This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Horexpo 2006 demuestra el gran potencial del mercado portugués

Horexpo 2006 demonstrates the great potential of the Portuguese market

15/04/2006

More than 25,000 professionals of the hotel, catering and vending of the Iberian Peninsula visited the show, held last March in Lisbon.

Horexpo 2006 closed its doors in Lisbon last March after four days of the fair gathered 25.667 professionals of the hospitality, catering and vending of the Iberian Peninsula. In its fourth edition, the Hall of the Lusitanian capital has exceeded 40,000 m² of exhibition space, with the presence of more than 800 companies (direct and indirect), occupying all of the Park of exhibitions of the international Lisbon Feira in the Park of the Nations.

During the days that lasted Horexpo 2006, was exceeded by more than 20% the figure achieved in the previous meeting of the biennial competition. In that regard, the exhibitors have valued very positively the improvement in the professional profile of the visitors. To promote this fact, in the living room have been present 838 enterprises: 353 as direct exhibitors - fifty of them Spanish-, and 485 firms that have participated in an indirect way. The set of exhibitors that have mounted in 2006 Horexpo, 47 have gone Spain and other international countries like Germany, Belgium, USA, France, WINS, Holland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Turkey. Also, it has also been an important business platform for exhibitors and visitors, given that in Lisbon have been many international buyers, major European countries, of the African countries of Portuguese-speaking and Brazil.

Horexpo 2006 has offered the most recent developments in products and solutions for the hospitality, catering and vending, at a time when this sector of the Portuguese economy going through a period of transformation. Many establishments are modernized as a result of the entry into force of a new regulation. Also is developing new projects according to the national strategic programme for tourism, which provides for the establishment in various parts of the country.

The exhibition space of the fair was divided into six areas: equipment for kitchens, bars and restaurants; Food and beverages; Equipment and products for hotels; Vending, laundry and industrial hygiene; and technology and services in accordance with the needs of the establishments. They were joined by the Panitec space, space coffee, "Makro live" and a multi-purpose area where numerous activities have been carried out. Also, Auditorium II of Pavilion 2, he realized numerous activities of teaching character and great interest for professionals.

In the Panitec space and coffee have been promoted, among other, tests on coffee, explanations on the use of new concepts in baking and pastry, the proper use of the facilities available in the market and developments in terms of supply. In this area also worked an area of tasting, where coffee, breads and sweets proposed by the present exhibitors could try.

The already closed Edition of the Portuguese contest has disclosed the newest trends in how to make culinary preparations as well as business management methods among professionals of the sector. In this regard, grouped under the name of Chef's Experience, have been developed a set of actions around the kitchen and the bakery.

One of the biggest attractions of this edition of Horexpo has been the presence at the fair in a large number of great chefs of cuisine Portuguese and Spanish. In addition to Portuguese professionals more media as Vitor Sobral and Paulo Pinto, from Spain have come to the meeting biennial prestigious names such as Dani García, who showed his preparations with liquid nitrogen; Jordi Cruz, who won in 2006 the chef contest at Spain; and José Cordeiro. The three great chefs, all with international recognition of owning a Michelin star, presented their techniques in Lisbon.