Hostmilano fills up, with almost 2000 companies set to attend (+10% for the international contingent) and more than 500 events to celebrate the global Ho.Re.Ca boom

Catering, pasta, pizza, ice-cream, coffee, the bar, the bakery and décor: all at one unique show. The concepts synonymous with Made in Italy success across the globe will come together “under the same roof” for the 41st edition of Hostmilano (at fieramilano, from 18 to 22 October 2019), an event that is all about innovation and the hotbed of trends in the hospitality world, as well as the ideal place at which to meet the most important firms in the sector, both national and international. This is confirmed by the fact that, just a few months since its inauguration, 1912 companies have already confirmed their participation (+8% with respect to this time in 2017), 1127 of which are Italian (+7%) and 785 hailing from overseas (+10%), from 54 countries in fact (with new-entries including Albania, Argentina, Colombia, Iran, Latvia and Lebanon). As for the exhibitors and their subdivision into macro sectors, it is clear that the Professional Catering and Bread/Pizza/Pasta fields remain the best represented (43.94%), followed by Coffee/Tea/Vending/Ice-cream/Bakery (37%) and Décor/Table (19.1%).

But what visitors and professionals will find over the course of the five-day show is a real global “kitchen”, where a rich menu of exhibitions and cookery demonstrations, samples and tasting pathways, round tables, and cook-offs between bakery maestros, award-winning chefs, baristas and designers will enrich what is the sector’s largest observatory in terms of trends and innovations, investigated in their every glamorous detail.

Partnerships and buyers for a boom sector
 More than 27 billion Euro in 2018, with a forecast that exceeds 31 billion by 2021. If Ulisse Information System data confirms the fact that business relating to the global Professional Equipment sector knows no bounds (with Italy topping the classification of exporting nations), the same can also be said of the Hostmilano vocation that, edition after edition, becomes a growing hub for global equipment. This is proved, to cite just one example, by the partnership chapter, richer than ever this year with a network comprising the most important associations in the sector, Italian and international. The latter hail from the show’s main markets of reference, or rather the UK and the USA, Spain, and Latin America. It is no coincidence that all will be present in Milan in October, ready to exploit the business and networking opportunities of Host. A network that has been created and developed over recent editions and that aims, over the five days of the show, to assemble a growing number of decision makers in the sector, to encourage the bringing together of demand with an international and qualified supply. The international outlook of the Fiera Milano show is further highlighted by the significant number of hosted buyers that will attend. Thanks also to the collaboration with ICE Agenzia, there will be more than 1500 operators from 80 countries, with 80% turnover, coming mainly from the USA, Canada, the Middle East, UAE, China and Russia.

All the Ho.Re.Ca trends are launched at Hostmilano
The “third wave” of coffee, increasingly experiential catering, the customer’s desire for “green”, the sustainability of décor and formats. As with every edition, the countless declinations of the professional hospitality universe consider Hostmilano the place to be, a key stop on the way to becoming true global trends. Some examples? Coffee, which, having moved away from the espresso monoculture, is increasingly ready to “capture” new customers who seek quality and experimentation. Or fashion, now very much part of the room in hotels and kitchens, with its trendy and functional collections. Not to mention the way design has become a precious element of ‘contamination’ in the bakery and catering world, able to influence both the preparation of dishes and materials on the table. Or, lastly, how sustainability and the green approach have become the key to reinterpreting not only food (even dessert), but also the format and décor of restaurants, thanks to made to measure solutions.

SMART Label Host Innovation Award: hospitality and innovation 
At a show like Hostmilano, always focused on what the future and its trends might mean, a one of a kind project like SMART Label Host Innovation award fits right in, organised in collaboration with POLI.Design, a Consortium of the Politecnico di Milano, and with the support of ADI – Italian Association for Industrial Design. The contest, which in its last three editions has awarded more than 150 prizes and 20 honourable mentions to key players in the Italian and international professional hospitality world, now sets a new record, having received 213 applications, compared to the 176 of the 2017 edition. As ever, the six-member international jury of university professors, professionals and national and international experts with enormous experience in design, hospitality and energy saving will vote on the degree of innovation and the smartest solutions presented by the competing companies. The panel will assess and select the candidate products, services and projects based on the following criteria: efficiency of product or service functions, effectiveness of products and ease of use of services, and innovative usability, technologies and benefits for users.

BeMyHost: 20 trendsetters from all over the world
An all-encompassing look at everything that is happening in professional hospitality around the world. This is ensured thanks to the Host Ambassadors of BeMyHost, a project that returns to Hostmilano stronger than ever before. 20 influencers in total, hailing from the USA, Canada, Brazil, the Arab Emirates, China, Japan, Australia, Spain and India (as well as Italy of course). Selected from among key Ho.Re.Ca sector insiders in each country, they are called upon to “capture” the latest hospitality trends seen around the world. The same ambassadors will be present at the show, guests of Fiera Milano, as they create real-time news reports covering the stands and events. Before that though, they will use their images and social media posts to outline just how professional catering, coffee, décor, the bakery and the ice-cream parlour are “changing face” around the globe.

More than 500 scheduled events
A menu of more than 500 events across all sectors, from the bar to the bakery, by way of catering, décor, the ice-cream parlour and arte bianca. Edition after edition, Hostmilano has not just become the place to be, a meeting point for the most important national and international firms in the Ho.Re.Ca sector, but also one that anticipates the trends that are set to mould the hospitality culture in the Third Millennium. The reason is simple, the five-day Fiera Milano show not only a unique business opportunity in which to find innovative equipment and solutions. Among the stands and halls, visitors can also enjoy a real multi-sensory experience, from company presentations to cookery demonstrations by award-winning chefs, from creations by bakers and cake designers to exhibitions by the best baristas and bar tenders. There is also room for in-depth analysis and seminars providing the latest updates as to market evolution and the hottest topics of the day, whether this be training and apprenticeships for youngsters entering the profession, the challenges facing professionals at international level, sustainability of processes and layouts, communication and sales techniques, or the innovation of formats.