PuntoItaly wire 2022

EXPO SWEET

Warsaw (Poland),
27 February – 1 March

The Warsaw convention centre reopened its doors after forced closure due to lockdown. And so, the largest Polish exhibition dedicated to the world of sweets and gelato was finally able to resume its usual and dynamic business activities.
Of course, the exhibition area was slightly smaller than the previous edition held two years ago: it is not simple to reactive all the gears, both on behalf of the exhibitors as well as the specialized operators. The organizers nonetheless declared to be satisfied with the results they obtained. 150 exhibiting companies, both national and international, participated in the event, coming specifically from Italy, Lithuania, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Regarding the visitors, there were more than 10 thousand.

The exhibition was the background for a rich calendar of competitions and shows that allowed us to approach “in-person” the state of art of creative techniques applied to the world of desserts.
The next edition is scheduled for February 26 to March 1, 2023.

ALIMENTARIA – HOSTELCO

Barcelona (Spain), 4 – 7 April

Spain followed Milan’s example, when in the Fall 2021 Host and Tuttofood joined forces to give life to a single event able to gather the attention of the entire HoReCa world and to send a significant sign of recovery to all professionals. The alliance of two leading industry exhibitions such as Alimentaria and Hostelco allowed the Barcelona Convention Centre to repeat this experiment in the spring which, considering all the factors of an international event, once again sent an electric charge to the industry, concentrating its attention on new developments in agri-food. Two prestigious names that, uniting themselves in the same space and the same dates, were able to return on top, creating the largest international platform for the food, gastronomy and foodservice equipment industries that occurred during the first semester of 2022.

All the relative numbers are interesting, with over 3000 exhibiting companies from 52 countries, covering a surface of 85.000 square meters, with 1.400 important buyers invited from strategic markets for exporting equipment for food and foodservice, who participated in 13.000 meetings with companies.
For puntoItaly, it was a new occasion to meet professionals in a generally optimistic context with the desire to continue working with enthusiasm and hope.

ROMA FOOD EXCEL

Rome (Italy), 24 – 27 April

Being at its first edition, this biennial trade fair event dedicated to the food and wine industry immediately attracted the attention of Italian and international
buyers, especially those coming from the Balkan countries. On an exhibition area of nearly 10 thousand square meters, we were able to approach the latest developments regarding the wheat industry: from bakery to fresh pasta, from pizza to pastry. Specific  mphasis was given to the gelato, beer, wine, bar, foodservice, packaging, and hotel industries, with an offer of the most advanced ingredients, machines and technologies. Many participated in the schedule of events consisting of masterclasses, workshops and seminars which allowed for an update on the current state of evolution in the agri-food world. And the national and international competitions thrilled the audience with spectacular performances. The Movida Competition for the best gelato with alcohol or best savoury gelato paired with an alcoholic drink awarded in a tie Mimmo Lucchese and Mattia Parri. Mario Serani won first place for the best pistachio gelato in the Palatino d’Oro competition. More than two hundred and fifty pizza chefs competed against each other in the Pizza Without Borders World Championship, consisting of eight categories over two days of competition. As part of the Gelato Show, the area dedicated to the presentation of events connected to artisanal gelato, a conference was held regarding the potential of investments in the artisanal sweets industry in Albania. Many interviews and live meetings with industry professionals were scheduled, together with two mini courses on marketing held by Franco Cesare Puglisi, editor of the puntoIT and puntoItaly magazines. Furthermore, the Italian Gelato Chefs Association organized two gelato competitions.

NRA

Chicago (USA), 21 – 24 May

After three years of waiting and suffering, the National Restaurant Association Show 2022 reunited the foodservice industry protagonists in a climate of renewed energy, desire for innovation and willingness to collaborate. The result was a four-day show at McCormick Place that had strong international participation, with over 51.000 foodservice professionals that observed, tasted and participated with enthusiasm in all the proposed activities. The words of Armetha Pihlstrom, Senior Director di US and Canada Foodservice Sales, Future Farm, an innovative producer of alternative plant-based meats, present at the event for the first time as an exhibitor, were significant: “This event is the Super Bowl for foodservice industry, the place where dreams become a reality for new brands that want to enter the industry and make a name for themselves. We had a great time at the Show. The chains and restaurants to whom I talked are of such a high profile, and we are enthusiastic about what this means for our brand and for our innovative industry”. This Chicago event confirms its position as a trampoline towards the complex American market,  hose commercial rules have become even more complex with the pandemic, but whose potential has been confirmed yet again as fundamental for any company that aims at significant international expansion.

BELLAVITA EXPO LONDON

London (Great Britain),
22 – 23 June

Walking through the pavilions of the prestigious Olympia National Hall convention centre, we felt a considerable buzz this year. The event, which has the goal of promoting the best Italian and Mediterranean food and wine, has recently acquired the European Pizza & Pasta Show, the main European event dedicated to pizza, pasta and bakery. In this way, this London exhibition rightly stands as a point of referencefor the best of what the immense industry of the Italian foodservice world has to offer. Organized with the support of Vinitaly and Cibus, the event welcomed more than 7 thousand visitors, including special guests and star chefs such as Giorgio Locatelli, the Master of Wine Peter McCombie, importers, distributors, buyers and many professionals with a desire to learn about the latest products and trends of the Ita ian and Mediterranean food & beverage market. Overall, 200 brands exhibited their products on a show floor that was always full of enthusiasm. Bellavita, as organizer of the event, also provided educational content, including masterclasses with starred chefs and wine experts, together with seminars and debates on market trends. The London trade show joins those held in Hamburg, Warsaw, Parma, Toronto, Chicago, Mexico City, Bangkok, Riga and Amsterdam.
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