Horeca Expo in 2021
On 23 July, the National Security Council gave the go-ahead to restart fairs from September 1st, subject to (i) strict compliance with the fair protocol, (ii) the agreement of the local authorities, and (iii) as far as epidemiological conditions allow.
In recent months Easyfairs, organiser of Horeca Expo, has invested heavily in developing and providing all the strict safety standards and procedures to make our fairs even safer places to meet and do business, not only in accordance with the fair protocol, but also with stricter health and safety regulations.
In recent weeks, however, we have received a lot of reactions from the market that exhibitors are worried about being present at a physical event at Flanders Expo. Since we want to listen to the market and value the opinions and concerns of our exhibitors, we contacted them at the beginning of September to gauge their intentions to participate.
More than 96% of the exhibitors chose to postpone their participation to the next edition of Horeca Expo, which is scheduled from 21 to 25 November 2021.
In addition, despite all the preparations and measures we have taken to allow Horeca Expo to take place, Easyfairs was faced with circumstances that are completely beyond its will and control, as a result of which the exhibition – or at least a significant part of it – cannot take place in November 2020.
These circumstances include the following:
a/ The government imposes a strict catering and trade protocol which makes it virtually impossible for exhibitors at Horeca Expo to take advantage of their participation:
- The central role of tasting sessions will be compromised.
- The very strict conditions for offering food and alcohol on stands
- The conditions imposed on wine tasting are so strict that it is impossible to organise them
- Glasses, crockery and cutlery need to be washed at a high temperature, which is difficult for most exhibitors to achieve on the exhibition floor.
b/ In addition, the hospitality sector has been hit extremely hard and a survey among visitors shows that the majority of them will not visit the fair because the economic reality within the sector does not allow them to make new investments for their company.
c/ Virtually all networking activities of partners and associations have been cancelled due to the strictly imposed trading and exhibition protocol which does not allow the majority of these activities.
Under these circumstances, we are unfortunately forced to postpone this edition until 2021.
We thank everyone in advance for their confidence and look forward to a successful edition in November next year!
21- 25.11.21 FLANDERS EXPO GHENT
New opening hours
Su till We: 9.30 am – 7 pm
Thu: 9.30 am – 5 pm
Food & Non Food
from qualitive ingredients, over cooking techniques to finished products.
Coffee, Tea & Sweets
The Coffee & Tea Academy informs and inspires!
Hospitality, Interior & Technology
Discover all features and trends in decoration, interactivity, audio, video and much more.
Fresh & Authentic
Don't forget to check out the start-up zone with interesting newcomers in the sector.
Kitchen hardware
Café World & Nightlife
Snack & Fastfood
Chef's Place
by invitation
Top offer in fine food, wine, spirits, tableware and decoration.
Masterclasses for top chefs by top chefs.
Innovation
inspiration
aftermovie 2019
The 31st edition was all about Taste The Green Future, with a strong accent of the organisation and exhibitors on sustainability and ecologic solutions.
Besides the huge exhibitor offer, there was also a focus on strong content with more than 70 culinary contests, workshops and lectures.
We’v bundled all the highlights in an aftermovie. Enjoy!
What exhibitors say?
Horeca Expo helps us to introduce our innovations to qualitative entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry. The fair offers an excellent platform to draw attention to our new creations and our market approach.
METRO is a loyal exhibitor at the biggest horeca event of the year! We can inspire the visitors with our newest trends, products and services. Furthermore, it's an excellent opportunity to listen to our customers and to get inspired by their experiences.
For Serax, Horeca Expo is the gateway towards Flemisch horeca entrepreneurs. They can see and feel our collections and taste the atsmosphere that our brand provokes.
For me, Horeca Expo is the bridge builder between the target groups for my product.
Horeca Expo is thé meeting point for the horeca professional.
The fair enables us to welcome our current clientele, but also potential customers, in a gastronomic atmosphere.
In addition, it also allows us to present and launch our innovations towards all visitors.
Thanks to our partners
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
Our commitment to your safety
Your safety has always been one of our top priorities, and now more than ever. Our events and venues are doing everything to be the cleanest and safest places to meet and do business.
Cleaning & hygiene
Desinfection
All surfaces at an Easyfairs event are treated with hospital-grade disinfectants. The most frequently touched surfaces will be disinfected at regular intervals. Electrostatic spraying technology ensures the highest standards of hygiene.
Hand hygiene
Hand sanitiser stations will be available everywhere on the exhibition floor and in common areas such as seminar theatres. Please make good use of them! Disposable gloves are available.
Food & drinks
You can still purchase food and drinks at our events and venues. For your safety, they are provided in prepacked servings, to eliminate the risk of infection. We kindly ask you to use the hand sanitisers available at catering points before eating and drinking.
Cashless payment
To protect your personal health and safety, we only accept cashless payments at Easyfairs venues.
Personal protection & detection
Face masks
We kindly remind you that face masks are obligated at our events. We encourage you to bring your own, but event staff will be on hand to provide one if you forget!
Plexiglas shields
Plexiglass shields will be installed at registration desks, information points, catering points and all counters staffed by team members throughout the event floor.
Physical distancing
Crowd density standards
To ensure appropriate physical distancing during Easyfairs events we will monitor the number of people attending our event locations, in accordance with local government guidelines.
Social distancing
We kindly request that you maintain a distance of at least 1.5 metres from other people. This social distancing rule will be adapted according the local safety regulations. Clear signage and floor stickers will help you respect this distance.
Avoid physical contact
No hand shaking or kissing.
Online registration and touchless scanning
Please register online before every event, as registration onsite is not possible. You will receive a confirmation email with your access ticket. Print this entrance ticket and bring it with you to the fair. Without a printed ticket, you won’t be able to visit the fair. You will then be able to scan the barcode at one of our touchless scanning stations. Please note that for your safety, onsite printing is no longer possible.
Registration timeslots
At selected events, registering for a pre-determined time slot will be required. This way we can ensure compliance with crowd density standards, while saving you time.
Prepare online
By consulting our website you’ll be able to make your visit as efficient as possible. You can use the exhibitor catalogue and content programme to plan which companies and products you would like to see, and which seminars to attend. We kindly advise you to plan ahead so you can arrive on time for any seminars, as places may be limited due to social distancing measures.
One-way only aisles
One-way-only aisles will help to manage traffic and minimise crowding. They will also make it easier for you to respect the social distancing rules and avoid crossing the paths of other visitors.
Directional walkways
On paths where there is enough room for people to walk in both directions, please keep to your side as indicated by the directional arrows.
Maximum capacity in conference rooms
Conference areas will also allow for social distancing, with 1.5 metres between chairs. This means there will be limited capacity, so please arrive early. Some chairs may be marked as unavailable. Please respect this instruction and do not move the chairs.
Stay home if you feel ill
Finally, as much as we want to see you at our events, we kindly ask you to respect everyone’s health and safety. If you feel at all ill – including mild cold symptoms or a high temperature – please stay at home.
Thank you for observing these rules!
Stay safe and we hope to see you soon at one of our events!
