Rimini (Italy), 17 December 2024 - SIGEP World - The World Expo for Foodservice Excellence is preparing to welcome an unprecedented international participation with a large presence of delegations, associations and foreign trade confederations, testifying to the growing importance of the Italian Exhibition Group exhibition in the global Foodservice panorama.  The event, to be held at Rimini Expo Centre from 18^th to 22^nd January, will host exhibitors from 33 countries, which, besides Italy, will mainly come from Germany, Spain, China, France, Turkey, Belgium, Poland and the United States, countries that are crucial for the development of business relations in the Show’s various sectors: Gelato (the Italian Frozen dessert), Pastry, Bakery, Coffee, Chocolate and Pizza. Technological innovation will feature in every supply chain, making the event a privileged showcase for discovering the latest trends and innovative solutions that are transforming the global foodservice universe. And, in addition to the now historically consolidated markets, new geographic areas will be appearing at SIGEP World.

SAUDI ARABIA, GUEST COUNTRY AT SIGEP 2025

This edition will feature Saudi Arabia as Guest Country. With a rapidly expanding market and a growing demand for technological innovation, Saudi Arabia, the nation nominated to host Expo 2030, is emerging as a new frontier for the hospitality and catering industry and will represent a strategic opportunity for companies, offering new perspectives for the global foodservice industry. In fact, a delegation of top Saudi Arabian buyers is expected to arrive in Rimini specifically for SIGEP World and will include big names such as Barn's, a coffee shop chain with more than 800 points of sale, Elite Hospitality/Al-Nahla Group, a leading hospitality company, and Al Tazaj, a chain of quick service restaurants with over 120 venues.

International buyer and stakeholder influx to SIGEP will also be facilitated by the activation - for the show’s duration - of a direct Munich-Rimini flight (https://www.luxwing.com/).

GLOBAL MARKETS INCREASINGLY ATTRACTED TO THE ITALIAN OUT-OF-HOME INDUSTRY

SIGEP World 2025 will give technological innovation and sustainability in Foodservice a considerable boost with over 40 international events, including talks and competitions, involving 60 speakers from the Out-of-Home industry. More than 520 buyers from 79 countries, such as the United States, India, Canada, Brazil, Turkey and China have already joined the Top Buyers' Programme organised to facilitate the encounter between supply and demand at the exhibition. The profiles represent the main players in the Foodservice industry: 34% come from chains - such as gelato parlours, restaurants, quick service restaurants, pastry shops, coffee shops, bakeries, pizzerias and hotel chains - while 28% are producers and artisan workshops. The assemblage will be completed by 20% importers, 14% distributors and wholesalers, and 4% large-scale retail trade and mass catering representatives. These will be joined by more than 2,500 European buyers from Spain, Germany, France, Romania, Greece and the United Kingdom, who will be included in the Premium Programme. The event’s ability to attract such a wide range of markets is proven by the attendance of countries such as the United States, a major global promoter of Pizza - a sector that will see further expansion at Sigep World -, Germany and Spain, best European performers of artisan gelato. Key markets for international business include the United Kingdom, where Coffee and Pastry play a central role in Food & Beverage, and France, which boasts strong ties with Bakery and Pastry. Institutional attendance at SIGEP World is also one of the show’s strong points, thanks to the consolidated network and strategic relations forged by Italian Exhibition Group in synergy with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Italian Trade Agency (TA). Foreign delegations will be arriving from the Americas with the North American Ice Cream Association from the United States, the Baking Association of Canada (BAC) and the Associação Brasileira do Sorvete and Outros Gelados Comestíveis from Brazil, reflecting the strategic importance of these markets, particularly in terms of the Gelato and Bakery industries. Africa, where the Foodservice market is evolving rapidly, will be represented by the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) and the Tunisian Union of Industry Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA). The Korean Bakery Association and the Turkish Chefs Federation (TASFED) will be arriving from Asia, while Uzbekistan will be taking part through the Uzbekistan Food Industry Association (UFIA). Lastly, Europe will be extensively involved thanks to major associations such as the Deutscher Konditorenbund from Germany, CEOPPAN, the reference association in Spain for the bakery sector, the Confédération Nationale des Glaciers de France from France and the HORECA Industry Association (HORA) from Romania, an emerging market with high potential for the catering industry. Also, not to be forgotten are the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Restaurant Association of Singapore, the Brussels-based Airline Catering Association and the Indonesia Tourism Industry Association.

SIGEP ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP PRESS CONTACTS

head of media relations & corporate communications: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini; press office specialist: Mirko Malgieri

international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; media@iegexpo.it

MEDIA AGENCY SIGEP: Mind The Pop

Martina Vacca: martina@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 339 748 4994; Fabrizio Raimondi: fabrizio@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 335 389 848; Benedetto Colli: benedetto@mindthepop.it, mob. 380 371 2272; Stefano Chiossi: stefano@mindthepop.it, mob. + 39 388 739 4358.