Hooray for HoReCa at Ambiente 2020

Without a doubt, Ambiente's dining area is the most comprehensive trend indicator every year for anyone who is involved professionally with products for the laying of tables. Whether it's new tableware or cutlery, glasses, carafes, shelves, vases, products for warming, products for keeping things fresh, or table accessories – the Frankfurt World Trade Fair for Consumer Goods presents all the important design innovations that will dominate the market in 2020.

Next year, the Dining segment will be expanded further, to the extent that it will demand its own hall – specially designed for the hotel, restaurant and catering sector (HoReCa). Bundled on its own level in Hall 6.0 – and thus in the immediate vicinity of the tableware products in Halls 3, 4, 6.1 and 6.2 – trade visitors with a focus on HoReCa will find everything the sector has to offer in terms of trends and new products.

There will be particular focus put on front of house – i.e. on all the beautiful, useful things that are visible to hotel guests and restaurant visitors and which are used to present both food, as well as the spaces where food is eaten, in a creative way. After all, that's the name of the game for those professionally involved in the selection of table elements – whether hoteliers, chefs or wholesalers: it’s about creating their own individual table experiences, ones that stand out, ones that fit their own homes and which inspire guests and customers.

Nicolette Naumann, Vice President of Ambiente, explains the expansion and new focus on this part of the Dining segment as follows: ‘The HoReCa segment has been developing extremely successfully for several years. By expanding our range, we are responding both to the sustained growth and to the needs of the industry, and ensuring that in future our visitors will be able to focus even more specifically on topics at the interface of hospitality and the laid table.’

Keyword: hospitality. Those who work in hotels, hospitals and nursing homes have known for a long time that it is not just a matter of the robustness of a range of tableware, for example, that matters. Of course, functional aspects such as stackability, the matching of vessel sizes to tray, and transport container dimensions do play a role. But here, too, the rule of thumb is: we also eat with the eyes! And since this topic always involves large quantities and thus also large investments, the current range on the market needs to be carefully evaluated and selected. And not just on the basis of photos on websites or in catalogues, but rather tangibly and concretely on site at a trade fair, and with face-to-face conversations.

In general, the catering and hospitality sectors adhere to a very special set of rules because in these industries, the central goal is to supply a large number of people almost simultaneously while at the same time not ignoring the individual, to keep food warm or cool and fresh, and to present it in an appetising way. And sometimes at different locations for different groups of people, each with their own preferences in terms of design and presentation style. The fine differences and details are therefore crucial here in order to be able to offer suitable solutions for every new guest and customer.

Ambiente 2020 will undoubtedly score points for the enormous variety of products on offer, especially for the hotel, restaurant and catering sector: Already, more than 200 suppliers in the dining sector present products and collections specialising in HoReCa – in addition to their ranges aimed at end consumers. From next year, these, and new suppliers focusing on the segment, will be exhibiting in Hall 6.0. Further HoReCa exhibitors will be represented in the other Dining Halls and can easily be found via the Contract Business & HoReCa Guide.

But that's not all: in order to shed more light on new trends and developments, the Ambiente trade fair team has developed a tailor-made supporting programme in the form of the so-called HoReCa Academy, in which renowned industry experts will inform and inspire with lectures, discussions and guided tours. They will include, for example, hospitality expert and consultant Pierre Nierhaus: ‘For me, hospitality is the premier class for successful interaction with people. From innovative catering concepts to growth opportunities and trends – the new HoReCa Academy brings visitors to Ambiente right up to date, and provides insights into all aspects of international hospitality.’

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