Madrid celebrates the quality of the hospitality sector at the closing of the #GuexTour

On 30 May, Madrid put the finishing touch to the presentation tour of GUEXT, the new international exhibition of suppliers and services for the Hospitality sector organised by IFEMA MADRID and FELAC, which will open its first edition from 18 to 21 October. After having visited strategic places such as Barcelona, San Sebastian, Valencia and Lucena (Cordoba), the capital hosted this last stop of the GuexTour in which experts and leaders of the sector shared experiences and knowledge, as well as the keys that shape the future of the hospitality sector.  

The Director of Business Development at IFEMA MADRID and Guext, Lola González, opened the meeting where she stated that "GUEXT values the leadership of this sector, redesigning fundamental pillars such as innovation, commitment to sustainability, business and technology. These concepts defined as essential for the advancement of the sector will be present at the fair, among other ways, through specific areas such as the Innovation Gallery or the Guext Forum, which will host activities of very diverse and specialised themes for the entire Hospitality industry. In addition, Guext will feature the digital platform LIVE Connect, which will allow visitors to enjoy exclusive content and networking with industry professionals".

Innovation, sustainability and new trends in the hospitality sector
The conference was attended by Pilsa's commercial director, Manolo Tornay, who gave a talk on the bespoke kitchens and catering equipment project for the new Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Among the actions carried out by the company is the management of the 52 bars and fast food areas spread throughout the stadium or the 27 avant-garde kitchens in the VIP boxes and the Stadium Museum area.

Finally, moderated by Rafael Olmos, the round table discussion 'Present and future of the hospitality industry' took place with representatives from leading companies in the hospitality equipment sector and future GUEXT exhibitors. Sergio Isabel, commercial director of Repagas, Daniel Domènech, general manager of Pujadas, Juan José Mach, general manager of Quality Espresso, Raúl Sanz, general manager of Fricosmos, and Manolo Tornay, debated the current situation of hospitality, changes in consumption and the main challenges they face.

Among the new hospitality trends that were discussed at the round table, it is worth highlighting the reference to the demanded take away formats and the increasing penetration of hybrid business formats that combine hospitality and retail, such as supermarkets or snack bars and also catering establishments selling gourmet food, the segmentation in gastronomic tastes or the search not only for the consumption of a product.