Two years concentrated into five days: this is the ambitious aim of the events which every two years animate the trade fair halls of HostMilano, presenting the trends, operations, design projects, techniques and technologies that shape the hospitality sector in the years in between each edition of the International Hospitality Exhibition.

There are still seven months to go before the fieramilano Rho fair opens its doors, on 13 October 2023, but some important events are already on the calendar.

Two initiatives will be returning: World Luxury Pastry by Iginio Massari, the hub devoted to the most creative innovations in pastry-making, with demonstrations, talks and tastings featuring more than 20 leading pastry chefs on the international scene.

Other dates now fixed at the fair include the World Trophy of Pastry Gelato and Chocolate, the Cake Designers World Championship and the World Trophy of Professional Tiramisù, three exciting competitions run by FIPGC (the International Federation of Pastry Gelato and Chocolate).

The foodservice area, the beating heart of the fair, will feature numerous events organised by leading well-established partners like FCSI – Foodservice Consultants Society International, whose presentations, workshops and round table debates will outline the future of hospitality, as well as offering less formal networking opportunities at a daily happy hour. Meanwhile, APCI –the Professional Association of Italian Chefs will present Smart Food, Smart Chef, Smart Future; and A.P.Pa.Fre. – the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Fresh Pasta Producers and FIC (the Italian Chefs’ Federation) will be there as well.

This year’s edition also sees the return of the Food-Technology Lounge a cura di ANIMA, Confindustria’s mechanical engineering association and a true point of reference for Italian Food and Ho.Re.Ca technologies, in a space that will offer the chance to meet people and get up to speed on developments.

The collaboration with FIPE – the Italian Federation of Public Concerns will be seen at “Laboratorio FIPE”, devoted to good practices, relations, meetings, workshops and innovative services for the sector, with the aim of responding to key developments for the future in terms of digital transition, sustainability and skills: in other words the challenges facing the foodservice sector as a whole.

Another event with implications that go well beyond the fair itself is the presentation of products that have won the Smart Label – Host Innovation Award, the distinction promoted by HostMilano and Fiera Milano in partnership with POLI.design and sponsored by ADI – the Industrial Design Association.

The award is bestowed on productions and solutions that stand out for their for their functionality and technological content as well as for the environmental, ethical and social sustainability they promote.

And finally there will be Design Talks, in partnership con POLI.design: a not-to-be-missed series of training seminars for architects and hospitality sector experts that will include an in-depth examination of how to achieve sustainable innovation in design, concepts and formats.