Institutions, companies and media attend the presentation of HIP – Horeca Professional Expo

Training content, exhibition areas and networking opportunities: the future of hospitality is coming to BolognaFiere from 19 to 21 October 2026 with HIP – Horeca Professional Expo, the new professional platform dedicated to the Ho.Re.Ca. sector, created with the aim of building an innovation ecosystem for entrepreneurs and decision-makers.

The format was created by Nebext, the Spanish organisation that has been a leader for more than ten years in the development of international business and innovation events. For the Italian market, communications and public relations are managed by our agency.

To introduce HIP to the Italian market, Nebext organised two events aimed at media representatives, companies and institutions, immediately attracting strong interest from across the sector. The kick-off event in Milan brought together many leading players from the hospitality and foodservice industries: alongside BolognaFiere, directly involved in the exhibition, FIPE and several other key organisations also expressed their support for a format widely considered to be much needed in the Italian market today.

The core of the exhibition will be the Hospitality 4.0 Congress, bringing together more than 400 international speakers from different countries and offering a programme featuring over 20 vertical summits dedicated to the various segments of the hospitality industry.

The programme will focus on the key strategic issues shaping the future of the sector: business competitiveness, management and differentiation, sustainability, technological innovation, scalability of business models and talent shortages.

HIP will position itself as a multispecialist event involving the entire hospitality ecosystem. The exhibition area will host more than 300 companies showcasing products, services and innovative solutions for the Horeca world. The main sectors represented at the exhibition will include: Digital World, Smart Kitchens & Equipment, Foodservice Solutions, Design & Experience, Automated Foodservice, Coffee, Bakery & Gelato, Steakhouse, Selected Brands, Wine & Spirits, Health & Safety, New Concepts & Franchises, Delivery & Food As A Service.

The arrival of HIP in Italy represents the expansion of a format already firmly established in Spain, where the event has just completed its tenth edition in Madrid, attracting more than 60,000 industry professionals, over 1,000 exhibiting companies and more than 700 international speakers involved in the Hospitality 4.0 Congress, now recognised as the world’s largest forum dedicated to Ho.Re.Ca. trends. The event generated an economic impact of more than €102 million.

Manuel Bueno, Director of HIP Italy, commented:

“With HIP, we aim to strengthen a meeting point created by the hospitality sector and for the hospitality sector, placing professionals at the centre and helping them evolve towards more competitive business models. For this reason, we are bringing together the most influential voices in the market and the latest innovations, with the goal of accelerating the sector’s transformation towards a more profitable, efficient, sustainable and resilient future.”