PITTI TASTE CONQUERS ALL!

Overall there were more than 16,000 visitors over the three days of the fair. The events at the Stazione Leopolda were a huge success – from Pianeta Pane/Planet Bread to the Rings – as well as the Fuori Di Taste rendezvous around the city.

Numbers on the rise for the fair dedicated to the excellences of taste which is increasingly popular with international members of the trade: an upsurge in buyers which totaled almost 6,000 from 50 foreign countries. Excellent performances by Germany (+64%), France (+26%), Switzerland (+18%), Spain (+35%), Austria (+60%) and South Korea; growth also in Italian buyers (+3%).

 

The latest edition of Taste (Florence, 9-11 March 2019) which has just come to an end was characterized by widespread enthusiasm among the exhibitors, members of the trade and the public of foodies who crowded into the Stazione Leopolda over the three days of the fair – discovering all the latest ideas and gastronomic treasures of the almost 400 exhibiting companies – many of whom took part in the events scheduled at the fair and around the city as part of Fuori di Taste.

There was a total of around 6,000 registered buyers, +3% compared to a year ago (another edition characterized by growth), with increases on both the Italian front (+3%) as well as with regard to the foreign attendance which rose by 5% in terms of the number of people registered with even greater growth in terms of the number of buyer companies (+8%).
The markets that recorded the best results were Germany (+64%), the number one market in terms of fair attendance, followed by France (+26% in terms of corporate names), Switzerland (+18% corporate names), Spain (+35%), Austria (+60%) and South Korea which doubled its buyers; there were also very good figures for Netherlands, Israel and Czech Republic.

In all Taste exceeded 16,000 visitors in total, also thanks to the highly qualified public of food lovers and enthusiasts which reached over 10,100 in the course of the three days of the event.

“Everyone was infected with the energy of Taste” says Agostino Poletto, General Manager of Pitti Immagine. “This was once again an extremely positive edition joining a series of editions that have been growing both in terms of the numbers and the quality, and we are very satisfied. The selection of companies – including the new entries and the innovations these brought to the fair, were all judged to be of the highest level and engaged the public in three intense days of tastings, presentations, discoveries and business contacts. At the same time Taste is increasingly a rendezvous for professionals: we have recorded a growing and increasingly qualified attendance of specialist stores, distribution companies, department stores and Italian importers of excellence; basically, many of the best international names in the world of quality food. But Taste is also progressively an incubator of trends, ideas and topics from the contemporary culinary scene: Pianeta Pane-Planet Bread conquered everyone with the sold-out A Scuola di Pane-Bread School workshops and the very popular talks; plus there were Gastronaut Davide Paolini’s Rings, like the one starring Massimo Bottura and Massimiliano Alajmo and their social projects. And clearly the almost 90 events that animated Florence as part of Fuori Di Taste – as always highly creative and tasty – were also extremely well attended”.

To conclude, the Taste Shop located at the end of the itinerary showcasing the latest ideas from the exhibitors registered very good numbers, selling around 16,400 products in three days.