Programs
Gelato Square 2024
First day schedule: Gelato Festival Word Masters- Hungary Challenge
In the period of 2022-2025, the Gelato Festival World Master started it’s journey around the world again. The competition organized jointly with our Exhibition partners Carpigiani and Sigep-Italian. We’re looking for the best ice cream around the world, once again. In the last competition there was a hungarian winner, in 2021 Fazekas Ádám was the winner of this prestigious competition.
After the freezing the judging takes place, which is open to the public. In the evaluation, the four main aspects are taste, structure/texture, creativity and presentation, in which, the choice of raw materials, the standard of the recipe development and the visual effect has the most particular importance. The ice cream makers must present the ice cream they made to the jury within one minute, tell their story, the ingredients they used, and they have try to “sell” the ice cream.
The winning ice cream masters will advance to the Hungarian Finals of the Gelato Festival which will take place in Bologna in 2024, where the best two of the nine competitors will advance to the world finals and represent Hungary in the world championship in search of the best ice cream flavors of the 5 continents.
The main organizer of the program: Bulfoni Kft./Gelato Festival World Masters
Second day schedule: ,,Ice Cream Adventure 2024” – Playful and creative ice cream competition
A playful and creative ice cream competition, which would take place under the mentoring and leadership of Hungarian (and possibly foreign, if an interpreter can be provided) confectioners and ice cream masters, but the protagonists would be the pastry students.
The primary goal of the program is education and to introduce young people to the secrets of the ice cream making, but entertainment and playfulness are also a very important part of the program.
The main organizer of the program: Hungarian Confectionery Industry Board/Hungexpo Zrt.
Third day schedule: Presentations of the companies selling ice cream ingridients
Thematic professional presentations would take place, the exhibiting ice cream companies could present their novelties, based on a predetermined order and schedule. The presentations would end with a tasting and the spectators sitting in the stands could taste the presented ice creams.
Hungary’s Cake 2024
The Hungarian Confectionery Industry Association will organize the “Hungary’s Cake” competition for the 18th time, which was created back in 2007 to celebrate our national holiday on August 20, the feast of the state founder Saint Stephen, the symbolic birthday of Hungary. The competition is accompanied by huge interest, every year more and more people await the festive cake with increasing curiosity. At the SIRHA Budapest Exhibition, visitors can follow the first judging round of the competition live and all the competition cakes will be presented. The competition was renewed in 2023, and the contestants had to use one ingredient from a basket of ingredients made up of national values and Hungarikums – such as Újfehértó cluster cherry, Kalocsa paprika powder, or Hungarian herbs – for the named cakes. The announcement of the theme of next year’s competition is expected in the fall of 2023.
Future Store
Trade magazine, as the exhibition’s media partner, traditionally presents the Future Store Innovations stand on nearly 800 square meters at the SIRHA exhibition, the market’s latest product developments, innovative device solutions, and services that are about to be introduced. Sales area, hot spots, on the go, checkout zone, convenience and horeca areas are presented as a complete whole with trendy novelties that many people will encounter here for the first time. Novelties and special solutions for unmanned and manned units will also be presented, as well as the product innovations and the latest point-of-sale communication solutions.
In 2024, the Future Store will once again be prepared with innovations and developments presented by more than 20 partner companies, which will be available to registered interested parties in a unique way, with professional guided tours starting every half hour, during the entire duration of the exhibition.
Come and be part a part of the Future Store.
National Innovation Competition
At the request and with the cooperation of Hungexpo, Trade magazine organizes the SIRHA Innovation Competition in 2024 as well. Only registered exhibitors of the SIRHA 2024 exhibition can apply for the competition, with their products, services, technological innovations, or packaging solutions introduced since the previous exhibition. You can enter the competition immediately after the exhibition registration. The organizers will present the applications judged by the professional jury as winners in each category to the visitors in a separate area at the exhibition. The award ceremony will take place during the opening ceremony.
Start Up Island
Trade magazine is preparing a new program for the SIRHA 2024 exhibition with its professional partners. Next to the Future Store, a START-UP MARKET will be established, where, according to the plans, 10 start-up companies will present themselves and exhibit with free of charge, selected by a professional jury from among the applicants, according to which they started their careers as the most promising companies in the FMCG market, or related to it in the last 3 years.
HoReCa and Event Section Marketing Communication Workshop
The HoReCa Marketing Communication Workshop organized by the HoReCa and Event section of the Hungarian Marketing Association will once again be held at the SIRHA 2024 exhibition.
At the HoReCa Marketing Communication Workshop, topics of concern to HoReCa professionals will be discussed, the solution of which can be approached using marketing tools. In addition to the current trends and challenges, the speakers provide the participants with an overview of the current market trends, and we also gain insight into the witch’s kitchen of communication.
Sustainability in the gastronomy
Sustainable hospitality is becoming more and more popular in our country, which is clearly shown by the fact that we can already boast four Green Michelin star places. But the question may arise, is sustainability only a feature of fine dining places? What makes hospitality sustainable at all?
For more than 10 years, the Responsible Gastronomyhero Foundation has been helping domestic restaurants reduce their ecological footprint with advice and tips on environmentally friendly operation. More than 50 restaurants and cafes across the country have already obtained their Sustainable Restaurant certification, and a few years ago they also launched a reusable, waste-free food packaging system, the RAKUN Box Community. The Responsible Gastronomyhero Foundation will also participate in the exhibition in 2024, and they will also contribute to the diversity of the event by organizing professional programs. The team’s goal is to show with tips and solutions that can be incorporated into everyday operations that environmentally friendly operation is not a burden, but a good opportunity, which is now becoming a cornerstone.
János Pataki memorial competition
Confectionery product competition for adults and students in the cake decorating, confectionary artistry and sugar flower composition categories.
The Hungarian Confectionery Industry Association is organizing the János Pataki Memorial Competition for students and adults for the fifth time in 2024. In all categories of the competition, the choice of topic is free, there are no topic definitions or restrictions. We can present and popularize outstanding Hungarian confectionary at a competition organized as part of the SIRHA Budapest trade fair, which is also spectacular for the general public. One of the goals of the competition is to present the outstanding skills and achievements of Hungarian confectioners, as well as the novelties of confectionary art, to the public. The other goal is to give impetus to the young generation of confectioners with the help of new ideas. The decorative works will be available for viewing on all three days of the exhibition at the booth of the Industrial Association. Fourty-six competition works were nominated for the János Pataki memorial competition, so the interest remains unbroken, both among the profession and visitors.
MVI Konference
Data reporting by catering establishments to the NTAK, experiences and opportunities for improvement
From 1 July 2023, catering establishments using online cash registers will also be obliged to provide data to NTAK in order to digitalise tourism. There has been a long period of uncertainty surrounding the connection of catering establishments to NTAK, so sharing initial experiences and discussing improvement options can contribute to a more efficient functioning of the data reporting system.
The implementation of a mandatory return system for single-way drinks products from the point of view of HoReCa operators
The mandatory return system (DRS, Deposit Refund System) for domestically marketed glass, metal and plastic bottles with a return fee (single-use) for beverage products will affect HoReCa operators from 1 January 2024. In this context, it is worth reviewing the legal provisions and the related opportunities for the catering sector and the specificities of the sector.