MILAN – The great success of HostMilano 2017, the world’s leading trade fair for hospitality in all its different facets created by Fiera Milano, goes well beyond the closing statistics.
After the record figures for last October’s edition, which reported a total of 187,602 trade visitors (+24.3% compared to 2015), of which 38.8% were international visitors from 177 countries (numbering 72,699, +20,4% compared to 2015), confirmation of the strength of this event, which is at the cutting edge of a changing market, comes from the results of a survey conducted among the exhibitors and visitors thronging the stands.
The views of the exhibiting companies, visitors and the most important buyers are unanimous in singling out the event as a point of reference for their businesses. Among the exhibitors, as many as 94.3% of the sample interviewed regard the event as being of fundamental importance to their business, with an overall satisfaction figure of 98.8%.
And the reason for this positive view?
Meetings with industry professionals with whom they had never had previous contact, cited by 98.6% of the respondents, demonstrating the extent to which HostMilano is a truly distinctive forum in its ability to unite and foster innovation in the many worlds presented in the exhibition halls.
The event’s strength is directly confirmed by companies in all of the sectors represented. In the gelato sector, for example, Pregel underlines the event’s “truly international” character, “a success that just keeps growing” while Carpigiani acknowledges HostMilano as a “multi-sector international platform where it’s possible to discuss gelato in the same place as coffee and catering”. And while IFI expresses its satisfaction at the number of visitors to its stand and the real possibility of meeting industry professionals from all over the world, ISA emphasises its excellent impression of the overall offering of HostMilano: “a fixed appointment”, as the company describes it.
Comments from companies in the Coffee-Tea, Bar, Coffee Machines and Vending sectors are also unanimous: for the Cimbali group, being at the event is “a fundamentally important business occasion where we can meet clients and prospects”, “a point of reference that can’t be missed”, even for those who take part in many other industry events; and La Marzocco praises HostMilano as having “exceeded our expectations”. It is an appointment that “you just have to keep” also for Wega, having met “95% of our customers” at the event. For Lavazza too, HostMilano is a “global centre of innovation”.
This overwhelming enthusiasm among the companies taking part inevitably also infects the professional trade visitors. In the interviews carried out with them, 86.9% declared themselves to be extremely satisfied and 98.2% would recommend others to take part in HostMilano.
The visitors recognise the event’s central importance within the sector too (with 95.3% of respondents stating that it is extremely important).
Among the most dynamic and demanding sectors in particular, over 95% of companies taking part with their own stand in the Gelato and Pastry area signal their satisfaction. There are also very high percentages of appreciation regarding the visitors met during the event in terms of quantity (97.9%) and quality (95.8%).
There is unanimous approval of HostMilano among exhibitors and visitors also in the Coffee-Tea sector. For the former, the proportion stating their satisfaction at both their participation in the fair generally and at the quantity and quality of visitors is close to 98% – this confirms the central importance of Sic, Salone Internazionale del Caffè (International Coffee Exhibition), recognised and famed worldwide as unique in the completeness of the exhibition and in the number of exhibitors.
Perfect organisation, immediate accessibility of content and the innovativeness of the products and services on show are the most frequently mentioned characteristics among some of the buyers interviewed.
Among them is the President of Restaurants Canada, who regards the event as “an opportunity to explore and learn, something that’s also made possible by the great ability of exhibitors in effectively presenting their product innovations”.
And even a buyer who is following the expansion of a company like McDonald’s India, the catering multinational, remarks on “the impressive range of coffee equipment presented” and, in general, the “many opportunities that can be generated by such a broad offering”.
The New York Alliance, on the other hand, expresses its great appreciation of the food and equipment on show and, in general, of “the huge expertise and passion shown by companies in presenting their products and businesses to visitors”. From Russia to Canada, from Georgia to Vietnam, the observations of buyers all agree on the indispensability of an event like HostMilano, which provides a truly global outlook that is rich in values, ideas and very high levels of expertise.
Encouraged by such substantial and tangible results, HostMilano is already on the move in organising the next edition. The next appointment is therefore little more than a year and a half away, at fieramilano from 18 to 22 October 2019.
All updates are available at: www.host.fieramilano.it, @HostMilano, #Host2017.
