Host 2025 opens in Milan on 17 October

Featuring new technologies, formats and with renewed focus on coffee, bar and artisan baking sectors, Fiera Milano presents Host 2025, one of the world’s leading trade shows for hospitality, out-of-home and food retail, taking place 17-21 October.

From smart automation to AI-driven menus and sustainability influencing choices and consumption habits, hospitality and out-of-home experiences are undergoing an unprecedented evolution: to offer customers increasingly multisensory and immersive experiences, cutting-edge technologies are merging with design and functionality to create hi-tech yet welcoming solutions.

These trends are driving market growth: according to ExportPlanning data, in 2024 the global production of the sectors represented at Host 2025 amounts to €189.9 billion ($221.3bn), with professional foodservice equipment leading the way, posting an 8.6% increase over the previous year. In this context of global growth, Italy reaffirms its leading role in exports: as highlighted by ICE – the Italian Trade Agency for the promotion and internationalisation of Italian companies – the country holds the global leadership in coffee and vending machines with a 29.8% market share.

More than 1,700 exhibitors are registered – from top players to outstanding SMEs – with 44% of them coming from 54 different countries. Alongside Italy, the most active countries include Germany, Spain, France, the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom. There are also exhibitors from South America and Southeast Asia.

These companies will meet with over 700 hosted buyers from around 75 countries. Key target sectors include distributors, retailers and exporters/importers; restaurants, foodservice and out-of-home; retail and large-scale distribution; hospitality businesses; shopping centres and venues; chefs, professionals and consultants. The main foreign regions of origin are the Americas (35%), the Middle East and Africa (28%), Asia and Oceania (14%), as well as Europe and CIS countries (24%).

Host 2025 will offer a comprehensive overview of innovation in the sector, alongside in-depth focus areas in specific segments, organised by supply chain affinity: professional foodservice and bakery, pasta, pizza, coffee, tea, bar, coffee machines-vending, gelato-pastry, tableware, technology, contract furnishing.

Alongside bakery, the other face of the increasingly experience-oriented evolution of out-of-home consumption is the bar and coffee world, which is also undergoing major transformations. From endless iced coffee recipes to nitro coffee prepared with liquid nitrogen, consumers are seeking a special, personalised touch in venues capable of creating a multisensory experience.

This dynamism is also reflected in the numbers: combining at-home and out-of-home consumption, Statista estimates that the global market closed 2024 with a value of $461.30bn, is projected to exceed the $500bn threshold in 2028, and is expected to reach $521.90bn by the end of the decade.

Host 2025 will feature the bar and coffee sectors with SIC – the International Coffee Exhibition – a global benchmark where the entire Italian and international supply chain is represented, from green bean to cup.

This year, SIC also welcomes the much-anticipated return of the World Barista Championship.

The World Barista Championship brings together the most skilled
baristas from across more than 50 countries to compete for the title of World Barista Champion – an accolade that has inspired generations of coffee professionals and shaped the evolution of specialty coffee around the world.
Since its debut in 2000, the WBC has served as a catalyst for innovation, community-building and knowledge-sharing and has become a space where baristas, brewers, tasters and roasters come together to showcase their craft, challenge the status quo and inspire the next generation of coffee leaders. The approaches, tools and ideas first seen on the WBC stage often set the
tone for what’s next in specialty coffee globally.

This year, as the competition celebrates its 25th anniversary, audiences can look forward to new and immersive features never seen before at the WBC, including live espresso extraction data available to audience members during performances, offering deeper insights into the precision and creativity that define the world’s top baristas. The competition will take place 17-20 October culminating in a special fifth day on October 21, dedicated entirely to the crowning of the 2025 World Barista Champion and a 25th anniversary celebration that honours the people, moments and global coffee community that have made this milestone possible.

“We are proud and delighted to welcome the SCA to Host 2025. With over 2,000 brands from 54 countries, HostMilano is the world’s leading exhibition for the hospitality, out-of-home and food retail industries,” said Francesca Cavallo, head of hospitality exhibitions, Fiera Milano. “This important partnership consolidates HostMilano as a global reference for the entire coffee world
and testifies to Milan’s role as one of the great coffee capitals of the world. The World Barista Championship, the most prestigious among the World Coffee Championships, will bring many of the world’s top baristas to the exhibition, attracting new target audiences of coffee lovers among hospitality professionals, and providing an opportunity to preview the most exciting new
trends.”

“Given it’s scale and importance, HostMilano is the perfect location to hold the World Barista Championship” said Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the SCA. “The Fiera Milano team’s commitment to excellence aligns perfectly with our mission to elevate the barista profession and showcase the finest talents on a global stage. As we gather in this iconic city, we not only celebrate the art of coffee-making but also pay homage to the timeless tradition that continues
to inspire coffee lovers worldwide.”