Fiera Milano, the renowned Italian trade fair, has announced the launch of Host Arabia, a new fair in partnership with Semark, a Saudi Arabia-based F&B event organization company and part of the Al Rajhi Group. The event was unveiled during Horeca 2024, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest international food, beverage and hospitality exhibitions, in the presence of Italy’s ambassador to the Kingdom, Carlo Baldocci.
Set to debut in Riyadh in 2026, Host Arabia will introduce to Saudi Arabia the format of HostMilano – the global exhibition for professional hospitality, out-of-home and retail sectors, known for its integrated approach to hospitality sectors, including professional catering, coffee, ice cream, bakery, furniture and tableware.
The fair aims to capitalize on Saudi Arabia’s rapidly expanding hospitality market amidst its ambitious ‘Vision 2030’ framework, which aims for over 300,000 new hotel rooms and 150 million tourists by 2030.
Fiera Milano’s CEO and general manager, Francesco Conci, stated that this project marks the beginning of a new growth phase for the company and highlighted the strategic importance of the Saudi market: “The Saudi professional hospitality market offers unique opportunities, with import values for HostMilano sectors rising to 456 million euros in 2023 and expected to reach approximately 600 million euros by 2027.
The collaboration with Semark is integral to Host Arabia’s anticipated success as Semark brings over 15 years of experience hosting the Saudi HORECA exhibition. Jad Taktak, CEO of Semark, expressed his optimism. “This collaboration with Fiera Milano will elevate the hospitality exhibition standard in Saudi Arabia. Host Arabia will unite global industry leaders to explore opportunities and present the latest trends, creating the Kingdom’s largest hospitality gathering,” he said.
Data underscores the growth potential of the hospitality sector in Saudi Arabia and the broader Gulf region. In 2023, trade between the EU and GCC countries in HostMilano-related sectors reached 1.31 billion euros, with projections suggesting this figure will grow to 1.6 billion euros by 2027. Saudi Arabia accounted for 455.9 million euros of this trade in 2023, with a projected annual growth rate of 7.1%.