From 3 to 7 February the Ambiente was held simoultenously with the consumer goods fairs Christmasworld and Creativeworld and attracted 154,000 trade visitors from all over the world to Frankfurt. There, the world's leading consumer goods fair with its unique sector and product diversity for the table, kitchen and household once again proved that it is the unrivalled No. 1 in the Dining segment worldwide. The hospitality growth area provided the central marketplace for the international contract business and presented the hospitality trends of tomorrow at the HoReCa Academy.

It is the global hotspot for trends and new products, for exclusive designs as well as for innovative gastronomy and hospitality concepts: The hospitality area at Ambiente. As an enormous growth area, the Special Interest segment, which is attached to the world's leading Dining section of the Ambiente, continued to be a strong focus at the world’s leading consumer goods fair. Whether well-known companies, small manufacturers or outfitters – they all met at the global meeting place for the sector in Frankfurt. There, they presented themselves to specialised trade buyers from all over the world and invited visitors to order and network amidst great euphoria and in an exclusive atmosphere. As the central marketplace for the international contract business, the focus topic hospitality found its new home in the fully booked hall 11. "The new hospitality hall is the showplace for innovations and the place-to-be for the industry. We have enlarged and thematically expanded the segment and ensured the best possible orientation and optimum structures: Hall 11 is centrally embedded in the environment of the product groups Table, Modern Kitchen & Baking and Cook & Cut and offers plenty of space for targeted exchange between exhibitors and visitors", explained Thomas Kastl, Director Ambiente Dining. "The concept worked – we experienced an overwhelming turnout and a concentrated rush from intercontinental countries. The positive mood and the confidence of the industry exceeded all expectations."

Paul Schultes, sales manager and authorised signatory of Picard & Wielpütz, emphasised the successful course of the fair and the resultful start to the ordering season: "The last few days of the fair were very positive for us and we were very satisfied with the flow of visitors. We are very happy that we were finally able to be here again and that Ambiente is taking place again after a three-year break. Many customers reached us both nationally and internationally. We were in the hall 11 for the first time. We felt we were in very good hands and think the hall environment is very fitting." This was confirmed by the high satisfaction ratings from exhibitors, 93 per cent of whom rated their participation as a success. Bertrand Lecante, Marketing Director of RAK Porzellan, particularly emphasised Frankfurt's role as the industry centre and global marketplace for the hospitality segment: "We have really missed the big Ambiente in the last three years. It was always the meeting place of the year on a global level. It was the opportunity to make personal contacts again, to present the new products and to explain the new brand strategy.

Almost all our existing distributors came: I saw customers from Asia, from Africa, from North America and of course from Europe. As far as hospitality is concerned, Frankfurt's location in the middle of Germany is very important for customers."

Embedded between the high-quality exhibitor stands in hall 11.0, the HoReCa Academy was the magnet for trade visitors and the signpost for the hospitality trends of tomorrow. In an exclusive, inviting atmosphere, the lecture area welcomed interested trade visitors and enabled them to look beyond their own horizons: renowned entrepreneurs, top international speakers and renowned experts from the industry invited them to exciting lectures every day. They spoke about current developments and challenges in the market, presented innovative gastronomy concepts and gave an outlook on the dynamic growth of the hospitality field. Among the top guests were trend researcher Hanni Rützler, the owner of the future agency "Haute Innovation", Pierre Nierhaus, trend expert, and Sascha Peters, curator of the special presentation "Circular Materials for Future Dining".

The steadily growing hospitality area shone with its unique sector and product diversity. In addition to kitchen utensils, tableware and products for cooking preparation, this also included the areas of chafing and transport, tabletop, café and bar, menu cards and boards as well as restaurant and kitchen equipment. The mix of topics and product ranges offered strong synergy effects from which the specialised trade visitors benefited. Demand ranged from "front of house" products, such as modern cutlery and crockery designs and creative presentation forms for the buffet, to "back of house" products, like pots, pans and electrical appliances for large kitchens, to "out of house" articles, such as aesthetic and sustainable packaging. The wide variety of products on offer was reflected in the broadly diversified trade audience and attracted commercially oriented trade buyers from the contract business, hotel and restaurant, catering and food & beverage, furnishing, architecture and design sectors as well as from product development. The flourishing focus topic hospitality thus also highlighted synergy effects for buyers from the areas of contract business and new work.

Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld will continue to be held simultaneously at the Frankfurt exhibition center: