After five days of intense networking across the latest trends and businesses, Fiera Milano saw on October 24, 2017 the end of HostMilano, the world’s leading exhibition for hospitality in its different shapes and forms. More than 20 the new countries present at the show for the first time, such as Christmas Island, Mariana Islands, Samoa; from the Indian Ocean, visitors from Seychelles, and from the Himalayan slopes visitors from Nepal, from Sub Saharan Africa visitors from Rwanda,Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The exhibition floor was mostly made up of purchasing managers and company decision-makers, also from far away markets, notably including over 1,500 hosted buyers with specifically chosen profiles from all over the world, some of whom had been identified also thanks to close collaboration with the ITA-ICE Agenzia.
Chefs, pastry chefs, ice-cream makers and chocolatiers, in particular, attended the event in abundance, undoubtedly owing to the over 500 scheduled events that ranged from strategic topics, such assustainability and therole of young workers in the hospitality industry, to excitingshow-cooking events, competitions and championships.
These included the FIPGC World Pastry Making Championships, which this year, in a stadium-worthy atmosphere, saw Italy claim victory over 20 teams from all over the world, including China (second place) and Japan (third place). The Arab Emirates instead was crowned the winner of the Cake Design World Championships, followed by the United States and Poland, with a special prize being awarded to Italy for the Best Exhibition Cake.
Andrea Villaof Lombardy was announced as the winner of the Italian Coffeehouse Grand Prix, in the context of the event organised by the AICAF and ALTOGA. The second edition of the Milano Latte Art Challenge also proved popular. The event, organised by Trismoka, saw some of the best baristas from around the world compete in nine different specialities, including etching (pen design), free design and element combinations.
The 19th edition of the European Pizza Championships, organised by Pizza e Pasta Italiana, brought together 62 pizza makers fromItaly, France, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Portugal and Switzerland. The title was eventually awarded to Gianluca Concu for his recipe featuring porcini mushrooms, fresh pumpkin flowers, green courgette foam, cherry tomato confit, burrata cheese and stracciatella.
Finally, HOSThinking, the HostMilano and Fiera Milano event in collaboration with POLI.Design, which acknowledges innovative concepts combining both service and experience, was transformed into an unprecedented design challenge. ‘Jumble room’, the Urte Berukstyte project designed with Massimiliano Concilio and Ilaria Gambino, based on the interaction betweenthedigital world, local catering, ‘glocal’ hospitality and convivial comfort, made use of ten different products in an exclusive and original way and subsequently stood out amongst the ten finalists.
Institutions and players praise the exhibition’s success
The role of HostMilano is also confirmed by the increasing attention paid to it by international institutions.
Business Beyond Borders, an international project promoted by the European Commission, involved 240 companies from 53 countries in over 200 meetings, whereas Grupo Consular de América Latina y el Caribe N.I. participated for the very first time, grouping together consular representations from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. This edition has also obtained the prestigious Commercial Service certification, issued by the US Department of Commerce exclusively to a small number of international fairs that stand out for their ability to foster real business.
HostMilano 2017confirmed its status as a must-see event for the entire coffee industry, from espresso machine manufacturers to outstanding and niche coffee roasters, who took the opportunity to present their premium proposals and meet buyers, coffee specialists and coffee gurus from all over the world.
Another of the traditional core areas of HostMilano, which continues to grow and evolve, is food equipment – both in the catering industry and art of bakery segment, which is seamlessly complemented by ingredients and semi-prepared products. The international exhibitors, in particular, appreciated the opportunity to compare their diverse styles of hospitality with the world-renowned Italian approach.
The ice cream-pastry sector is also in a state of effervescence, and is among the most dynamic in seizing the opportunities provided by hybridisation.
This edition, which turned out to be even more glamorous, saw design-related sectors, such as thetableware and technology segments, attract the most attention, thanks to designs that combined ergonomics and aesthetics with the most hi-tech solutions, such as wireless technologies andsocial media connections..