PNSC is a programme of civic projects, cultural and educational activities on the theme of environmental sustainability, green and public spaces, wellness, architecture, design and film promoted by the Riccardo Catella Foundation, active in the area for more than 10 years.

The area offers a wide range of content, from architecture and art, to food and wine technology: the added value that makes it unique and even more appealing for visitors, is that everyone can choose to pursue a path according to their own tastes and inclinations.

THE PATHS OF THE NEW IDD AREA

Architecture. An exclusive tour around the “New Milan” exploring the ambitious urban regeneration project in the Garibaldi, Isola and Varesine area. In collaboration with CASABELLA at the Casabella lab – a space for exhibitions, conferences and meetings located in Via Marco Polo 13 – IDD organises guided tours for professionals with the award of professional credits. Ad hoc architectural tours open to all interested parties are currently under development.

Art  & Culture. From Via Maroncelli and the block formed by Via Carlo Farini, Via Pasubio, Via Tito Speri and Via Quadrio, the nineteenth-century buildings and charming courtyards, fashion and jewellery workshops and art galleries – unmissable those of the collectors and talent scouts Paola and Rossella Colombari, the former dedicated to contemporary art design and the latter to modernism – are the backdrop for exhibitions and events. It is also the site of the Sino European Innovation Institute, an organisation that focuses on exchange projects between Asia and Europe and whose programme of cultural events is supported by UNESCO (ICCSD office – Creativity International Center for Sustainable Development). Just a few steps away is the Galleria Carla Sozzani, the original core of the 10 Corso Como project and a reference point for art photography in Milan, where Helmut Newton, Elliot Erwitt and Mario Giacomelli, as well as emerging photographers are regularly shown. In the same area, in Piazza Gae Aulenti, there is the new UniCredit Pavilion, designed by Michele De Lucchi. In the programme of events in the area, the cinema will have a major role with the Anteo Spaziocinema, which, for 38 years, has consistently gone beyond the traditional boundaries of cinema. From the Fuoricinema event to the Milan Design Film Festival in October, the Anteo is an historic piece of Milan as well as a cultural location that is turning into a “Palazzo del Cinema”, with 10 screens, new spaces and and a wide ranging offer, including thematic programmes and film classes.

Food & wine. Starred excellence. trend-setting, organic for light lunches and oriental flavours. Eataly, Ratanà, Berton, Alice, Le Vrai, Vin Han Long, la Griglia di Varrone, That’s Vapore. These are just some of the many names of Milan restaurants that will find ample space in the paths and communication to IDD – Innovation Design District consumers. The area will also show fans the secrets of the gourmet experience through show cooking events, tasting and baking courses, children’s workshops: ideas that have already been successfully promoted by Eataly.

Technology. Around the area you can find the offices of some of the most important international groups in the computing and digital sector. From Google, which is based in a 5,000m² building in Via Confalonieri, to LinkedIn on the 19th floor of Tower B of the Porta Garibaldi complex and Samsung, that occupies the Diamantino, in Via Mike Bongiorno. Microsoft, too, recently unveiled the “Microsoft House” building in Viale Pasubio, designed by Herzog & De Meuron which, from tomorrow, will host the Icon Design Talks: meetings, open to the public, with international architects and designers organised by the Mondadori Group magazine  Icon Design magazine.

Under the arcades of Gae Aulenti you can find the latest proposals in electric mobility at the Tesla store and it has been confirmed that by the end of the year Amazon will transfer its operating offices in Via Monte Grappa. The restructuring by GBPA Architects consists of ten floors, plus five underground floors, covering an area of ​​17,500 square metres. Technology and innovation will therefore clearly be issues on which to focus part of the area’s activities. Bearing in mind that, along with the city’s skyline, the area has already also changed the Milanese geography of finance and business. In fact, some of the largest banks in the world have chosen the area for their Italian headquarters. From HSBC to the China Bank of Construction, Unicredit and BNP Paribas, as well as the scheduled arrival in 2018 of the Unipol elliptical tower, designed by the architect Mario Cucinella.

For more information, please go to: innovationdesigndistrict.it

The IDD corporate identity was developed by Studio FM Milano, a design studio founded in 1996 by Barbara Forni, Cristiano Bottino and Sergio Menichelli. The project for the district is based on visual codes and chromatic values form the digital world and interface languages.

“MATERIAL IMMATERIAL” is the name of the much anticipated exhibition event conceived by the monthly magazine INTERNI, which this year reaches the significant milestone of its twentieth edition.

With the patronage of the City of Milan, “MATERIAL IMMATERIAL” will run as part of the FuoriSalone from today until 15 April in the courtyards of the University of Milan, at the Orto Botanico in Brera and, for the first time, in Corso Venezia 11, where INTERNI has expanded the reach of its urban animation.

In addition to protagonists from Italy, the magazine has involved many designers from around the world, from – Japan, China, Brazil, Russia, Denmark, USA, Great Britain and Poland – in collaboration with companies, start-ups and institutions, it an attempt to create a varied mosaic of styles and vision. The designers include: Ron Arad with Illy, Alessandro and Francesco Mendini with Elegant Living, Shop Architects with NBK and Metalsigma, Simone Micheli with Valsir, Italo Rota with MR, Kat Von D and Another Space with Sephora, Michele De Lucchi with Ferragamo Parfums and Moretti Costruzioni, the studio BIG with Artemide, Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel with Marazzi, Massimo Iosa Ghini with Ceramiche Cerdisa, and many more.

“The theme of our exhibition event, now in its 20th edition, invites visitors to explore the double soul of the design: on the one hand the universe of actual production, which with materials – wood, ceramics, metals, plastics and natural fibres – constitutes the physical essence of design; and, on the other, the immaterial dimension of creation, starting from the thinking of the designer, increasingly supported by digital technologies and upcoming virtual reality, who identifies the areas of research for the near future,” explained Gilda Bojardi, editor of INTERNI. “In creating these experimental and interactive installations, we work with leading companies in the field of innovation and research, with companies representing internationally established brands and small niche producers that support entrepreneurship and creativity,” the magazine’s editor concluded.

Co-producer of the initiative is Audi, the premium brand of the Volkswagen Group, which at the Audi City Lab, in Corso Venezia 11, presents with INTERNI a series of meetings entitled the Future Needs Stories. The spaces of the former Seminario Arcivescovile, the gate to which will be illuminated by an installation created by Ingo Maurer, will host discussions about the relationship between man and artificial intelligence along with the presentation of the  installation Sonic Pendulum by Yuri Suzuki.

Also the music of R101, the official radio of “INTERNI MATERIAL IMMATERIAL”, will enliven the evening of Friday 7 April (from 9 pm) with a exclusive concert by Levante, followed a Vinyl DJ Set curated for by its music designers. The radio station will also have an interactive installation designed by Lorenzo Palmieri that will invite visitors to play the role of a DJ and select and play their own playlists in the Main Courtyard.

The INTERNI system

In April of the INTERNI integrated communication system multiplies: 4 print publications (INTERNI, INTERNI Panorama, the free sheet INTERNI King Size and the FuoriSalone Guide), a big event (“INTERNI MATERIAL IMMATERIAL”) and INTERNI online (website, apps, and social). These tools enable readers and users to be updated in real time on trends, innovations and advances in design and reaffirm the role of INTERNI as a leading information system for the world of design. In fact, the magazine is transformed from a trade into mass market media publication, an authentic guide and handbook for anyone who wants to know about and orient themselves within a unique event like the FuoriSalone.

The numbers of the INTERNI system

With this event, that gives Milan unique and exceptional visibility, INTERNI confirms its absolute leadership in the professional living segment but also in the design communication system. Further evidence can be seen from the data of the entire INTERNI ecosystem: 55,000 copies of INTERNI, 200,000 copies of INTERNI/Panorama, 120,000 copies of INTERNI King Size, 250,000 copies of the FuoriSalone Guide, a total print run of over 620,000 copies, 4,000,000 readers and 1,200 pages.

The strength of the brand is also clearly visible outdoors: in fact, for “MATERIAL IMMATERIAL” an important campaign of street advertising has been planned including banners in 15 locations in central Milan, 1,000 flags for around 500 events, 10 shuttle bus backs, as well as totems, decorated newsstands, floor-graphics, station domination (Rho and Cadorna), window display and/or LED walls (Megastore Mondadori in Piazza del Duomo and the Rizzoli Store in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele).

To find your way around the increasingly rich  landscape of events during the Milan Design Week, we could not forget the FuoriSalone® Guide – also available as a free app for iPad, iPhone and Android operating systems (tablets and smartphones) – which offers a detailed summary of over 400 events and a day by day calendar of events involving the companies, designers and architects participating in the FuoriSalone, Milano and the Zee Guide Milan (in digital form only and included with the app) with a selection of new itineraries and fashionable spaces in the city: from design to shopping, department stores to restaurants and hotels.

Download the press pack here: http://www.internimagazine.it/press/leaflet.pdf