Annual · late spring · Bologna
For industrial and interior design studios, product design ateliers, architects and architecture firms, furniture and lighting brands, home accessories and complement brands, art galleries and exhibition spaces, design schools and academies (IED, Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna), specialised bookshops, Italian and international design magazine editorial teams, showroom and concept store buyers from the design circuit, corporate sponsors in furniture, lighting, kitchen, bathroom, home textile, smart home and lifestyle, venue hospitality teams, and professionals operating around the festival calendar — production and distribution of branded totes for the public of the days, coordinated drinkware for the exhibition spaces, press kits for architects and press, limited editions of objects coordinated with the festival graphics, branded apparel for the operational team of venues and host studios, coordinated packaging for samples aimed at buyers — through the Milan hub to Bologna venues with confirmed delivery slots.
The Bologna Design Festival is one of the most important appointments on the Italian design calendar and brings together, between institutional spaces, independent exhibition venues and galleries in the historic centre, industrial design studios, product design ateliers, architects, furniture and lighting brands, home accessories brands, design schools and academies, design magazine editorial teams, showroom and concept store buyers, and corporate sponsors backing the calendar. For a studio or brand that participates with an exhibition, presentation or workshop, the week is the occasion to present the work, meet buyers and collect qualified leads. For an operational team it means arriving in Bologna with a coordinated merch programme — totes for the public of the days, drinkware for the exhibition spaces, press kits for architects and press, limited editions of objects coordinated with the festival graphics, branded apparel for the venue and host studio team, packaging for samples aimed at buyers — that becomes an integral part of the brand story.
From the Milan hub, Corp-Merch.IT coordinates the full programme for design studios, ateliers, architects, furniture brands, schools, editorial teams, buyers and sponsors arriving at the Bologna Design Festival: pre-press artwork adaptation, district producer selection (some of which serve Italian design brands directly), pre-production physical sample and 48-hour response window between brief and structured proposal. The Milan base gives us direct access to the districts of Como (textile), Maniago (steel mills and small hardware), Empoli (glass), Faenza (ceramics), Caltagirone (ceramics), Padova (technical cartotecnica), Capannori (Tuscan paper mills for FSC-certified paper), Vigevano (footwear) and the eyewear circuit of Agordo and Valdagno, so most of the production can stay on the Italian supply chain and respect studio lead times without resorting to intercontinental transport. For limited runs and press kits we propose numbered bundles (50-300 pieces) with attached certificate.
For studios and brands with an Italian VAT number, the invoice is issued through the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) with 22% VAT in EUR; reverse charge for intra-EU buyers with a valid VAT number, split payment for public administration entities and Codice Destinatario or PEC for electronic delivery. For extra-EU studios we can issue an invoice in EUR without Italian VAT under the applicable territorial rules, or a self-invoicing summary on request. For studios subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024) we provide a sustainability sheet per PO with Scope 3 CO₂e estimates under the GHG Protocol on intra-regional legs.
Logistics to Bologna. The Bologna Design Festival is distributed across several nodes of the historic centre and exhibition venues, and goods delivery follows loading windows coordinated with the organisation and the Comune di Bologna. The historic centre ZTL is very tight and every delivery must be linked to a loading window confirmed by the host space; for most studios it is safer to coordinate delivery to a Bologna hotel (typically in the centre, university or near Piazza Maggiore) or a nearby consolidation warehouse, and to handle restocking of individual venues with local express couriers in the agreed time slots.
Organic cotton or canvas totes with coordinated graphics, laser-engraved stainless steel bottles, Faenza or Caltagirone ceramic engraved mugs, folders and printed paper programmes for fast distribution in the historic centre and exhibition venues days. Quantities are planned against the expected number of visitors per day and pre-counted into bundles of 100 or 250 pieces.
Coordinated boxes with branded notebook, coordinated tote, project technical sheet, small coordinated gadgets and welcome card for architects, showroom and concept store buyers, and design magazine editorial teams invited to exhibitions and presentations. For trade magazines we offer premium gift boxes with attention to detail, personalised label and bilingual packing list addressed to the recipient.
OEKO-TEX organic cotton T-shirts, workshop or lab aprons, branded polos and shirts with the studio or brand logo, sized for the operational team of venues and exhibition spaces. Production in the Como and Prato districts with recycled cotton (GRS) options on request; labelling by role so the operational team can be dressed in a coordinated way without managing assembly on their own.
Objects coordinated with the festival graphics, packaging for samples aimed at buyers, small coordinated gadgets (Maniago steel mini tools, Murano glass in limited edition, Faenza ceramics, Padova technical cartotecnica) reserved for studios and buyers. We normally reserve a separate reduced-run batch (50-300 pieces) with progressive numbering and attached certificate.
Lock down artwork, quantities, packaging and on-site recipient before starting production. The Bologna Design Festival venues (exhibition centres, galleries, independent spaces, schools) have rationed vehicular access and very tight historic centre ZTL restrictions; every delivery must be linked to a loading window confirmed by the host space. For most studios it is safer to coordinate delivery to a nearby Bologna hotel or a consolidation warehouse in vehicle-accessible areas, and to handle restocking of individual venues with local express couriers in the agreed time slots.
For an Italian programme routed via Milan, shipments are consolidated and forwarded with BRT, SDA, GLS or DHL Express Italia with 24-48 hour windows across most Italian CAP codes. For programmes above 1,000 pieces we offer appointment delivery with phone pre-notice and, on request, on-site set-up by our staff. For limited runs and reserved kits we coordinate transport with specialised carriers that handle batch traceability and delivery signature. For international studios we can pre-clear cargo at Milano Malpensa or Bologna Marconi and route the last mile through the same hub, so the goods flow is managed by a single team.
The invoice is issued in EUR with standard 22% VAT (reduced rates of 4%, 5%, 10% available for the product categories that allow them, such as publishing) and routed through the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) of the Agenzia delle Entrate to the recipient code or PEC address of the buyer. Corp-Merch.IT is a registered Italian VAT operator, listed in VIES for intra-EU transactions, and handles reverse charge, split payment and self-invoicing for public administration under Italian law. The certifications most often requested in the design space are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 on skin-contact textiles, GOTS on organic cotton, GRS on recycled polyester, FSC on paper and packaging, REACH SVHC declaration for pigments and inks, ISO 9001/14001/45001 of the producer. On request, we integrate verifiable environmental claims on the label, product sheet and studio sustainability report.
Ten to twelve weeks is the safest window to secure product choice and decoration methods. For limited editions and reduced-run press kits it is best to extend the window to 12-14 weeks to manage coordinated packaging and numbering. Tighter programmes are possible only after stock, print methods and venue access have been confirmed.
Only after the host space has confirmed the loading window, vehicular access and named recipient. Bologna's historic centre ZTL is very tight and many studios coordinate delivery to a nearby hotel or a consolidation warehouse in vehicle-accessible areas, and handle restocking of individual venues with local express couriers in the agreed time slots.
Yes. Totes, drinkware, press kits and limited editions can be packed and labelled as separate batches, linked to each studio or each brand and to each delivery point. For multi-venue programmes we replicate the batches and consolidate into crates labelled by logistics node.
No. Corp-Merch.IT is an independent external B2B supplier that helps design studios, ateliers, architects, furniture brands, schools, editorial teams, buyers and sponsors prepare their own merch for the festival. It does not organise, sponsor or represent the Bologna Design Festival, the festival organisation, the Comune di Bologna, the partner entities, the participating studios or brands.
Corp-Merch.IT is an independent external B2B supplier for companies participating in the Bologna Design Festival. This page helps design studios, ateliers, architects, furniture brands, schools, editorial teams, buyers and corporate sponsors prepare their own merch for the festival. It does not represent the Bologna Design Festival organisation, the Comune di Bologna, the partner entities, the participating studios or brands, or the festival sponsors.