The emergency over, it’s time to relaunch. On the condition that there is investment in the winning combination of innovation and quality. The various Horeca supply chains are well aware of this, having been supported during the lockdown by a machine that has never powered down, or rather Hostmilano (fieramilano from 22 to 26 October 2021).
After some very difficult months, in which the mission was to continue to support companies and trade visitors behind the scenes, presenting the best case histories and the latest market analysis, it is now time for Fiera Milano to look ahead as it prepares to relaunch the professional hospitality universe with its exhibition.
Innovation during the lockdown: hygiene and safety win out
Innovation never stops at Host. And activity in recent weeks only confirms this, the exhibition confirming its role as aglobal hub for innovation, able to harness best practices from the market, starting with solutions designed to guarantee that social distancing protocols and norms are respected. There are those who have created a series of ecological modular dividers, practical and variable depending on requirements, using a material like polypropylene, which can be easily and continually cleaned. For other brands, the end of lockdown has meant doubling down on their green efforts, launching, for example, a new kind of fully recyclable glass, created with a material obtained from a blend of natural mineral salts.
The successful case histories of recent months also include solutions for the sanitising of spaces. The invention of a tunnel for example that, as well as sanitising people and objects, also measures body temperature and checks whether a person is in possession of a mask and gloves; or a 24-hour sanitising system that can be used in the presence of people, based on the phenomenon that is ionisation.
AI and the IoT: the new phase 3 challenges New and functional solutions with which to ensure an efficient relaunch. While the lockdown forced only a few companies to stop completely, in Italy and abroad, most had just one aim, and that has been to focus more than ever before on the use of latest-generation devices and apps relating to the Internet of Things. Not to mention the fact that AI-related touchless solutions are already present in many fields of application, from bar and restaurant menus to the possibility to analyse clients’ Big Data in order to organise work in the kitchen, and even in the world of coffee. One such example is the company that, having developed a sanitising column built entirely from the steel of coffee machines, is now waiting to launch a model specifically designed for the coffee break, whether in the office or when smart-working.
Because the challenge for everyone now is understanding how Artificial Intelligence can respond to the needs of the New Normal. With experimentation having already begun during the lockdown, certain companies have launched a series of webinars aimed at anyone interested in learning about the innovative new line of professional ovens, increasingly orientated towards the development of intelligent cooking solutions that learn and adapt to chefs’ needs.
Focus on luxury pastry by Iginio Massari Creativity, technology and know how. Essentially, everything that relates to luxury pastry in the relaunch phase and that could not be overlooked at Host 2021. Following on from the success of the last edition, “The World’s Luxury Pastry” by Iginio Massari will return to the Rho Fiera halls next year, the event conceived by the Maestro himself who, in synergy with HostMilano and thanks to a network comprised of the most important national and international pastry chefs, wants to contribute to disseminating a culture of quality and innovation in the confectionery world. “I consider Host a unique creative space that is able to inform the entire world about innovations in the Pastry universe, the research in progress, and the new frontiers in terms of gastronomic-related commitment, starting with the use oftechnology”, explains the Maestro, who has always believed thatthe success of any activity depends on communication. In luxury pastry definitely, but also in an adjoining sector such as gelato, another focal point of the exhibition. With a boom in terms of deliveries, the harnessing of technology, new forms of consumption and a focus on sustainability, the world of gelato has thrived in recent months, both in terms of its experimentation and its search for new proposals from a business standpoint.
A menu featuring hundreds of events With moments for debate and professional updating, contests, and showcooking in the presence of the greatest chefs, professionals from the world of coffee and maestros in the fields of gelato, chocolate and pastry, the 2021 edition of HostMilano will offer a menu that incorporates hundreds of events. These will include appointments that have become permanent fixtures and updating seminars on the hottest topics in the professional hospitality universe, all arranged thanks to the many partnerships formed with key national and international associations, such as: APCI Associazione Professionale Cuochi Italiani, Altoga, Anima Assofoodtec, APPAFRE, FCSI Foodservice Consultants Society International, FIPGC Federazione Internazionale Pasticceria Gelateria Cioccolateria, FIPE.
Fiera Milano Platform to launch in September
One of the tools conceived by Fiera Milano in light of the relaunch, the platform is dedicated to the entire community of supply chains involved, from exhibitors to visitors, buyers, journalists, bloggers and opinion leaders. Known as Fiera Milano Platform, this latest innovation will serve to further strengthen the role of HostMilano as a global equipment hub, focusing the spotlight on the network that revolves around the exhibition and facilitating interaction between buyers and companies.
As of September,the project will involve the creation of an ecosystem of services, which includes the strengthening of content on individual exhibition websites and social channels; synergy between face-to-face and digital meetings (starting with webinars), and the production of redesigned catalogues for the presentation and selling of products. In addition, a digital map of the exhibition will be launched to allow for remote usage, with the aim of making the exhibition experience ‘phigital’, or hybrid, with the development of new formats that are simultaneously available to both digital and live audiences.
A great deal of structural work has also been carried out in the exhibition area itself. With the use of multiple touch points based on new technologies (IoT, Data analytics, Cloud, Mobile App), Fiera Milano has implemented a series of latest-generation tools that include: an infrastructure consisting of 80 high resolution LED walls, which can be adapted to a wide variety of infotainment types; a heatmap to allow geolocation within the exhibition centre; a map that monitors flows and routes in the halls, and a new exhibition centre app (including the new way-finding system, fast track, reservations for parking and food services).