Horecava 2024

That's why a visit to Horecava is also worthwhile for German restaurateurs

An absolute trade fair highlight awaits the European catering industry right at the beginning of every year: Horecava, the largest catering trade fair in the Benelux countries, opens its doors in January. The international trade fair presents trends and products for the restaurant, catering and hotel industry at the exhibition center in Amsterdam. You can find out more details about the history, significance and focus of Horecava in the trade fair portrait on gastro-marktplatz.de.

Name: What is the full name?

The trade fair bears the name Horecava. This title is derived from the Dutch word „horeca“, which means „restaurant trade“ in German.

Location (place): Where does the Horecava take place?

The location of the trade fair is the exhibition and congress center in Amsterdam (RAI Amsterdam, Netherlands).

Type: What is the Gastromesse classified as?

Horecava is an international trade fair for hotels, catering businesses and commercial kitchens.

Organizer: Who is organizing the event?

The Horecava is organized by RAI Amsterdam.

History: How long has the Horecava been around?

In 1953, Dutchman Gerrit Staalman spoke out in favor of establishing a Dutch gastronomy trade fair in the gastronomy magazine „Misset Horeca“, for which he worked as a consultant. Four years later (1957), the first Horecava took place. Since 1959, the event has been held at the Amsterdam RAI exhibition center. In 1995, the organizers decided to open the fair exclusively to trade visitors.

Frequency: How often does the Gastromesse take place?

The event is held once a year, usually in January. In the course of the pure focus on a specialist audience since 1995, large breweries, coffee producers and exhibitors with a focus on commercial kitchens decided to only take part in the trade fair every two years, more precisely in the even years. These years were also known as the „wet“ Horecava, while the odd-numbered years were known as the „dry“ Horecava. Since 2008, the organizers have been trying to break up the two years.

Number of visitors: How many visitors come to the Horecava?

Around 75,000 visitors come to the Horecava every year.

Size: How large is the exhibition space?

The exhibition area covers around 110,000 m². Around 750 national and international exhibitors present products and solutions for the hospitality industry.

Target groups: Which target groups does the Horecava address?

• ExhibitorExhibitors at Horecava are primarily from the food and food industry. Service companies and manufacturers of catering and kitchen equipment can also be found at the trade fair.
• Trade visitorsTrade visitors mainly come from the hospitality industry (restaurants, hotels, catering). Professional representatives from canteen kitchens, professional and communal catering as well as the wholesale and retail trade also take part in the trade fair.
• PressJournalists who visit Horecava mainly report for the catering and hotel industry, but also for the retail sector

Significance & focus: What is the focus of the trade fair?

Horecava is the largest food service trade fair in the Netherlands and the Benelux. International exhibitors present trends, products, services and solutions for the entire food industry - from retail to gastronomy. The trade fair is divided into the following thematic areas:

• Bakery,
• Drinks,
• Snacks and fast food,
• Catering and canteen kitchen equipment,
• Equipment and inventory,
• Coffee, tea and cocoa,
• Food,

Wine Professional, an independent exhibition on the subject of wine, will also be held on the Horecava grounds.

Supporting program: What kind of supporting program can visitors expect?

A varied supporting program complements the Horecava exhibition. This includes lectures, presentations, workshops, cooking demonstrations and competitions. One of the highlights since 2001 has been the annual presentation of the Horecava Innovation Award. This honors particularly innovative products and ideas from the areas of Food & Beverages, Interior & Design and Equipment.

Digital offshoot: Does the Horecava also exist as an online trade fair?

Like many other trade fairs, Horecava 2021 was held purely digitally to counteract the further spread of the coronavirus. In the future, digital offerings will certainly complement the Horecava, although the focus will remain on the face-to-face trade fair, as many products have to be felt, smelled and tasted - in a completely analog way.

Topics: What have been the major specialist topics of the Horecava in recent years? :

Every year, the Horecava showcases the latest trends and products for restaurants, hotels, catering and catering facilities and other hospitality businesses in the neighboring country. It goes without saying that there are also many new and exciting trends for the German food and gastronomy scene to discover, as the Dutch are very open-minded and innovative.

Horecava focuses on the presentation of solutions from professionals for professionals (Business to Business, B2C). Establishing business contacts is an important part of the trade fair. The event also acts as an ordering platform for the catering industry. Of particular importance is the so-called InnovationLAB, which focuses on trends and start-ups from the food industry