MILAN, Italy – From Friday 23 October, on the entire ground floor of the Rho fair grounds, 14 halls (two more than in 2013), will be occupied by 2,004 companies from 47 countries. They are the crème de la crème of the many divisions that make up the professional hospitality business, which HostMilano, with its unique exhibition formula, has brought together into three synergetic macro-areas.
Here is a brief guide to help visitors find their way through the big world of Host. In the macro-area devoted to Professional Catering and Bread-Pizza-Pasta, the hi-tech hub of the event, professional visitors will find all the systems, equipment accessories and machinery that have been created to cater to the very latest socio-gastronomic demands.
In Baking, a good deal of space is given over to the high-quality ingredients now required of a sector that is increasingly attentive to the requirements of health conscious consumers keen to rediscover local traditions and the genuine flavours of regional foods.
Two rapidly growing niche markets are presented in the area: Chilling Systems, in collaboration with Assofrigoristi and Laundry, with Expodetergo.
The Coffee-Tea, Bar-Coffee makers and Vending, Ice cream-Pastry, macro-area features a “strong” presence of automatic distribution of coffee and other hot beverages, which showcase all the most sophisticated technologies now available.
Hi-tech is also prominent in the Bar section, with the world’s leading manufacturers of coffee-making machinery, while SIC – the International Coffee Show, is as ever a world reference point, offering some quite unique sneak previews on single-origin quality products, on professional tasting methods such as cupping and on the revival of Robusta coffee in times of climatic change, with spaces now 40% bigger.
And the subject of choosing between soft ice cream and craft gelato will be one of the big issues addressed in the Ice Cream-Pastry section, as the very best of each type are presented along with next-generation equipment and the very best ingredients.
Chocolate, cake design and local flavours will also feature prominently, including the Milanese panettone, the Christmas confection that was turned into an all-year-round cake to mark this year’s Expo.
And those with a keen sensibility towards visual elegance (that hard-to-define factor that makes the difference between simply providing accommodation and offering first-class hospitality) will not want to miss the Furnishings and Tableware macro-area.
Here, Italian and foreign exhibitors to this part of HostMilano2015 (which spills over into the lifestyle sector) are up 30%, an indication of the importance of design and style.
There is a growth, now, in general contractors, all-round partners who oversee entire projects and who are out in force this year. Meanwhile the “Made in Italy” product continues to assert itself, alongside the very best International Style on offer.
