From October 19th to 21st, the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano, at the Bovisa campus, will host Mon*Talent, the first international educational-experiential activity that brings together the world of the School and companies with an innovative and experimental formula, that of the “talent”, where students present their projects to the companies present on campus.
The project, born from an idea of Aldo Faleri, professor of Alpine Design at the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano with Venanzio Arquilla, president of the Product Design Course – Integrated Product Design, is carried out in collaboration with MagNet and the association ALPI+MILANO aps.
The claim guiding the initiative is clear: Mountain goes to Poli.
“Combining commercial brands with education is always a difficult challenge that for the first time in a School of Design, that of the Politecnico di Milano, has been met with great interest. We have always thought of the mountain as a space for experimentation, first with the Alpine Design course and then with the MonTalent workshop, for this reason we believe that Magnet’s proposal for the first thematic “The Village” in Italy, and also in Europe, is the ideal Base Camp to bring together young talents in design and communication with the most well-known international outdoor brands, from October 19th to 21st at the Bovisa Campus in Milan” – says Aldo Faleri, professor of Alpine Design at the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano.
A project in three stages
MonTalent revolves around three main events:
- an Activation Days, already held from May 16th to 17th in Riva del Garda, during which 40 students were involved in outdoor activities such as climbing, running, and via ferrata to test materials and challenge themselves in classic disciplines;
- an Interdisciplinary Workshop, already held from June 8th to 12th, during which 23 students selected at the Activation Days, were involved in the theme of trekking and “walks”, developing original products and ideas;
- a Village-Exhibit, scheduled from October 19th to 21st at the Bovisa campus, where the most well-known and iconic brands in the outdoor sector will meet young designers and communicators, exhibiting their products alongside the outputs created by the students.
The event is structured around three main directions:
- Exhibition – Indoor Village & Exhibition, with the exhibition corners of the companies and the exhibition dedicated to the “iconic” pieces of the brands and the projects of the young designers from the WS and Alpine Design as a selection of the ALPI Design Awards 2026;
- Networking – Talent Meetings, presentation sessions of the portfolios and projects of the students to the brands, with targeted one-to-one appointments;
- Equipment tests – material testing sessions to get a close look at the quality of the outdoor product.
An excellent audience
“Participating in MonTalent means being part of an international panel hosted by the number one Design School in Italy and seventh in the world, with direct access to the best talents of the Politecnico. For companies in the outdoor and sports sector, it is a concrete opportunity for employer branding and visibility among students and teachers, but also for networking with other leading brands and for validating ideas and concepts with young designers. In addition to this, there are original contents for corporate communication, the opportunity to exhibit iconic pieces during the event, and to activate educational internship paths at the company or store”, says Benedetto Sironi, CEO of MagNet.
The Politecnico di Milano is one of the largest university communities in Europe: it has 49,395 enrolled students, including 7,375 architects, 4,793 designers, 37,227 engineers, and 2,240 doctoral students, and 9,940 international students. The School of Design of the Politecnico is the first in Italy and seventh in the world in the sector. It is in this context that outdoor brands will be able to meet the best creative talents of the next generations, with the goal of employer branding, validating ideas and concepts with young designers, and activating internship paths. 
The exhibition
From October 15th to 21st, the area The Bridge will be reserved for the exhibition of the projects/prototypes of the MonTalent Workshop presented to the brands and selection of the ALPI Design Awards 2026 and the exhibition “The Icon” – masterpieces of creativity and technological innovation in outdoor products.
Communication and channels
MonTalent can count on an integrated communication network that includes the official channels of MagNet and Outdoor Magazine, the institutional channels of the Politecnico di Milano (newsletter, events portal, social media, and printed materials distributed on campuses), the channels of the association ALPI+MILANO aps, and a dedicated landing page for the project, with the possibility of registration for one-to-one meetings.
How to participate
Students and young graduates of the Politecnico can book their one-to-one meetings with companies starting from the beginning of October, through the dedicated event website or directly on-site at the info point, until seats are filled.
The program
- Monday, October 19th – Setup and opening
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Booth setup
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Guided tour of the labs for companies
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Exhibitor briefing, official project presentation, and presentation of the MagNet workshop outputs to the brands
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Networking aperitif at the Politecnico bar (reserved for exhibitors and workshop students) - Tuesday, October 20th – First exhibition day
7:30 am – 8:00 am: Booth setup
8:00 am – 5:30 pm: Open exhibition
8:00 am – 9:00 am: Welcome with gift
9:00 am – 12:00 pm / 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm: One-to-one Talent appointments (15 minutes)
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Experience
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Aperitif with beer and chips - Wednesday, October 21st – Second exhibition day
8:00 am – 4:00 pm: Open exhibition
8:00 am – 9:00 am: Welcome with gift
9:00 am – 12:00 pm / 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: One-to-one Talent appointments (15 minutes)
