In a renewed edition, the organizers AHT (Association of Tourism Hotels of the Argentine Republic) and FEHGRA (Hotel and Gastronomy Business Federation of the Argentine Republic) together with Messe Frankfurt Argentina presented Hotelga 2024 with great news and the incorporation of new activities with sustainability, inclusion and innovation as central axes. From August 28 to 30, it was the ideal scenario where the main players of the industry met, offering the possibility of training and professional updating.
At the event closing, the President of AHT, Gabriela Ferrucci, highlighted: “Undoubtedly, we are closing the best Hotelga ever, we are happy for the result we had. A unique experience, for the first time with Messe Frankfurt Argentina as a strategic partner. We have talked to the exhibitors who assured us that it has exceeded their expectations. We are very happy to be doing this together with such a successful result.”
On his part, the President of FEHGRA, Fernando Desbots, said: “The balance is highly positive; we really had a leap in quality. We have done something different, innovative, with very important contributions from professionals and business professionals; and with the participation of important national and regional authorities and fellow entities from South American countries. Congratulations and thanks to all those who participated throughout these three days and made an event of this magnitude possible.”
In his turn, the President of Messe Frankfurt Argentina, Fernando Gorbarán, said: “We are an international company; we have been in Argentina for more than 20 years. We do a lot of fairs, but I can assure you that Hotelga was the most difficult for us to carry out due to the spirit of this sector, its potential and future; we knew we could not fail. But it was much more than a commercial issue; it was a matter of feeling.” And he added: “We met two incredible leaders like Gabriela and Fernando who have the responsibility of representing Argentina's private sector in the gastronomy and hospitality sectors. We have worked very well together and that makes us very happy.”
The Hotelga Summit, a space for talks and conferences organized around the following themes: Economy and current affairs, Sustainability and Human Talent, was held over the course of three days. The event was attended by leading national and international personalities from the business world, government authorities and representatives of
business associations.
Exhibitors also had an exclusive space to promote their business. The Matchmaking Programs were held for the first time in this edition and were very well attended: more
Press release – Hotelga 2024
Buenos Aires, August 28-30, 2024
than 800 meetings were held between manufacturers and national buyers. They were exclusive meetings where exhibitors were able to network between supply and demand, attract potential customers and improve the positioning of the companies. An opportunity to share ideas, plan for the future and strengthen ties with key players in the HORECA sector. In addition, the Exhibitors' Conferences were held, where they had the opportunity to present their proposals and share their experience in the sector.
Another novelty of this edition was Hotelga Ar Design, curated by 90+10, where six well-known brands exhibited their products designed and produced in the country. Designed to meet the demands of the sector, these exhibitors showed everything related to tableware, lighting, furniture and decoration.
In addition, Argentina Tierra de Vinos had its place specially dedicated to wine tourism, which consolidates Argentina's position as a world-class destination in the world of wine. Thirty wineries were present. It is an initiative of the National Secretariat of Tourism, Environment and Sports and is a key tool to boost regional economies and promote sustainable growth.
The Buenos Aires Auditorium & AHRCC (Association of Hotels, Restaurants, Confectioneries and Cafés), with the support of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, had its space with outstanding figures of gastronomy such as Equipo Pampa, champions of América en Pastelería; the winners of the Bocuse d'Or; Chefs and restaurants recognized with Michelin stars, among others, who shared their challenges and projections for the sector.
Two eagerly awaited finals for hoteliers and restaurateurs
On the one hand, the Grand Final of the 11th Edition of the Sustainable Hospitality Contest organized by Hoteles más Verdes, with the support of AHT (Association of Tourism Hotels of the Argentine Republic), the Hotel Industry Association of Paraguay (AIHPY) and the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Uruguay (AHRU) took place. The contest seeks to recognize and reward tourist accommodations and students with the best innovative ideas that integrate the principles of sustainability into the region's hotel value chain. The winners of this edition were:
• Actions That Create History Category: Hotel Cerrito, Paraguay (Benjamín Aceval, Pte Hayes Dept.). Story: The hotel that eliminates poverty.
• Innovative Ideas Category: Universidad Americana, Paraguay. Idea: TURISVISION - Participant: Ana Laura Acosta.
• Distinctions “Inclusion For a Future”:
o Alejandro I: Story “Listening with the Heart, Talking with the Hands”.
o Hotel Kosten Aike: Story “Accessible Hospitality is Thinking Big”.
o NH Hotel Group - Minor Hotels: Story “Inclusion is not fleeting”.
On its part, the Grand Final of the 8th Edition of the Federal Chefs Tournament, organized by FEHGRA, summoned 21 teams that cooked live during the three days of the trade fair. After evaluating originality, presentation, preparation methods, order of preparation sequence, use of regional products, among other criteria, the winners were:
● First Place: Comodoro Rivadavia. Del Marqués. Chef Enzo Maximiliano Mayorga. Assistant Josefa Margarita Herrera Vega.
● Second Place: El Calafate. Restaurant La Bahía, Mirador del Lago Hotel: Chef Daniel Alberto Ríos and Assistant David Olivera.
● Third Place: Paraná. Justo Restaurant. Chef Miguel Ángel Sartori. Assistant Claudio Emanuel González.
Entities and sector authorities had their own agenda within the framework of the exhibition
Hotelga 2024 was the place chosen for signing the Letter of Intent to ratify the commitment to the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children and Adolescents in Travel and Tourism, between the Undersecretary of Tourism, AHT and FEHGRA. The signing ceremony was attended by: Yanina Martinez, Undersecretary of Tourism of the Ministry of the Interior; the President of AHT, Gabriela Ferrucci, and the President of FEHGRA, Fernando Desbots.
In addition, the Commitment for a Sustainable Hotel Industry in Latin America was signed with the participation of AHT and FEHGRA together with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the sector associations of the region, the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Uruguay (AHRU); the Hotel Industry Association of Paraguay (AIHPY); the Hotel and Tourism Association of Colombia (COTELCO); Hoteliers of Chile; and the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Related Industries (AHORA Peru). Also present were Daniel Scioli, Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports of Argentine Republic; Yanina Martinez, Undersecretary of Tourism of the Ministry of the Interior; Ana Lamas, Undersecretary of Environment of the Nation.
Next, the Letter of Intent was signed to validate the homologation between the Greenest Hotels Ecolabel and the Sustainability Guidelines for tourism companies of the National Secretariat of Tourism, Environment and Sports. Later, the Cooperation Agreement between COVIAR and the Secretariat of Tourism, Environment and Sports was signed.
Hotelga 2024 in numbers
● More than 12,000 visitors were nourished with the latest news in the sector.
● More than 40 conferences were held between the Hotelga Summit, Open Auditorium and Auditorium Buenos Aires & HRCC.
● More than 800 meetings in the Matchmaking Program.
● 600 students from technical schools, universities and tertiary institutions toured the exhibition halls.
How exhibitors experienced Hotelga 2024:
La Cardeuse, Daniel Bottini, Commercial Manager
“We have come to Hotelga for many years and we are very happy to be at this fair again. An event that for us is very important and very representative for the industry, especially for the hotel market, which is basically what we do. We were able to generate new clients, new relationships with hotels that are seeking to change their comfort and that also generates sales, which is extremely important beyond the relationship. The event is very good and we hope it will be repeated soon.”
Volf, Leandro Vainberg, Company Director.
“We participate every year, we are happy with the attendance that the exhibition had, we saw a lot of colleagues, friends, customers, and suppliers. We are very happy to be here once again, in this case also organized by another company, Messe Frankfurt Argentina. We are looking forward it continues the next year.”
Rheem, Pablo Majorovich, salesman of the Works, Hotels, and Construction areas
“It is the first time that the company is at the exhibition and we received very good acceptance in the hotel sector, where we can offer our products of our three brands. It is a pleasure to be at Hotelga.”
PxSol, Nicolas Wegher, Commercial Manager
“It is our first participation in Hotelga, we came with great expectation to meet customers for the first time because we always work virtually; and it has truly been a success, full of hotels getting to know this technology, getting to know us. We are truly very happy and we want to repeat the experience next year.”
Fermabras S.A., Evelyn Pereyro, Sales and Marketing
“We presented ourselves at Hotelga 2024 with our brands Rational, Cambro, Krupps, and Robot Coupe. We are very happy; we thank everyone who visited our booth.”
Krosno, Gastón Moses
“We are very happy to be at this exhibition where we were able to connect with potential customers and get all the benefits that this type of exhibition generates.”
Sediana, Mariano Valotta
“It is truly a very good experience; we had many inquiries about the product, many people from the interior of the country. We believe that there is a lot of potential in terms of sales, potential customers and even the possibility of developing new products from those inquiries, so it is truly a very positive experience.”
MB Vajilla Fábrica, Lorena Babenco
“Hotelga 2024 is a meeting point with all gastronomic and hoteliers. We are part of all the gastronomic and hoteliers that approach and trust on something safe and strategic such as MB tableware. Thank you very much for participating in this edition and we will see you in future editions.”
Information for journalists:
https://hotelga.ar.messefrankfurt.com/buenos-aires/es/prensa.html
Graphic material:
https://hotelga.ar.messefrankfurt.com/buenos-aires/es/prensa/material-prensa.html
Other links:
facebook.com/hotelgaferia I x.com/hotelgaferia instagram.com/hotelgaferia
hotelga.com.ar
Contact:
Ignacio Pérez
Press and Communication Analyst Phone: +54 11 7078 4844
ignacio.perez@argentina.messefrankfuert.com
Messe Frankfurt Argentina
Mariscal Antonio José de Sucre 530 1428 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
Camila Loch
Press Consultant Mauro y Asociados Phone: +54 2324 558730
cloch@mauroyasociados.com.ar https://mauroyasociados.com.ar/
Information about Messe Frankfurt
www.messefrankfurt.com/background-information
Sustainability at Messe Frankfurt
www.messefrankfurt.com/sustainability-information
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- Hotelga 2024 was a complete success (pdf, 228 KB)