Infotainment, the reading key of HostMilano

A pleasant and above all effective combination of information and entertainment, perfectly described in the neologism infotainment.
The intense calendar of events at HostMilano is dedicated to this theme and returns with a renewed array of proposals (with over 500 events including world championships, exhibitions, showcooking sessions, masterclasses and workshops) and a new lease of exhibition life, generating a 7.7% increase compared to its previous 2015 edition.

The numbers are all there for a record edition. In 2016 world trade of machines, devices and accessories for catering, bakery, patisserie and ice cream amounted to 45.2 billion Euros, with a 5.4% annual increase forecast for 2017/2019. Italy is the world’s third biggest exporter, with a quota of 7.2% in 2016, preceded by China (39.3%) and Germany (7.8%). HostMilano has grown simultaneously: since 2007 there has been a 41% increase in the total number of companies, with a rise in the number of foreign ones. To date, out of a total of 2,165 registered companies, 843 are from 51 foreign countries.

The Experience Gallery makes its début at the 2017 edition. An event within an event, a new way of interpreting the hybridisation of two similar yet different worlds and which are increasingly coexisting within the same interiors: ice cream parlours, patisseries and coffee shops. The gallery is more than a bridge connecting pavilions 10 and 14, it is also a place per se, an opportunity to explore countless nuances of this sector, thanks to two “squares”, constituting an overview of both worlds.

EXIHS – Excellent Italian Hospitality Services is another must-see, conceived by Davide Rampello and developed by Studio Dante O. Benini Partners & Architects (Hall 11), for the first time ever bringing an area entirely dedicated to developing the concept of hospitality as artistic expression, to a business event.

Next to the exhibition area divided between the Ho.Re.Ca, foodservice, retail, major multiples and hotelier sectors – including top companies such as Alma Design, Calligaris, Emu Group, Infiniti, Kartell, Nardi, Pedrali, Serralunga, Slide – featuring the very latest trends, technologies and innovations in the sector, the  Table, Furnishing and Technology  is aimed directly at hospitality of the future, where visitors are taken on a veritable journey of the creativity of acclaimed professionals as well as young and promising business talents.

HOSThinking, a design award is another unmissable event (Innovation Gallery, Hall 10), a prize created in collaboration with POLI.design, entitled 10 Designers for 100 Products, which will transform itself into an on site design field, a work-in-progress for the entire duration of the fair, with finalist designers guiding a team of students selected by University Master and Higher Education POLI:design Courses who will try their hand at design, including 10 projects chosen from the stands of over 2000 exhibitors.
Then there is the International “Bar/Restaurant/ Hotel Architecture and Design Award  promoted by IN/ARCH, Gambero Rosso, the Department of Architecture, Roma 3 University, Artribune, Archilovers and HostMilano, sponsored by ADI – Association for industrial design – in partnership with FederlegnoArredo. This prize aims to reward the most promising designs and architectures for the catering, administration and retail of food and wine products, reception and hospitality interiors (Hall 11 – EXIHS).