Donato Loria, general manager of BolognaCongressi, talks about All Around Work, a new event about workplace,”not a fair, but an innovative hub, a happening” which, from 6th to 8th October in Milan, will involve professionals, specialists and citizens in an “inclusive” way.
Inclusive Design really seems to be its stylistic code; starting with the “Inclusive World @ Works” experiential installation which will introduce the main exhibition area.
We meet Donato Loria in Milan in the Principioattivo studio, the designers of the special “Inclusive World @ Works” installation.
A meeting of the organizing committee has just ended and the mood and energy we feel are those typical of start-ups, not surprisingly the organizing company is Events Factory, an incubator for new fairs born from the rib and the decades of experience of Bologna Congressi.
Why a new event about workplace?
The idea of this “happening” actually comes from our needs. We have experienced firsthand that the traditional “office” becomes unsuitable when working means developing different visions together.
We thought of translating this awareness into an “explosive event” dedicated to enhancing the role of the workplace as a tool and trigger for new, more effective, proactive and even productive ways of working.
However, keeping the focus on the human being – in its entirety, not only the “worker” – therefore attention is paid to the psychophysical wellbeing of people who spends most of his life in workspaces.
What happens “around work” and why the claim is Designing the Future?
The have had a meeting with architects Marco Predari and Alfonso Femia, the true creators of this event.
They laid the foundation for imagining everything really happens around the workplace and their visions and cultural approaches are not just made of physical space only.
We are focused on how people can relate and behave, how it is possible to train the body as well as the mind in a dynamic way.
In our century, stillness is an antithetical concept to the creativity and intellectual work.
So we are looking for innovative products and technologies; and we formed a scientific committee to help us read the changes and build a scenario aimed at the future, without forgetting the origins of this transformation.
Strongly symbolic from this point of view is the choice of the location: Megawatt Court, a 1970s hangar of over 3000 meters with parking, in the southern suburbs of Milan.
A site capable of expressing the link between factory architecture of the industrial period and scenarios of the tertiary 4.0, made of smart working of workplace on demand, of increasingly versatile places dedicated to sharing and comfort.
These topics will also be treated in the workshops which will be an integral part of the exhibition.
Why AAV takes place in Milan?
Because Milan is experiencing an epochal moment of openness and cultural proposals.
The response of the city, professionals, companies and Milanese associations has been excellent and we have already obtained qualified sponsorships.
It was also a challenge because being in Milan requires as much professionalism on our part.
What are the main elements of inclusive design in your proposal?
For exhibitors, we designed modular set-up solutions – with a basic module of 16 square meters – at an affordable price to be considered not a cost, but an investment for new opportunities.
We wanted to be democratic and open also to visitors: free admission for everyone (for pets too!).
Not only for professionals in the sector. Because the centrality of work concerns the life of anyone and because the benefit of a workplace that can generate wellbeing is a topic that affects everyone.
