Networking & bed sharing

While home stays might have fuddy-duddy connotations of boy scout troops or travelling bible groups, the Salone del Mobile in Milan—the annual international furniture fair that ends today—would have a hard time doing anything that isn’t cool. Which includes a Bed Sharing programme that kicked off this year. The Bed Sharing project aims to show the host city’s most hospitable side, and actively involves Milan residents by inviting them to open up their homes to (young) conference attendees who haven’t been able to find or can’t afford regular accommodation in hotels. Shared bedrooms needn’t be palatial: “2 square meters are enough to put up a designer.” It’s a simple way to add a personal touch and human scale to massive conferences and events, while helping local professionals expand their networks by meeting colleagues from abroad. One to set up for every major conference? Since almost everything can be arranged online, coordination costs aren’t high. And given most events’ very specific target audiences, sponsors should be easy to find. (Bed Sharing’s main partners were easyJet, Samsung and Italian mattress manufacturer Ennerev.) A related organisation is SpaceShare, which we’ll feature soon. Spotted by: Yasmina Haryono