The 50th edition confirms last year’s results and strengthens the role of the trade fair as a meeting hub for the HoReCa industry.
Focus on inclusion, accessible hospitality and outdoor trends.
The 50th edition of Hospitality – Il Salone dell’Accoglienza, the leading international trade fair for the HoReCa sector in Italy, organised by Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, closed with highly positive results.
Attendance remained in line with the previous edition, with nearly 20,000 visitors, confirming the event’s strength and its ability to anticipate market developments and respond to industry needs. Notably, 38% of attendees were new professionals — a segment increasingly oriented towards investment, seeking strategic partners, services and innovative solutions to support business growth. This was also reflected in exhibitors’ feedback, who identified Hospitality as the ideal platform to connect with qualified professionals genuinely interested in future projects.«With its 50th edition, Hospitality celebrated the evolution of the HoReCa sector, placing at the centre the entire ecosystem of companies, operators, partners, associations and institutions involved. A milestone that reinforces the role of the event as a hub for the HoReCa community, fostering dialogue across sectors and supporting their growth», said Roberto Pellegrini, President of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi.
All exhibition areas — from food & beverage to technologies and equipment for hospitality, from contract to wellness and outdoor (with over 750 exhibitors) — recorded strong attendance, with vibrant spaces and high levels of engagement throughout the event. The education programme, featuring more than 150 events, once again proved to be a strategic core of the exhibition, offering opportunities for professional development, skills enhancement and forward-looking insights. The breadth of the exhibition offering remains a distinctive strength of the event.
The outdoor segment also attracted significant interest, reflecting a growing trend that is increasingly relevant across all areas of hospitality, including smaller businesses.
«This edition confirms the solidity of Hospitality and its ability to evolve alongside the industry. The quality of attendance, content and participation highlights its role as a meeting place and a reference platform for innovation, dialogue and the development of the entire hospitality supply chain», commented Alessandra Albarelli, General Manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi.
Relationships, inclusion and emerging trends
Hospitality 2026 strongly highlighted the value of connection, a common thread running through the entire event and its celebratory moments across the four days. The quality and duration of visits from both attendees and exhibitors underlined the importance of relationships, making the event not only a business platform but also a place to connect and exchange ideas.
Content-wise, accessibility and inclusion were key themes, increasingly central in food offerings, with solutions designed to meet the needs of a diverse audience. Among the featured projects, DI OGNUNO offered visitors the opportunity to experience accessibility in outdoor settings, including the “dark café” by Abilnova and initiatives developed with AIC – Italian Coeliac Association. There was also growing interest in non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages, which gained a structured presence within the exhibition alongside leading players in mixology — interpreters of expertise, innovation and new approaches to contemporary beverage culture.
Hospitality, culture and the future
Hospitality continues to evolve beyond the exhibition itself, with a new presence at Casa Sanremo at the end of February. Last year’s experience brought to Riva del Garda an immersive, multi-sensory experiential area focused on neuroscience applied to hospitality.
«This year, we will develop content dedicated to accessible hospitality, with a particular focus on the relationship between music, sound and wellbeing within hospitality spaces. The initiative aims to raise awareness among a wider audience of the importance of the sensory dimension in shaping truly inclusive and high-quality hospitality experiences», explained Giovanna Voltolini, Exhibition Manager of Hospitality.
Accessibility and the DI OGNUNO project will also be featured at We Make Future, scheduled at BolognaFiere from 24 to 26 June.
Looking ahead
Hospitality closes with an extremely positive outcome, strengthening its role as a strategic platform for connection, innovation and growth across the entire hospitality sector.
The 2026 edition highlighted an increasingly dynamic and cohesive industry, capable of recognising itself as an inclusive, forward-looking community ready to face new challenges through education, dialogue, collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The next appointment is set for February 2027 for the 51st edition of Hospitality - Il Salone dell’Accoglienza.
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