Fiera Milano is in constant contact with its partners under a phygital perspective. Waiting for the in-person event that will take place safely from October 22 to 26, 2021, it is essential to understand the future of the HoReCa sector.

Innovation, sustainability, training: this year, more than ever, these are the keywords that will echo through the pavilions of Fiera Milano Rho from October 22 to 26, 2021. Now in its 42nd edition, HostMilano is the global expo that, in a single location and for five days in a row, brings together the latest news from the hospitality and travel sectors ranging from catering to coffee, ice cream, bread, and pizza but also furniture, tableware, formats and solutions for the hotel industry.

This year, along with the leading Ho.Re.Ca event, there will also be TUTTOFOOD, a reference point for the agro-food sector. This makes the “expo menu” even richer and more complete.

Facing a juncture such as the current one, where the industry is getting ready to establish the foundations of the new hospitality, this opportunity becomes truly unique. In addition to the latest novelties in terms of equipment, where sustainability and energy savings will play a leading role, there will be room also for Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things, proximity and social commerce, big data, and robots and automation; thus, introducing a vision of the present and future to the large audience of professional visitors who meet every two years in Milan. Attention will go in particular to the products and services that won the prestigious Smart Label, Host Innovation Award, the recognition granted by Host – Fiera Milano and POLI.design sponsored by ADI, Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (Industrial Design Association) for the solutions capable of anticipating the trends of the future.

However, HostMilano, is not only a huge expo, but it has become, for several editions now, a window on the state of the art of the various markets and sectors, thanks to the busy agenda made of hundreds of training and informative events, techno-cooking, performances and competitions of high innovative and artistic content embodied by some of the greatest pastry chefs and ice cream makers, chefs, baristas and latte artists, but also an occasion for meetings, workshops and conferences held by major industry associations and consultants.

Among the participants is “Pasticceria di Lusso nel Mondo” (Luxury Pastry in the World) by Iginio Massari that will bring some of the best pastry chefs in the world centre stage, offering a workshop-conference where the paradigms of innovation will be discussed even in the pastry-making sector. International championships such as the Cake Designers World Championship and the World Trophy of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate organised by FIPGC, the International Federation of Pastry, Ice Cream and Chocolate and yet again the Panettone World Championship by the Masters of Natural Yeast, the World Championship of Milk Art Grading organised by Latte Art Grading System and ALTOGA, National Association of Coffee Roasters and Importers of Coffee and Food Wholesalers, are all high profile events.

While the expo will take place in full safety – following a plan carefully drawn up months ago – HostMilano has already launched a series of activities to monitor all the supply chains and identify, through their protagonists’ feedback, the best practices to help the operators make the best business decisions. An approach to the expo made possible thanks to the Fiera Milano Platform, a set of touch points designed to improve the experience and encourage meetings between exhibitors and visitors and all HostMilano stakeholders.

In addition to the Observatories, the periodic newsletters and the Ambassadors whose task it is to collect the trends from the four corners of the world as they emerge, HostMilano is organizing a series of webinars, both national and international, as part of the training path and in-depth analysis of the main current topics in the sector. The most recent one, regarding the eCommerce segment, was held on January 28 and gave voice to a market that in 2019 reached €544 billion in BtoB in Italy alone and €22.7 billion in BtoC in 2020.

The importance of innovation to grow and face the challenges of the future has never been bigger. Therefore, HostMilano is a truly unique opportunity to review the situation and prepare for a relaunch.