How did the Belgium is Design project come about and what is its purpose?
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Belgium has been present at the Milan Design Week for many years, initially with various initiatives of the different promotion and support organisations of Belgian design. In 2011 we decided to come together under a single label, to strengthen and give greater visibility to companies and designers. We wanted to create a sort of quality label.
Belgium has a long tradition in design and it seemed important to us to continue to highlight it through our international initiatives.
Over the years, we have realized that the strength of a collective exhibition and targeted communication could only benefit Belgium's companies and designers. For the more established it is a recognition of their career, for the youngest and for the smallest companies, it is an important window on the market and allows them to deal with a wider clientele.

What are the main events you organize?
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Belgium is Design has a mainly international vocation, Maison & Objet in Paris and Milan are the two recurring annual events, but every year we add other destinations to increase the visibility and types of products: the Stockholm Design Week, the Textile Month festival in New York, to mention the destinations of 2019. Our intent is not only commercial, but also pedagogical: many of them would not have had the opportunity to test a foreign market independently. Coming to a collective stand creates important synergies, even between companies and designers from the same country.

Why did you decide to participate in Fuorisalone Digital?
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Milan's design week has been a regular appointment for us for many years. In our exhibitions we have presented almost 200 designers and companies (60 of which only in SaloneSatellite). "Milan" is not a design week like any other, it is a magical moment, in which the whole world of design meets to live a very strong collective experience. For those coming from a small country like Belgium it is even more necessary to cross their borders to find inspiration and stimuli. The Salone del Mobile offers everything concentrated in a week! It therefore seemed natural to participate, even if in a "virtual" way.

In such an uncertain period as the one we are experiencing, we thought it necessary to continue our promotional work by adapting to the needs of the moment. It is an opportunity to push companies to communicate, giving them a reference context.