HOSTMilano 2017 Is A Hot Ticket

It may be a few months until this fall’s HOSTMilano, but the 40^th edition of the biennial show is already posting strong numbers.

By early June, the October 20-24 international hospitality exhibition at Fieramilano reported that the number of exhibitors—1,824 companies—is up more than 11% compared to the same time in 2015.

Sixty percent (1,092) of those companies are Italian. HOST’s 732 international exhibitors hail from 55 different countries; Germany, Spain, France, the U.S. and the United Kingdom top the list of foreign nations, but eight new entries—Belarus, Egypt, Lichtenstein, New Zealand, Serbia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Ukraine—will make their debut as exhibitors. Canada is returning for the first time since 2011.

More than 1,500 buyers from around the globe are expected. Nearly a quarter hail from North America, 15% from the Middle East, and 20% each from Russia and Asia/Oceania. Nearly half of exhibitors are foodservice equipment manufacturers or in the bread/pizza/pasta sector.

Hundreds of events are planned over the five-day show, including workshops and training sessions, round tables, and cooking demos.