LYON, France — If the EU economy is in distress, as we read in the newspapers regularly, don’t tell the French. Their largest foodservice and hospitality tradeshow, which ran from Jan. 26 to Jan. 30 at the Eurexpo Lyon — located close to Lyon Airport some 15 kilometres from downtown — attracted a record 185,450 professionals, up 14 per cent from 2011.
The Salon International de la Restauration de l’shôtellerie et de l’salimentation (SIRHA), or SIRHA World Cuisine Summit, featured a record 2,980 exhibitors, up from 2,600 two years ago. This year 21 per cent of the exhibitors at the biennial event were from outside France.
“This edition is exceptional in more than one way. In short, SIRHA 2013 is incomparable,” exclaimed Marie-Odile Fondeur, CEO of SIRHA. Jérôme Bocuse, show president, agreed. “SIRHA is a true platform for opening the world for the actors of the restaurant industry. The exceptional success of this edition confirms that SIRHA is the world leader of the restaurant hotel trade.”
Many of the Canadians and Americans who attended or participated in various events were astonished, not only at the size of the show and its massive attendance, but by the quality of booths and the many excellent products on display or demonstrated. The office show guide and news product show areas listed 631 new or significantly upgraded products, of which 233 were considered to be entirely new and innovated in the EU market.
The next edition of the SIRHA World Cuisine Summit will be held from Jan. 24 to Jan. 28, 2015.
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