PuntoItalyWire January-June 2018

SPECIALITY FOOD FESTIVAL

Dubai (UAE), 18-20 September

230 exhibitors – 15,000 visitors

2017 was marked by a change in the trade show calendar in Dubai, moving the Speciality Food Festival together with Seafex and Yummex to September, alongside the well-established Hotel Show.

Within the event, 13 new national collective areas were created, making it possible to further expand the range of the food specialties presented in the booths, including a large presence of Italian products.

Dedicated areas were provided for popular Italian foods including pasta, pizza, oil, wine, and of course artisanal gelato, increasingly known on the international stage, and that continues to expand its consumer base as people learn to appreciate what distinguishes it from ice cream, which has a well-established presence in this geographical area.

Once again for this edition of the trade show our magazine confirmed its role as media partner of the event, participating with its own corner inside the hall dedicated to the specialties of the food world. This gave us the opportunity to discuss and promote Italian products with visitors from dozens of different nations.

In addition to professionals from trading companies, it was also a pleasure to meet many end users, some of whom already use ingredients from Italy, and it was nice to see how – compared to years ago – most of them were locals with a passion for Italian cuisine, a sign that our products have become a part of international culture and are no longer supported exclusively by our expatriated fellow countrymen.

HOST

Milan (taly), 20-24 October

2,100 exhibitors – 187,000 visitors

Celebrating its 40th edition, the event – which is held every two years – has grown on all fronts. Professional visitors recorded an increase of 24.3% compared to 2015, of which 38.8% were international coming from 177 countries (+20.4%). The highest turnout was from European countries, China, USA, Russia, and the Middle East. Many also arrived from particularly distant countries, like Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Polynesia, and the African continent (specifically Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Rwanda, Zimbabwe). Once again visitors consisted in high-level professionals, mostly purchasing managers and corporate decision-makers, including over 1,500 hosted buyers from around the world.
As far as the merchandise categories are concerned, the event remains a must for the entire coffee world, both for major brands and niche roasters. Another longstanding category for the event that continues to grow and evolve is food equipment, both for the foodservice industry and baking. There were more than 500 events on the schedule, including the FIPGC World Pastry Championships that saw Italy triumph over 20 teams from around the world, ahead of China and Japan. There were also numerous events dedicated to the world of coffee, including the 5th Grand Prix of Italian Coffee.
The Exihs event shone the spotlight on the millennial tradition of Italian hospitality: a large cube that traced the history of hospitality through the use of surfaces and materials. Nearby, a lounge with a large back wall welcomed the basic products of Italian agriculture and cooking.

(More information about Host)

FOOD & HOSPITALITY CHINA

Shanghai (China), 14-16 November

2,500 exhibitors – 72,000 visitors

The last stop outside Europe of the itinerary that takes puntoItaly to the major world trade shows was a destination in mid-November that is over 9,000 kilometres and 7 time zones from home.

Sniec – the Shanghai New International Expo Center – is located in Pudong, 30 kilometres from the international airport, in a rapidly developing area with over 5 million inhabitants, a significant share of the almost 25 million inhabitants in the large urban area of Shanghai. With its international events, numerous trading offices, and several skyscrapers – some of which are more than 400 meters high – the expo center is always filled with crowds of bustling businesspeople.
Covering 85,000 square meters of exhibition space, Food & Hospitality China exhibitors include companies coming from 75 different nations of the world, resulting in a very upbeat atmosphere that has a strong impact on local visitors who are very attentive to all that is new and different.
Whether it be meat, fish, bread, chocolate, oil, or artisanal gelato, every type of food has its own space of expression and many exhibitors entice the public with tastings and seminars that make it possible to learn more about ingredients that are new and exotic for the Asian public. Our magazine’s corner was positioned in the heart of the Italian pavilion and this fuelled the curiosity of those visitors who are not yet profound connoisseurs of our culture, but who are attracted to it.
This long journey ended the sixth year of our magazine’s trade show schedule, but as early as next February we’ll be back on the road, traveling to the food world’s most important trade events.

> PuntoItalyWire2017

> PuntoItalyWire2016