The next edition of Alimentaria & Hostelco, which will be held from 18 to 21 March at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, will feature a programme of activities which will address the main challenges facing the food and beverage industry in terms of innovation, digitalisation and internationalisation of its markets. More than 350 sessions, including presentations, round tables, congresses and demonstrations – with a special focus on the Horeca channel and its socio-economic importance – in which around 700 top-level experts will be taking part.
The show’s now classic innovation and business centre, The Alimentaria Hub, will bring together more than 200 experts in management, entrepreneurship and marketing. Its debates and presentations will focus on new market trends, with an emphasis on sustainability, health and wellness and internationalisation. Highlights include sessions such as those featuring chef Ferran Adrià and nutritionist and influencer Carlos Ríos, the exhibition of the show’s 300 most innovative products (Innoval), the solutions proposed by 14 start-ups set to revolutionise the food and hospitality sector, and the 14th International Mediterranean Diet Congress.
In addition, at The Alimentaria Hub, the Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Industries (FIAB) will hold a conference focused on innovation which will include topics such as the application of Artificial Intelligence in the development of new products. The consultancy firm Lantern will give a presentation on the ten keys to successful innovation in a complex environment, and Innova will present the top 10 market and consumer trends for 2024. Eatable Adventures, one of the sector’s leading startup accelerators, will analyse the growing investment in FoodTech in Spain and Europe.
According to J. Antonio Valls, managing director of Alimentaria Exhibitions, “in this edition, Alimentaria&Hostelco has focused on programming content of maximum interest to professionals from the Horeca channel, manufacturing, distribution and retail, with the ultimate goal of adding value to their businesses. We want the event to be an appointment to learn, share, experience and discover the great challenges and future trends of the sector”.
Commitment to the Horeca channel
Alimentaria&Hostelco 2024 will give special prominence to the Horeca channel, driven by the joint celebration of both events. The Horeca Hub, Coffee, Bakery & Pastry Taste&Talks and Catering in Collectivities Meeting Point, three areas for the dissemination of content aimed specifically at the catering, food service and hospitality sectors, will make their debut, in addition to three others aimed at the rest of the food and beverage industry.
The Horeca Hub will delve into key content for the future of this industry, such as digitalisation, attracting and retaining talent and delivery, as well as showcasing the latest trends in gastronomy, food service and hospitality equipment, with the participation of renowned chefs and experts.
This new space will host more than 150 initiatives, including cooking demonstrations, talks and competitions. These include showcookings by starred chefs such as Joan Roca, Quique Dacosta, Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, Elena Arzak, Diego Schattenhoffer, Ramon Freixa, Álvaro Salazar, Xavier Pellicer and Rafa Zafra, who will focus on the “Taste of the Mediterranean”, based on the region’s gastronomic tradition. It will also be the setting for award ceremonies and competitions such as Chef of the Year, Waiter of the Year and Best Steak Tartar.
Digitalisation and innovation will permeate the areas destined to exhibit collaborative robots; products and solutions competing for the Hostelco Awards, as well as showcasing innovative projects that are finalists in the Food&Hospitality StartUps competition.
In the Horeca Talks congress space, there will be a series of conferences and round tables to present the challenges facing the hospitality industry, and there will be workshops organised by leading sector associations, such as Marcas de Restauración; Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI); and AECOC, the Spanish Association of Manufacturers and Distributors.
These sessions will also have the collaboration of the European Foodservice Summit (EFSS), the European Foodservice Summit; the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT); the Hotel Technology Institute (ITH) and the Spanish Confederation of Hotel and Catering Businesses, among others.
Coffee, bakery and pastry masters
The event will have a new sector dedicated to coffee, bakery and pastry, with numerous tastings, demonstrations and presentations by top pastry chefs, bakers and bartenders, such as Oriol Balaguer, Daniel Jordà, and Enric Badia, along with latte art world champions Carmen Clemente and Manuela Fensore. The national final of the Neapolitan Pizza World Championship will also be held.
The show will also host an exclusive area linked to social and collective catering with an area of activities aimed at professionals from this segment of the industry, where the 6th Collective Catering Congress will take place.
The best olive oils and organic products
The Olive Oil Bar, a select space for self-guided tastings of around one hundred Spanish extra virgin olive oils (EVOO), will once again be one of the most popular and attractive areas at Alimentaria&Hostelco. This year, it will be sponsored by #alimentosdeespaña – which will be showcasing the best extra virgin olive oils from the 2023/24 campaign awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food – and CaixaBank.
Meanwhile, in the Organic Market & Trends area, with the support of FIAB, there will be around twenty sectoral activities and commercial presentations focused on the potential of organically produced foodstuffs.
Alimentaria & Hostelco, the success of a union
Alimentaria & Hostelco, organised by Alimentaria Exhibitions, a Fira de Barcelona company, will be attended by around 3,200 exhibitor companies, which will occupy 100,000 net m2 and seven pavilions, practically the whole of Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Vía venue. It also expects to welcome more than 100,000 professional visitors, reaffirming its leadership as the main platform for business, internationalisation and networking.
