Sep 10, 2019 - Events

PuntoItalyWire 2019 second part

by Davide Pini

A chronicle of the trade fairs visited by puntoItaly during its travels abroad. A first-hand reportage of meetings, emotions, and experiences.

SIRHA

Lyon (France), 26 – 30 January

3,700 exhibitors – 225,000 visitors

It was the first edition of Sirha without Paul Bocuse, an emotional transition that was very important and which characterized the entire event, especially during the two days dedicated to the Bocuse d’Or, considered by many a real and bona fide Culinary World Championship. This edition was won by the Danish Kenneth Toft-Hansen, who stepped up onto the podium which was entirely Scandinavian. Sweden took second and Norway took third. It is also worth noting that the award for best Commis went to Denmark, won by Christian Wellendorf Kleinert.
The Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (Pastry World Cup) saw Malaysia rise to the first place, followed by Japan and then Italy.
Italy had the youngest team yet, holding the places of honour.
The growing interest in the food industry occurring around the world was confirmed by this international event: it was characterized by a mix of business, innovation, creativity and congeniality.
There were over 225 thousand professionals, of which 30 thousand from abroad, filling the booths of the trade hall, which has been expanded an extra 10,000 mÇ, including the new Hall 7.
There was a growth of 17,000 more visitors than last year, which is the “equivalent of 33 French TGV trains,” an expression used by Olivier Ginon, GEO of GL events, the organizer of the fair.

EXPOSWEET

Warsaw (Poland), 17 – 20 February

160 exhibitors – 21,117 visitors

This edition of this Polish exhibition was made up of four intense days dedicated to sugar products, gelato and desserts, including baked goods. The event attracted professionals from all over Europe, in particular, from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belarus, Ukraine and Italy. As expected, it was full of collateral events, such as the Polish Gelato Championship which was conducted with the patronage of the Gelato World Cup. Twelve teams participated in the competition to make four gelato flavours: vanilla, chocolate, a sorbet, and a gourmet flavour, alongside other desserts which were judged by an International jury overseen by Sergio Dondoli, a competition commissioner from the Gelato World Cup. The Championship was won by the team composed of Jakub Cwiklinski and Mariusz Gorecki, respectively the gelato- and pastry-chef, who also excelled in the special competitions for Best Sorbet, Best Chocolate Gelato, Best Vanilla Gelato and Best Creative Gelato. Both will now join the team that will represent Poland at the Gelato World Cup 2020.
Other events worth noting was the Polish Championship in Cake Decoration, which was conducted under the patronage of FIPGC (International Federation
Pastry Ice Cream Chocolate). In the meantime, the organizers of the fair have already announced the dates for next year’s event. The sweetest edition yet of Expo Sweet is planned for February 23 – 26, 2020.

GULFOOD

Dubai (UAE), 17 – 21 February

5,000 exhibitors – 100,000 visitors

The first stop outside of Europe on our promotional trip of Italian excellencies throughout the world was, as always, at Gulfood in Dubai. Since 2012, when our project debuted on the international stage, we have seen the enormous transformation of this exhibition which is continually becoming an international point of reference for the food industry.
Gulfood has become the biggest annual trade fair for the food and beverage industries throughout the world. It has reached its 24th edition at the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC) and it is home to important coalitions and exchanges of millions of dollars.
It consolidates the reputation of the United Arab Emirates as a strategic place for events in specialized industries and it is a true doorway to the evolution of global markets.
This year’s edition included a new series of events, under the theme of “The World of Good. The World of Food.” In particular, “The Tastes of the World” event, hosted 50 internationally famous chefs who displayed their abilities with 59 cooking demonstrations.
It has been yet again a great honour for our magazine to be Media Partner of this important event. It has allowed us to meet professionals from over 70 different countries who are interested in Italy.

HOTELEX

Shanghai (China), 1 – 4 April

2,500 exhibitors – 146,000 visitors

An area of over 225 thousand square meters of exhibition, over 5,000 buyers from abroad, over 5,000 buyers specifically from 5-star hotel chains: these are just a few of the numbers that help us understand the strength of this exhibition which puntoItaly has returned to visit after a few years.
“A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step” quoted the press release that summed up the 2019 edition which has 27 years of experience in the hospitality and food industries. It has become a key event for the Eastern world.
The organizers of Hotelex have concentrated a lot of their attention of attracting new international buyers interested in the event, and they have gained an important growth especially from America and Oceania. Respectively, they have grown 3,2 and 2 times as much, which in regards to the entire group from abroad the US makes up 12.46% and Indonesia makes up 20.95%. These numbers demonstrate the strength of Hotelex as well as its influence on international markets. The exhibition has helped the main actors of the industry to look towards the future, and at the same time, to meet the right people to create new business.

HOFEX

Hong Kong (China), 7 – 10 May

2,800 exhibitors – 42,000 visitors

A permanent appointment on the agenda, every 2 years, at the beginning of May: Hofex maintains its international appeal which sees it as a meeting point not just for China, but a point of reference for the Far East. Hofex has now reached 32 years of excellency and it is the perfect occasion to meet at one of the most considerable crossroads for the Asian world. There have been incredible transformations characterizing this event, especially in the past few years. The most important transformation has occurred since since July 1st, 1997, when the sovereignty of Hong Kong passed from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China, officially ending 156 years of British Colonial rule. It is a vibrating city that ranks in the top-ten of income per capita. According to the UN, in 2012, the city had the longest life expectancy rate in the world, in stark contrast with the perception of stress and anxiety of the frenetic pace that the city transpires to whomever reaches its streets for the first time.
This year puntoItaly continued to bring ideas, recipes, mindsets and, in general, the philosophies of a rich team of partners, who, through our tool, instil excitement to the people who let themselves be inspired by the messages from Italy. Such messages generate a positive interest among the visitors that stopped by our stand. Changes for the next edition will be the slight change in date, which is usually in the first half of May. The new dates will be May 18-21 for the 2021 edition.