Innovation, sustainability and global connections for the HORECA sector
Director of Hostelco
As the hospitality industry undergoes rapid transformation, trade shows are becoming essential platforms to connect players, share knowledge and anticipate future trends. Within this context, Hostelco plays a pivotal role at Alimentaria + Hostelco 2026, bringing together hospitality, foodservice and retail to foster innovation, sustainability and internationalisation.
On the occasion of Alimentaria’s 50th anniversary, we spoke with Céline Pérez to learn more about the strategic importance of this edition and the opportunities it will create for the horeca industry worldwide..
What role does Hostelco play within Alimentaria + Hostelco 2026 as a platform connecting the hospitality, foodservice and retail sectors?
Hostelco is the space where the hospitality industry meets innovation, design and technology. Within Alimentaria + Hostelco 2026, it plays a pivotal role by bringing together all the key players of horeca and creating a natural bridge with the foodservice and retail sectors.
This cross-cutting approach ensures that equipment, technology, gastronomy and new business models are interconnected, allowing professionals to explore solutions that go far beyond their own industry and to discover synergies that make them more competitive and sustainable. In short, Hostelco amplifies the event’s capacity to generate value by showing how hospitality is an essential partner of the entire food chain.
How will the event address the key themes shaping the future of horeca, such as innovation, sustainability and internationalisation?
These three themes are at the heart of our next edition. Innovation will be present not only through cutting-edge equipment and digital solutions, but also with initiatives such as the Food & Hospitality Startups area, which will showcase disruptive proposals from entrepreneurs.
Sustainability, on the other hand, is now a nonnegotiable demand from consumers and businesses alike, and Hostelco will present solutions ranging from energy-efficient equipment to sustainable interior design and eco-friendly catering models.
Finally, internationalisation is one of our strongest pillars: we expect nearly a third of the exhibitors to come from outside Spain, Our mission is to enable professionals to close profitable and scalable deals, both domestically and internationally. Therefore, we have increased our investment to attract key buyers and expand the number of business meetings, thus consolidating our role as generators of real opportunities in an international environment.
In this edition, we hope to expand to more than 70 strategic countries, including Portugal, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Morocco, Belgium, France, and the United States. We plan to facilitate more than 14,000 business meetings with international buyers, making the event a true gateway to global expansion.
How strategic are the synergies between the food and hospitality industries in responding to the main challenges of the sector and fostering new global business opportunities?
They are absolutely strategic. The hospitality sector cannot evolve without the food industry, and vice versa. Today’s consumer wants an integrated experience: high-quality food, but also the right atmosphere, efficient service and responsible practices.
By bringing both worlds together, Alimentaria + Hostelco creates the conditions for companies to co-create solutions, whether that means developing new concepts for restaurants, embracing digitalisation, or promoting healthier and more sustainable food experiences.
These synergies are also the key to addressing the sector’s global challenges: from supply chain resilience to workforce training and adapting to new consumer demands.
Our alliance facilitates the work of buyers, who find solutions ranging from food production to the most innovative equipment for the hospitality industry in a single space. This complementarity allows us to approach the sector from all angles, creating a highly specialized space where supply and demand meet.
This edition marks Alimentaria’s 50th anniversary: what is the significance of this milestone and how does it reinforce the event’s position as an international benchmark?
Celebrating 50 years means celebrating half a century of leadership and service to the industry. Alimentaria has accompanied companies through profound transformations, and its longevity is proof of its relevance and capacity to adapt.
For its part, the Hostelco brand was created in 1977, which reaffirms its consolidation in the trade fair market. Being part of Alimentaria’s 50th anniversary: underlines our shared mission: to be not just a trade fair, but a true international benchmark for knowledge, networking and business generation.
This milestone strengthens our role as a platform that shapes the future of food and hospitality, while honouring the history and achievements that brought us here. Looking ahead to 2026, we’re building a new experience.
This 2026 event will feature a revamped HORECA HUB under the motto “The Shift,” offering sessions on new ways of thinking and leading. The event will add new areas for Coffee and Bakery & Pastry, with a barista championship, a “Coffee Route,” and a “Future” hub exploring industry changes.
The “Collective Catering Meeting Point” will be expanded, and the Hostelco Awards will become the Horeca Awards with new categories. From global competitiveness to the launch of new initiatives Alimentaria + Hostelco 2026 confirms its role as a benchmark event for the hospitality and food sectors.
With its strong international dimension and focus on the future of horeca, the event will once again serve as a meeting point where innovation, sustainability and business growth converge.
www.alimentaria.com
