HostMilano 2017: The Key Topics

The global kitchen of HostMilano rolls out hundreds of events for each edition. Unsurprisingly, the event is experiencing steady growth. The upcoming edition, which will take place at fieramilano from Friday 20 to Tuesday 24 October 2017, already sees 1,437 companies (41%foreign from 48 countries) in attendance. They will be greeted by over 1,500 hosted buyers who, thanks to increasing investment in profiling and an increasingly closer collaboration with the ITA – Italian Trade Agency, will include new names and an ever-growing type of companies.

Today, the International Hospitality Exhibition is not simply a showcase of machinery and some of the most innovative solutions on the market within all the various Ho.Re.Ca sectors, but it’s also a place where training and learning opportunities abound. It is an opportunity to explore a multi-sensory experience, thanks to the demonstrations at the stands and to the show-cooking events held by today’s top chefs, as well as the extraordinary creations crafted by pastry chefs and cake designers and performances by the most talented baristas and bartenders. All of this amidst the subtle and seductive aroma of coffee drifting from hall to hall and the fragrance of freshly baked pizza and bread. These events enrich the offers of all the various branches taking part at Host, from catering and the art of baking to the bar, furnishing and tableware sectors and ice-cream and pastry industries. They are important for two main reasons: some of the events are more engaging and include training, marketing and aspects of sensoriality, without neglecting the valuable technical insights for those in direct contact with the consumer, barista, baker, pastry chef or restaurant owner, whoever they may be. Whilst, other events are of economical interest, allowing for a broad vision of the hospitality sector with in-depth insights, round tables, data presentations, growing trends and a focus on the various markets.

In addition to the specificities of the various sectors, the events taking place will focus on today’s “hot” topics: training and apprenticeships for the young (or not so young) entering the market, competition between top professionals on an international level, process and layout sustainability and format innovation. With over 6 months still to go, many big events have already been confirmed.

HostMilano crowns the world’s best pastry chefs

The world’s top pastry chefs will be getting to work on their spectacular and delicious creations at HostMilano 2017 with just one thing in mind: to be crowned the crème de la crème and win the finals of the Cake Designers World Championship and TheWorld Trophy of Pastry, Ice-Cream and Chocolate. The events have been organised by FIPGC – International Federation of Pastry, Ice-Cream and Chocolate.There will be 40 national teams in total. The theme of this year’s edition, which will take place at HostMilano for the second time, will be “Discovering the world of chocolate and coffee” . There will be 20 national pastry teams, each comprising three competitors and a coach, who will compete in the following disciplines: Chocolate and Praline Sculpture, Sugar and Contemporary Cake Sculpture, Sugar Paste Sculpture and Ice-Cream Single Serving. The following countries will be in contention for “The World Trophy of Pastry Ice-Cream And Chocolate”: France, Australia, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Albania, USA, Bulgaria, Thailand, Greece, China, Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Romania, Mexico, Morocco, Columbia, Tunisia and Egypt.

For the cake design, the 20 individual contestants will have to present two creations: a display cake and a cake to be made there and then to be judged on flavour. Masters in the art of cake-making hailing from the following countries will go head-to-head for the title of “chisel artist”: Japan, Slovakia, Italy, Trinidad & Tobago, France, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, USA, Peru, Sri Lanka, Puerto Rico, Macao, Serbia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Greece, Arab Emirates, China and the United Kingdom.

What will hospitality of the future look like?

There’s no need to go to the cinema to take a journey into the future. HostMilano will present its vision for the future of the hospitality sector within the halls of the Arredo e Tavola area, where the visitor will be taken on a journey and given the opportunity to explore the creativity of top professionals as well as budding young talent ready to break into the business.

The events will be both numerous and varied. Exihs Excellent Italian Hospitality Services, the space-concept project designed by Davide Rampello, theatre director and former president of the Triennale Foundation and director of Pavillion Zero at Expo 2015 and Dante O will be returning to HostMilano for the third time. Benini, Leading Partner & Chairman of the Dante O Studio. This year, Benini & PartnersArchitects will breathe life into a design- artistic performance that will highlight an important topic: “L’Italia fatta a mano” (Handmade Italy). An evocative use of surfaces and materials will see us travel through the evolution of mankind and its natural inclination towards hospitality. A project that, for the first time, will go beyond its commercial purpose and is instead intended to enable the international visitors at Host to get up close and personal with the authenticity of Italian culture. An entire wall of the installation will play host to basic agricultural and Italian cookery products: from cheese and cured meats to wines and a composition realised using 2,000 real eggs. After HostMilano, Exihs will continue on its travels: the project is in fact expected to grace a series of world-class art and architecture events, including the Biennale in Beijing.

The aim remains the same: to identify and acknowledge the most innovative proposals within the hospitality format sector, but the formula of HOSThinking, a design award, the accolade born of the collaboration between POLI.design, a consortium of the Milan Polytechnic, and Host – Fiera Milano, will change to become even more compelling now that it’s in its third edition. With the title 10 Designers for 100 Products, young designers will develop futuristic hospitality innovations live at the show. Each designer will lead a project team composing students selected from university master’s degrees and POLI.design advanced training courses. The 10 most innovative products will be selected.

Product innovation also lies at the heart of SmartLabel, the accolade dedicated to innovation within the professional hospitality sector promoted by Host – Fiera Milano, in collaboration with POLI.design, a consortium of the Milan Polytechnic, which will focus on the “Internet of Things”. Accolades will be awarded for two categories: SMART Label for products with distinguishing innovative content in terms of functionality, technology, environmental sustainability, social and ethical implications and Innovation SMART Label for products that break away from and surpass consolidated sector trends.

Futurbar Green, promoted by Comufficio, analyses the trends and opportunities provided by a sustainable approach to Ho.Re.Ca, through the selection of case studies, technological and design solutions and regulatory opportunities.

The new age of catering with starred chefs and young talent

The main events that will enliven the halls dedicated to catering shift between an energetic present with high levels of creativity and media hype and a future composing young talent fresh out of training school.

Through the Apprenticeship Objective, the APCI (Professional Italian Cooks’ Association) will see the most talented young chefs fresh out of training school attend the fair. They will be selected following a long process, which will also be making an appearance at Bit in April, and a captivating final challenge, with the hope of being awarded apprenticeships in some of the most prestigious kitchens both in Italy and abroad. A full-on casting event that will see these newly-qualified chefs working before a panel of professionals, who will then select the most convincing individuals to be trained at their company.

The Identità Future space, organised in collaboration with Identità Golose, will once again see the most “en vogue” chefs engage with the most recent technological innovations designed for the kitchen ambient in captivating show-cooking events, where the latest frontiers of haute cuisine will be showcased.

Cooks from the Chic – Charming Italian Chef association will be advocates of sustainable cooking with the utmost respect for our health and environment for the first time at HostMilano with the ChicRespect brand. All the various production phases within the green approach to the premium catering sector will be analysed: production, preparation, sales and consumption, with a focus on waste reduction and ethical consumption.

The Pane Pizza Pasta area will see the return of the European Pizza Championships, organised by the Pizza e Pasta Italiana magazine and will involve over 60 pizza makers hailing from all over Europe. There will also be insights into Neapolitan pizza and the health implications of the world’s most celebrated Italian dish.

The Pane Pizza Pasta area will also see the return of Pillole di Primo Piatto, the free monothematic seminars on the various aspects of the professional pasta industry, organised by APPAFRE (Fresh Pasta Producers’ Association for Small and Medium Businesses) in collaboration with the PRIMO PIATTO pasta-making school. The third edition will see new techniques and technologies take centre stage and will be unsurprisingly called il pastaio 4.0 (pasta maker 4.0).

The AIC Lombardia Onlus (Italian Celiacs’ Association) will be presenting an App dedicated to the increasingly important gluten-free segment, which was designed for the Progetto Alimentazione Fuori Casa (Eating Out Project), alongside show-cooking and gluten-free food tastings in collaboration with the Associazione Cuochi di Milano e Provincia (Milan and Province Cooks’ Association). The latter, ran by Master Chef Giovanni Priolo, is preparing a series of initiatives and practical demonstrations links by one leitmotif: the richness of traditional Italian cuisine, the ingredients “of the past” and the grains of yesteryear, a wealth of inestimable value capable of propelling us towards a healthier tomorrow.

The world in a cup at Sic

At the black and aromatic beating heart of HostMilano lies Sic, the International Coffee Trade Show, which as always, will be offering a series of events to better understand the many different facets of this evolving sector.

Wce World Coffee Events with SCA, Speciality Coffee Association will be in attendance once again with their global coffee samples and demonstrations before the public, preparing espressos and drip-brewed coffee as well as interesting coffee and alcohol-based concoctions. There will also be an educational and sensory self-guided route available.

Altoga and Fipe will be working alongside Host 2017 to inject life into Caffè e…, the event wholly devoted to the multi-faceted coffee sector, from wellbeing to flavour, which begins with a green bean before being toasted and ground and ends with a final sampling of the blend.

But that’s not all, Hub Coffee Science, an emanation of the International Hub for Coffee Research and Innovation, will instead represent a centre for scientific research, where the visitors will be able to interact with the researchers and use the lab instruments to explore the secrets of coffee from an unusual perspective.

The events schedule organised by Mixer with Planet One will include both training opportunities and entertainment, from masterclasses dedicated to mixability and the food show to managerial activities and professional green labs on food & beverage. Word-renowned special guests will also be in attendance.