The Horeca Hub

WHEN HORECA, RETAIL AND AUTOMATION COME TOGETHER

The borders have fallen.

In this Focus Session, you will discover how restaurants, retail, and new hybrid formats are creating real growth opportunities.

Cases, partnerships, and models that work.

A session to open your mind, identify new channels, and understand how to play on multiple boards without losing identity.

INDUSTRY LEADER: Pablo de la Rica

The hospitality sector is experiencing a hybridization shift, where traditional restaurants, retail, automation, and vending coexist. This session focuses on understanding this new landscape and its real implications for business.

In this talk, we explore how an iconic product can become the foundation of a solid and scalable multichannel business model. From retail to foodservice and major transit hubs such as airports, the conversation reveals how opportunities are identified, formats are adapted, and multiple channels are managed without losing brand coherence. A talk to understand how to think about distribution, business models, and expansion when the product is the starting point, but vision is what makes the difference.

The creative genius of these three chefs does not rest. Disfrutar once again shares with its followers the latest culinary explanations.

THE FACTORS REDRAWING GLOBAL HORECA

In this Focus Session, The Shift opens the discussion to understand which economic, political, and social forces are reshaping tourism, hospitality, and consumption.

You will gain the insight to anticipate trends, read the context, and make smarter decisions in an uncertain environment.

A session designed to move from reacting to playing with an advantage.

INDUSTRY LEADER: Inma de Benito

We are experiencing an economic and global shift that directly impacts margins, costs, and daily business decisions in the HORECA sector. This session provides context, criteria, and clarity to understand what is changing and why.

As a synthesis, the key elements of the new hybrid environment are outlined, identifying risks and opportunities, and drawing practical conclusions to adapt business models, diversify revenue streams, and compete more effectively in a transforming market.

Inflation, product costs, and labor costs today form the Holy Trinity that determines the survival of restaurants and hotels. In this roundtable, we address, from an economic and strategic perspective, how these three factors are reshaping margins, forcing changes in operational models, and compelling uncomfortable but necessary decisions. A conversation to understand what is really happening, which impacts are coming from outside the sector, and which levers are within the entrepreneur’s control to protect their business, team, and medium-term viability.

THE NEW STRATEGIC POWER OF SMART PURCHASING

Purchasing is no longer operational, it is pure strategy.

You will learn how to optimize costs without sacrificing quality, negotiate better, standardize processes, and build resilience.

A Focus Session to understand how supply decisions directly impact margin, brand, and competitiveness, especially in independent restaurants.

INDUSTRY LEADER: TBC

The shift in the relationship with suppliers is key: purchasing priorities, customer demands, and decision-making processes are changing. This session provides context for this new logic in supply.

Procurement is no longer just an operational function, but a strategic decision. This roundtable analyzes how restaurateurs build an intelligent purchasing mix by combining purchasing groups, distributors, strategic suppliers, and local products. A hybrid model that makes it possible to maximize competitiveness in price and terms, gain efficiency, and at the same time preserve value-driven relationships with key suppliers while generating differentiation through local sourcing aligned with brand identity, storytelling, and positioning.

There are few truly relevant trends, but they all have one thing in common: they are already making an impact. They affect how we operate, how we sell, how we structure teams, how we purchase, and how we design business models. In this session, we identify these ongoing forces that demand immediate tactical responses, not five-year plans. What changes are urgent, where the greatest risks of inaction lie, and what decisions the most attentive operators are already making. An essential session for those who understand that today, not moving is the riskiest decision.

The Moroccan-born chef invites us on a journey through the Mediterranean. Moha, from El Terrat restaurant, draws inspiration from his roots and the rich culinary history of the Mediterranean. His culinary approach explores and blends the historical and cultural connections of various Mediterranean civilizations.

Spponsored by Royal Air Maroc

Not all tourists consume in the same way, seek the same things, or make the same business models profitable. In this talk, we analyze why truly understanding source markets is no longer a marketing exercise, but a business strategy. The origin of the visitor shapes opening hours, menu design, average ticket, experience, leisure offering, and operational structure. In a country heading toward 100 million visitors, understanding who comes and how they consume is key to designing more profitable, coherent, and sustainable HORECA models in each destination.

As an executive summary of this session, we bring together the key economic factors, cost pressures, immediate trends, and the impact of source markets, drawing practical conclusions to adjust business models and make better decisions today.

A proposal that brings together cooking and knowledge to reflect on the role of frozen products in professional kitchens. Led by Francesc Colom (Executive Chef at Friman) and Pepe Martín (CEO at Scal), the session will be presented as a live showcooking, addressing key aspects such as the value of frozen products, freezing processes and technologies, the importance of the cold chain, and their real application in the kitchen.

We will guide you to the beautiful world of Japanese alcoholic beverages, leading you to discover traditional craftsmanship and refined elegance

WHEN THE BEST RESTAURANT NO LONGER WINS, THE BEST MODEL DOES

Discover why some businesses grow, scale, and attract investment while others, despite being brilliant, fall behind.

In this Focus Session, we will analyze models, efficiency, structure, and business mindset.

You will take away practical insights to rethink your business, make it more profitable, and design it with a future vision without losing its soul.

INDUSTRY LEADER: Joan Jover

We are experiencing a competitive shift: the rules of the game have changed. This session provides context on how business models are evolving and what new factors determine success in the hospitality sector today.

We are facing an operational and environmental shift that forces us to rethink how products are delivered, how we manage waste, and how we operate efficiently in an increasingly regulated and demanding urban environment.

A strategic and inspirational session on how Food & Beverage is evolving to respond to new consumer demands and an increasingly complex business environment. From independent concepts to hospitality, cruises, retail, and corporate spaces, we will explore how F&B is used as a key activation point to create experiences, differentiation, and brand value, and how it is becoming a decisive lever in strategic decision-making.

Hospitality no longer competes solely on cuisine, service, or location. It competes on model, structure, and adaptability. In this roundtable, key perspectives from the sector —independent restaurateurs, restaurant groups, and branded dining— come together to examine how the way of competing has radically changed. Costs, talent, scale, brand, experience, efficiency, and resilience all come into play from very different realities. An honest conversation to understand which factors are redefining competitiveness today, which models withstand current pressures best, and which strategic decisions will determine the survival and growth of the hospitality business in the coming years.

The product is the basis of everything. The important thing is to preserve its flavour intact, adding nuances and contrasts with subtlety and elegance.

A unique vision of cutting-edge cuisine, which enhances the virtues of sublime produce in every dish through refined techniques

In this interview, Jennifer Pettinger, founder of the Global Restaurant Investment Forum, invites us to step beyond the local framework to understand how a HORECA business is evaluated today in the most competitive international markets. From Dubai, one of the world’s leading laboratories for restaurants and hospitality, we explore what investors look for, which models inspire confidence, which mistakes capital penalizes, and which attributes make a concept scalable, or not. A key conversation for operators who want to attract investment, expand internationally, or approach their business with a global mindset.

High competitiveness is not improvised: it is designed. In this talk, two major high-volume operators —one from organized dining and the other from on-the-go/rest stop dining— share the lessons that can only be learned when managing thousands of services a day. Suppliers, people, processes, technology, and customer relationships are viewed through the lens of total effectiveness. The goal is not to copy industrial models, but to translate their learnings into the context of independent restaurants. A session to understand which decisions make a difference today, how to gain efficiency without losing identity, and which practices have become essential to compete successfully in an environment radically different from just a few years ago.

Cities are redefining how the urban food system is organised to address challenges related to mobility, sustainability, coexistence and efficiency. In this roundtable, different municipalities share how they are designing new models for sourcing, distribution and waste management that create a real balance between restaurateurs, distributors, customers and residents. A win-win approach that demonstrates how public-private collaboration is key to building smarter, more viable foodservice ecosystems aligned with new regulatory and social demands.

In a highly competitive environment, the difference between surviving or growing lies in the design of the business model. This talk explores the role of the consultant as a strategic figure to create, evolve, or scale HORECA concepts more quickly and with greater guarantees of success. Methodology, structure, tools, and experience help shorten the entrepreneur’s learning curve, identify critical competitiveness factors, and make better decisions. A key reflection on how external vision and professional methods strengthen the Business Power of businesses.

WHEN DATA, EXPERIENCE, AND PROFITABILITY MEET

The hotel experience is no longer improvised: it is designed using data, sound judgment, and strategic vision.

This Focus Session reveals how intelligence, distribution, automation, and customer experience come together to drive efficiency and profitability without losing soul.

You will leave with practical insights to make better decisions, optimise operations, and build coherent experiences in an increasingly demanding market.

INDUSTRY LEADER: Álvaro Carrillo de Albornoz

The hotel sector is experiencing a technological and operational shift driven by AI, automation, and sustainability. This session provides context on these changes and their direct impact on costs and competitiveness.

The leadership of both associations will welcome attendees and introduce the two-day program, highlighting its objectives and key themes.

Artificial intelligence has emerged as a new key player in hotel distribution, transforming the way customers search, compare, gather information, and book. Conversational chatbots, new recommendation dynamics, and shifts in the decision-making process are redefining the balance between the customer, OTAs, and hotels. This roundtable examines how this landscape is changing, the implications for each stakeholder, and how to adapt sales and distribution strategies so that technology becomes a win-win opportunity rather than a threat to profitability and customer relationships.

Analysis of the current economic and regulatory context in Europe and its direct impact on the sector. The session focuses on the key challenges and opportunities arising from this environment and highlights the importance of addressing them collectively to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness.

Analysis of the evolution and outlook of prices and raw materials, highlighting the importance of understanding the economic and regulatory context, the challenges and opportunities for sector companies, and trade and non-trade barriers affecting development in Europe.

Hospitality is, by definition, a deeply human industry. Yet in a context of cost pressure, talent shortages, and rising guest expectations, automation and robotics are emerging as key levers of the new operating model. This roundtable explores how technology can free up time, reduce friction, and improve economic efficiency without dehumanizing the guest experience. On the contrary, when applied effectively, it allows teams to focus on what truly adds value, enhance service quality, improve working conditions, and build hotels that are more profitable, sustainable, and ready for the immediate future.

Analysis of the evolution and outlook of prices and raw materials, highlighting the importance of understanding the economic and regulatory context, the challenges and opportunities for companies in the sector, and the trade and non-trade barriers affecting their development in Europe.

Analysis of the current state and outlook for branded foodservice in the U.S. and Europe, offering key insights on consumer trends, customer behavior, and growth opportunities in the sector.

Presentation of the traditional Ramadan recipe book that the FRINUTS brand has created together with the cooks Saloua Loqmane and Fátima Labyedh.

A culinary journey where creativity and innovation meet on the plate. Through differentpreparations, the main alternative protein products from ZYRCULAR FOODS and itsAMARA brand will be presented, exploring textures, flavours and new gastronomicpossibilities for contemporary cuisine.

Sustainability has ceased to be just a narrative and has become an operational imperative in the hotel industry. Energy, water, waste, products, talent, and the guest experience converge in high-impact, highly complex establishments. This roundtable addresses sustainability from a comprehensive and realistic perspective: how to design sustainable models from the outset, how to transform existing operations, and how to balance efficiency, profitability, and responsibility. A key conversation to understand which decisions truly matter, how to avoid greenwashing, and how to turn sustainability into a solid, measurable competitive advantage for the hotel business.

A proposal designed to take basic preparations one step further and turn them into desserts with higher perceived value, without complications. Through versatile ideas that are quick to apply, it presents solutions using ready-to-use products that help diversify the offer, enhance visual appeal, and optimise time and resources, adapting to the real pace of day-to-day work.

Evolution and trends of quick service restaurant categories, comparing markets and contexts, and exploring how companies use consumer insights to guide strategic decisions and identify growth opportunities.

It is a gastronomic pairing experience that invites participants to discover new combinations of dishes and beverages through a dialogue between Chinese and Spanish culinary traditions. Within the framework of Alimentaria, the event offers a sensory journey that explores balance, complementarity and surprise, creating a space for connection and enjoyment around the table.

Culinary demonstration offered by the Catalan Government’s Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, together with PRODECA.

The closing section summarizes the main conclusions on distribution, operational efficiency, and sustainability, integrating key lessons to help hotels make smarter decisions in a highly competitive environment.

Join us for an exclusive tasting led by the Head of the Parmigiano Reggiano Academy. Discover the story behind this world-famous Italian cheese followed by a vertical tasting of three different aging stages. This unique sensory experience is designed for professionals eager to explore the versatility of Parmigiano Reggiano - from aperitif to dessert- and learn how its evolving flavors and textures can elevate a variety of culinary occasions .

The full-service restaurant market adapts to changing customer behaviors, evolving experience expectations, and industry trends, identifying opportunities to innovate and enhance competitiveness.

EXPERIENCE IS NO LONGER EATEN, IT IS FELT

Customers no longer remember what they ate, they remember how they felt.

In this Focus Session, you will discover how the space becomes a strategic tool: lighting, sound, tableware, rhythm, and atmosphere working together to influence perception, dwell time, and repeat visits.

Designing experience is no longer just aesthetics, it is a business decision.

INDUSTRY LEADER: Paqui Cánovas

The experience is undergoing a central shift: it is no longer a complement, but the differentiating value. This session focuses on experience as a strategic business tool.

An immersive workshop for restaurant professionals that explores how to design gastronomic experiences that connect with diners on a sensory, emotional, and cultural level.

Airports are enhancing their dining offerings to create more enjoyable and engaging experiences, making transit areas places where eating and drinking are part of the overall journey.

A cuisine learned far from Ronda. Catalan culture did not reach Benito through a territory, but through a way of living and understanding cooking. Argentona, Can Raimi, the farmhouse. Kitchens where there is no artifice, where the product leads and time is respected. This way of understanding the craft is what both Bardal and Tragatá uphold today: an honest, direct cuisine, rooted, yet free from nostalgia.

The importance of the gastronomic identity created at Nolla, shaped through —and despite— the zero-waste model and our condition as immigrants, cooking with local products while interpreting them through our own gastronomic roots.

How this category is shaping the experience in branded restaurants. From morning coffee rituals to quick breaks and social moments, it shows how offerings are evolving to delight consumers, combine quality and convenience, and create memorable experiences across all moments of consumption.

Creative Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, where nature reigns supreme.

Experience doesn’t start on the plate nor end in the glass. Temperature, sound, tableware, lighting, textures, and rhythm create invisible decisions that impact perceived value, comfort, and memory. A talk to understand how to design atmospheres that work for your business, foster loyalty without words, and turn spaces into memorable experiences.

We analyze a key and often undervalued element: the support. Tableware doesn’t just present food; it defines the concept, expresses identity, interacts with the gastronomic proposal, and shapes the perception of price and value. A conversation about how plates, textures, and materials build a story, differentiate the restaurant, and elevate the customer experience from the very first visual impact.

The executive summary integrates lessons from various operational models, identifying which factors drive competitiveness today and which strategic decisions a business should prioritize to remain profitable and relevant.

In summary, key learnings on experience design, comfort, and emotion are integrated, drawing clear conclusions on how atmosphere impacts perceived value, customer loyalty, and profitability.

The 1st Alimentaria International Cooking Competition, sponsored by #alimentosdespaña, will be the first international chefs’ competition held in Spain under the endorsement of WorldChefs. It will take place in Barcelona on 25 March 2026, as part of Alimentaria + Hostelco.

The competition will feature six national teams from Spain, Poland, Portugal, Morocco, Romania, and Azerbaijan, each composed of two chefs (head chef and assistant). Teams will compete by preparing a starter using Aquanaria sea bass and a main course featuring Txogitxu Galician blonde beef striploin, within a total time of three and a half hours.

The jury will consist of four official international judges from the World Association of Chefs’ Societies, who will assess mise en place, hygiene, technique, innovation, service, presentation, and above all flavour and texture, with a maximum score of 100 points.

Teams will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals, diplomas, and special awards for the best fish dish and the best “Alimentos de España” meat dish, reinforcing the fair’s position as a global benchmark for competitive haute cuisine and high-quality Spanish products.

FROM CHAOTIC TECHNOLOGY TO THE DECISION-MAKING ECOSYSTEM

This Focus Session isn’t about technology, it’s about taking control of your business.

It brings digitalization down to earth and shows how to connect data, operations, and customers to gain control, margin, and focus. Less hype, more judgment.

You will leave with clarity on which technology you need, which you don’t, and how to turn data into actionable decisions.

INDUSTRY LEADER: Emilio Gallego

Digitalization is undergoing a decisive shift: data is moving from being optional to strategic. This session provides context on how technology is changing the way hospitality is managed and decisions are made.

Artificial intelligence in organized restaurants is already here, yet its full potential remains untapped. Beyond digitalization, the present thrives on transformation, enhancing processes, improving customer experiences, and creating new business opportunities.

Organized restaurants reach homes through multiple delivery channels, continuously evolving to meet new customer habits and changing consumption needs.

How nutrition and predictive health have become the new status symbol, boosting longevity, cognitive performance, and overall well-being.

How to scale a brand internationally, leveraging investor interest and growth strategies in the restaurant and hospitality sector. Enrique Francia (FoodBox), Henry McGovern (McWin Capital Partners) and José María Arellano (TowerBrook Capital Partners) will discuss strategies to scale foodservice brands internationally and the growing role of investment funds in the sector.

Digitalization is entering a new phase: the shift toward data-driven decision making. In this roundtable, industry experts explore how technological tools, their integration, and the intelligent use of information are transforming the daily and strategic management of restaurants.

This roundtable brings together companies that develop and distribute these technologies to compare vision, reality and practical application. The discussion will address which solutions are truly mature, where they deliver value today, what the barriers to adoption are, and how to scale their implementation according to business size. A conversation aimed at distinguishing trend from real impact and understanding how to turn technological innovation into tangible competitive advantage.

For years, technology in the restaurant industry has been perceived as a necessary cost. This talk proposes a radical shift in perspective: understanding it as a strategic investment with economic, operational and competitive returns. We will analyse the mechanisms that make it possible to move from expense to investment, how to assess the real ROI of technological solutions, and what financial, fiscal and management advantages a restaurant can unlock. A key session for making technology decisions with a business mindset and for stopping seeing innovation as a burden and starting to see it as a growth lever.

This roundtable brings together companies that develop and distribute these technologies to contrast vision, reality, and practical application. It will address which solutions are truly mature, where they are delivering value today, what the barriers to adoption are, and how to scale implementation according to business size. A conversation aimed at separating trends from real impact and understanding how to turn technological innovation into a tangible competitive advantage.

The executive summary brings together the key insights on digital tools, interconnectivity, and data usage, drawing practical conclusions to improve control, efficiency, and tactical and strategic decision-making.

FROM KITCHEN TO EFFICIENT PRODUCTION CENTER

Kitchens are changing radically. This Focus Session analyzes how they are evolving into more standardized, flexible, and profitable production centers.

Processes, technology, and design serving the business. A key session to gain efficiency while preserving identity and gastronomic quality.

INDUSTRY LEADER: Juan Umbert

The kitchen is undergoing a structural shift: from an operational space to a production hub. This session provides context on how workflows, equipment, and the relationship with the business are changing.

Workshop presenting the new work systems the hospitality sector needs today, including a live demonstration of the speed and efficiency that can be achieved.

Brand collaborations and co-branding bringing the restaurant experience into retail, creating synergies between in-store and physical locations, enhancing positioning and reach, and exploring new product lines, export, and strategic partnerships.

Closing with the presidents of the organizations after two days full of experiences, data, and insights that drive decision-making.

Equipment is not an expense: it is critical infrastructure. Energy, climate control, maintenance, laundry, tableware, and furniture not only support daily operations, but also directly influence profitability, customer experience, and business continuity.
This round table is built around the strategic value of knowing, choosing, and managing distributors and technical service providers effectively, opening a high-level conversation on how to build supplier–operator relationships that deliver reliability, efficiency, anticipation, and competitive advantage. A key discussion for operating better, making informed decisions, and reducing risk.

Contemporary Catalan cuisine

Romain Fornell, awarded in 2025 with the prestigious Legion of Honour of the French Republic, will present some of the great classic French sauces, such as beurre blanc and béarnaise, together with emblematic preparations like pâté en croûte and pastry-crusted soups, reinterpreted through a personal lens shaped by his career in Barcelona.

Fusion cuisine combining traditional Japanese techniques with Mediterranean products

As a closing, the session summarizes learnings on productive efficiency, kitchen organization, and adaptation to multiple channels, drawing key conclusions to improve timing, costs, and profitability.

The Cook of the Year and Waiter of the Year Competition is a leading professional contest in Spain that recognises excellence in both kitchen and service. Following a selective qualification process and a live final, it highlights the talent, technical skill, creativity, time management and ability to perform under pressure of the country’s top hospitality professionals.

Talent is experiencing a deep cultural shift. This session provides context on the new labor landscape in hospitality, the generational change, and the real challenges of attracting, training, and retaining people.

THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE EVERYTHING WORK

Without talent, there is no business but the current model no longer works. 

This Focus Session addresses the gap between the traditional employer and a new generation with different priorities, and analyzes the strategies that, as a sector and as a country, we must activate to attract and retain talent.

The session concludes with The Shift highlighting the value of the entire value chain of an activity as extensive and deeply complex as HORECA.

The HORECA sector is facing a critical mismatch between what employers offer and what new generations of professionals are seeking. Working hours, career development, flexibility, purpose, and benefits are now interpreted through different lenses. This presentation addresses the real gap between employees and employers, analyzing why traditional models no longer work and what urgent changes are needed to become attractive again. Understanding this generational mismatch is not an option; it is an essential condition to ensure talent, continuity, and future competitiveness.

Based on the 2030 Strategy document promoted by the Spanish Ministry of Tourism together with the National Tourism Council, this roundtable analyzes the main proposals to attract, engage, retain, and train talent in HORECA. Beyond the institutional framework, the discussion will focus on the real feasibility of these action lines and the active role that the sector must take to stimulate their implementation, turn them into effective practices, and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of tourism and hospitality.

Talent is the true invisible infrastructure of the HORECA industry. People, trades, and roles make possible the experience, efficiency, competitiveness, sustainability, and social impact of a sector that represents a country’s identity, drives its economy, and generates employment. This closing is a collective recognition of those who, from very different positions, support and evolve hospitality and tourism. It is an organized celebration of the human, professional, and strategic value that defines the industry today and projects it into the future.

The dining room is the space where the experience is interpreted, humanized, and differentiated. In this recognition, we celebrate the professionals who make the dining room a real lever of competitiveness, storytelling, and value. Reading an excerpt from the Dining Room Manifesto gives voice to an essential craft, often silent, yet absolutely decisive in the customer’s perception and in the identity of Spanish gastronomy. We recognize: Leading dining room professionals in Spain. In collaboration with PROSA.

In a context of high complexity, the role of the consultant becomes a strategic actor in designing, evolving, and making HORECA business models viable. For the first time, the value of specialized consulting is explicitly recognized as an essential ally for building solid, coherent, and competitive businesses from the start or during deep transformation processes. We recognize professional consultants and specialized HORECA consulting firms, together with Food Service Consulting International (FSCI).

Sustainability is no longer a discourse, but an integral practice that spans people, product, planet, and community. This recognition focuses on professionals who lead businesses with a 360° sustainable vision, demonstrating that it is possible to be profitable, responsible, and consistent at the same time, and that well-understood sustainability is a real competitive advantage. We recognize professionals who are leaders in 360° sustainability. In collaboration with Fundación Restaurantes Sostenibles.

Spain is a leading country in tourism thanks to people who influence, decide, and set the course from multiple disciplines. This segment recognizes professionals in the hotel sector included in the list of the 150 most influential in tourism in Spain 2026, as a symbolic representation of a group that drives innovation, reputation, and international leadership. We recognize hotel professionals from the list of the 150 most influential in tourism 2026. In collaboration with the List of the 150 Most Influential in Tourism in Spain by Segestur.