Over 180,000 visitors attended the 42nd edition of the Host Milan expo, as guests from across the globe came together to connect and discuss recent trends in the hospitality industry.
Forty-two per cent of guests arrived from outside Italy, coming from over 166 countries, as the #HostMilano hashtag on Instagram reached over 1.4 million impressions.
Over 2100 exhibitors from 50 countries were able to showcase the latest in hospitality and coffee innovation during the expo.
Host Milan showcased the winners of the Smart Label Host Innovation Awards. After 157 products were entered, the 26 award-winners were put on display throughout the event.
A variety of coffee competitions and events took place during the four-day event, including the Eighth Grand Prix of Italian Coffee Making.
The competition saw baristas prepare a range of drinks, including two cappuccinos, two espresso coffees, and two cold coffee-based drinks containing an Italian food and wine product.
In the allotted 13-minute time period, competitors were also tasked with setting up and dismantling their workstations.
Out of the 15 competitors, Gianluca Tofani of Riccione was crowned the winner, followed by Luciana Matera of Pordenone as runner up and Matteo Ginelli of Lesmo in third place.
The second edition of the Moka Challenge took place during the event, which had competitors look to extract the best coffee using the ‘Moka’ method.
Denis Ferrari finished first, while Diletta Sisti and Alfonso Pepe placed second and third respectively.
The National and World Latte Art Grading Championship for 2023 saw four winners emerge from each colour category to test their Latte Art Grading System (LAGS) skills.
The winners of the LAGS battles were Giuseppe D’Arco (green), Salvatore Riunno (red), Carmela Maresca (black) and Michele Zhonghua Hu (gold).
The Milano Latte Art Challenge saw Manuela Fensore from Italy emerge victorious in a head-to-head final against France’s Neora Schwarts.