Speedy progress is being made in the process that will lead to proclaiming the winners of the 2023 edition of Smart Label – Host Innovation Award, the distinction bestowed in recognition of innovation in the field of professional hospitality promoted by HostMilano and Fiera Milano in partnership with POLI.design and sponsored by ADI, Italy’s Industrial Design Association.

All entries have now been made and the three design professionals who will make up the jury have been named. They are Giselle Chajin Florez, design director at the Milan branch of Tangity, a global network of design studios; Markus Orthey, design director of DeLonghi Braun Household, a world leader in innovative kitchen and household appliances; and Vu Duy Phong, a lecturer in Innovative Product Design at Politecnico di Milano.

The award divides into three categories. Innovation Smart Label is the award for products with high innovation content that marks a disruption in established trends, particularly through digital means and the Internet of Things. The Green Smart Label will be awarded to products with high innovation content and distinctive features with reference to energy saving, environmental compatibility, and eco-sustainability, particularly through the application of new materials that contribute to energy saving or energy recovery. Special Mentions will also go to agri-food products (food & beverage) that stand out for particularly innovative content.

The panel of judges will evaluate the entries and single out those which best express the prerequisites of innovation established for each category. Their assessments will be based on such factors as efficiency of functions, effective performance or usability features, methods of use and innovative technologies and advantages for the user.

The awards will be made during HostMilano 2023 and the winning products, services and designs will go on show in the SMART Products area, and then published in a dedicated INDEX, thereby sending out a message that promotes innovation and dynamism in the relevant sectors and the entire economic system.

Because of its particular qualities in terms of marketing and consumption strategies, the out-of-home sector presents itself as a paradigm for incremental innovation. This is why the two-yearly Smart Label competition has a systemic importance that makes it a worldwide reference for the most “out of the box” innovative solutions.