SIGEP WORLD 2025, RECORD EDITION ON THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT: WITH OVER 3,000 BUYERS ATTENDING AND SAUDI ARABIA AS GUEST COUNTRY

·       The 46^th edition of the show organised by Italian Exhibition Group, scheduled at Rimini Expo Centre from 18^th to 22^nd January, will be the most international ever  

·       Saudi Arabia will be ‘guest country’ at SIGEP World 2025, arriving in Rimini with some of the country’s main hospitality and out-of-home chains and top companies  

·       40 international events programmed with over 60 foreign speakers

Rimini, 20^th December 2024 – SIGEP World 2025 will be the most international edition ever with 1,300 exhibiting brands from 33 countries and over 520 top buyers from 79 nations, not forgetting the ‘premium program’ for European buyers with more than 2,500 already signed up. There will also be a big new development: the presence of Saudi Arabia as ‘guest country’.

These are only a few of the main focuses on internationality at the 46^th edition of SIGEP World, organised by Italian Exhibition Group at Rimini Expo Centre from 18^th to 22^nd January 2025. A clear boost right from the new payoff, SIGEP World – The World Expo for Foodservice Excellence, to reiterate the global centrality of the Rimini show, which, not without reason, has extended its range of action in recent years with two satellite shows – SIGEP China and SIGEP Asia – in southern China and Singapore, both reconfirmed for 2025.

THE NEW GUEST COUNTRY

Saudi Arabia will be the guest country at the 46^th edition of SIGEP World 2025. Rimini will welcome a delegation of top Saudi buyers including Barn’s, the coffee shop chain, which boasts more than 800 stores within the country, Elite Hospitality/Al-Nahla Group, a major hospitality company, and Al Tazaj, a quick service restaurant chain with over 120 venues. According to Flavia Morelli, IEG’s Group Exhibition Manager Food&Beverage Division, «Saudi Arabia is making significant leaps ahead in the tourism and hospitality sector with the aim to diversify its economy and attract visitors from all over the world. Thanks to huge investments in infrastructure, tourism promotion and the development of luxury destinations, the country is trying to position itself as an international tourist destination and becoming particularly attractive for our companies.» A much broader partnership considering that Riad, the Saudi Arabian capital, is set to host Expo 2030. And made even more important at SIGEP World’s opening talk on Saturday 18^th January (Vision Plaza, 2.30 – 3.30 pm) with Mohammad Alsuri, Director of the aforementioned Tazaj chain, in attendance.  

THE INTERNATIONAL PROFILE

International attendance at SIGEP World 2025 will be even greater and the numbers prove it. Thanks to consolidated collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and IEG’s network of regional advisors, 520 top buyers from 70 countries have adhered to the Top Buyer Program. The United States, India, Canada, Brazil and Turkey will be the countries most represented but – besides the main European markets – South America, South East Asia and the Gulf countries will also be in attendance. By way of a profile, 34% of buyers will be from chains in the gelato, restaurant, quick service, patisserie, coffee shop, pizzeria and hotel sectors while 28% will be producers, followed by 20% importers, 14% distributors and 4% retailers bringing up the rear. Instead, an estimated 2,500 attendees from 15 countries have enlisted in the premium programme for European buyers, headed by Spain, Germany and France. Countries that can also be found among the 1,300 exhibiting brands at SIGEP World, where the foreign presence will represent as many as 33 countries.

Neither will there be a shortage of important foreign associations such as the North American Ice Cream Association (United States), the Rasa-Restaurant Association of South Africa and the Korean Bakery Association as well as major European names like Deutscher Konditorenbund (Germany), The Beverage Standards Association (UK) and the Confédération Nationale des Glaciers de France. Not to mention the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association, Restaurant Association of Singapore and Airline Catering.

More generally, also in terms of talks and competitions, SIGEP World 2025 will feature 40 international events with over 60 foreign speakers.

PRESS CONTACT SIGEP ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP

head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini, Pier Francesco Bellini; press office coordinator: Luca Paganin; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; press office specialist: Nicoletta Evangelisti, Mirko Malgieri - media@iegexpo.it

MEDIA AGENCY SIGEP: Mind The Pop

Martina Vacca: martina@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 339 748 5994; Fabrizio Raimondi: fabrizio@mindthepop.it, mob. +39 335 389 848; Benedetto Colli: benedetto@mindthepop.it, mob. 380 371 2272; Stefano Chiossi: stefano@mindthepop.it, mob. + 39 388 739 4358.

This press release contains forecast elements and estimates that reflect the management´s current opinions (´forward-looking statements´), particularly regarding future management performance, realization of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the financial structure. For their very nature, forward-looking statements have a component of risk and uncertainty, as they depend on the occurrence of future events. The effective results may differ (even significantly) from those announced, due to numerous factors, including, only by way of example: food service market and tourist flow trends in Italy, gold and jewellery market trends, green economy market trends; the evolution of raw material prices; general macroeconomic conditions; geopolitical factors and evolutions in the legislative framework. Moreover, the information contained in this release, does not claim to be complete, and has not been verified by independent third parties. Forecasts, estimates and objectives contained herein are based on the information available to the Company as at the date of this release.