HORECA Lebanon on the horizon

Marking its 27th edition at Beirut’s Seaside Arena from March 24-27, 2020, HORECA Lebanon is the country’s largest hospitality and foodservice event. We take a look at what’s in store at the four-day exhibition

With a history spanning almost three decades, HORECA Lebanon continues to be the premier meeting place for hospitality and foodservice professionals seeking new business opportunities. More than 350 exhibitors will be present to showcase their products, services and technologies to 16,000 trade visitors, who will be heading to Beirut from across the region to network and forge valuable business partnerships.

“Our slogan for 2020 is ‘Step into the Future of Hospitality’ as the exhibition will focus heavily on the exciting developments and trends shaping the hospitality and foodservice sectors in Lebanon and the Middle East as a whole,” said Joumana Dammous-salame, managing director of Hospitality Services, the event organizer.

Besides the massive 10,000 square meters of exhibition space — which comprises hundreds of stands dedicated to food products, drinks, catering equipment, tableware and hygiene solutions, as well as a packaging and labeling pavilion, and a special organic and healthy eating pavilion

— the exhibition will play host to a number of competitions judged by international experts, world-renowned chefs and guests. The rich program includes: the Hospitality Salon Culinaire, Junior Chef Competition, Lebanese Bartenders Competition, Mocktail Competition, Lebanese Barista Competition, Latte Art Competition,

Art of Service Competition and the Bed Making Competition. Making its debut at HORECA Lebanon 2020 is the World Pastry Cup Middle East Selection, which brings together pastry chefs from the Middle East to compete in a nail-biting event. The winner will go on to represent the Middle East at Sirha, Lyon, in 2021.

Furthermore, Atelier Gourmand gathers the top French chefs in Lebanon for live cooking demonstrations, while Al Matbakh highlights local food heritage by welcoming guest chefs from Lebanon and abroad. Elsewhere, the Arak Lab gives local arak experts the opportunity to share their expertise, while the Wine Lab provides daily workshops with leading international experts, sommeliers and oenologists.

Confirming its status as a prime networking hub, HORECA Lebanon’s Annual Hospitality Forum returns to the scene for more panel discussions with key players from the world of F&B, tourism and hospitality. Themes such as accommodation trends, innovations and industry challenges will be tackled during the course of the show.