At Hospitality 2027, "Design for Food, Gastronomic Culture and Hospitality" is a project with ADI VTAA and the Casa Artusi Foundation.

Eight tables, eight different interpretations of the relationship between design, food, and hospitality. This is the heart of " Design for Food, Gastronomic Culture and Hospitality ," the new project for the Hospitality trade fair created by ADI VTAA – Association for Industrial Design, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige Delegation, in collaboration with the Casa Artusi Foundation. The event will be among the highlights of the next edition of the leading HoReCa event, scheduled in Riva del Garda from February 1 to 4, 2027.

Part of the "Experiences and Sensibilities with Material Language" program, the initiative offers a reflection on the role of design in the restaurant industry, starting from a fundamental principle: the guest experience is not born solely from the dish, but from the ensemble of elements surrounding it . The table, the room, the materials, the lighting, the furnishings, the objects, and the table setting all contribute to defining the perception of food and the quality of hospitality . Design thus becomes a tool for designing not only spaces, but also the relationships, gestures, and ways in which the ritual of dining is experienced and shared.

"With Design for Food, Hospitality expands the reflection on the theme of hospitality , highlighting how the restaurant experience is the result of a complex system in which space, materials, objects, service, and food interact with each other . Bringing this project to the fair means promoting a vision of hospitality that is increasingly attentive to the person and capable of interpreting the expectations of an evolved public, sensitive to quality, accessibility, and overall well-being," comments Alessandra Albarelli, General Manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi .

The exhibition unfolds around eight tables, conceived as flexible and multifunctional devices, capable of hosting demonstration cooking and tasting sessions. The exhibition intertwines interior design, table settings, and food design , constructing a narrative that begins with the material moodboards developed by ADI-member designers, moves through the objects and tools that accompany consumption , and ends with the design of the food itself : shapes, textures, presentation methods, and enjoyment thus contribute to defining a comprehensive and coherent experience .

"Made in Italy food combines excellence in processing, quality raw materials, and an exclusive yet widespread design, recognized by three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Mediterranean Diet, the Art of Neapolitan Pizza Makers, and Italian Cuisine. Design for Food and Nutrition encompasses the entire supply chain, while Food Design defines formats and artifacts in which design and product are inseparable. With the 2015 International Compasso d'Oro Award, ADI has outlined categories dedicated to this complex and innovative system," continues Michele Cuomo of the ADI - Design for Food Commission .

One of the tables will be dedicated to the topic of accessibility , with a specific focus on welcoming the blind . At the center, COLORILLE©, a system of raised markings that allows the colors of objects to be recognized by touch. Applied—through prototypes—to plates and glasses, this language expands the value of table settings, transforming it into a tool for orientation, autonomy, and inclusion.

Alongside its design dimension, Design for Food also brings an in-depth look at Italian gastronomic culture to Hospitality. Thanks to the collaboration with the Fondazione Casa Artusi , the program will be enriched with gastronomic entertainment and a cooking show, where the preparation of dishes will become an opportunity to explore the heritage of Italian cuisine and the dialogue between technique, memory, tradition, and contemporaneity.

Andrea Segrè, President of the Casa Artusi Foundation , adds: “Italian cuisine is not just about products and recipes, but also gestures, relationships, memory, and the ability to welcome . Bringing Pellegrino Artusi's legacy into a project dedicated to hospitality design means restoring cuisine to its most authentic dimension : that of a cultural language capable of creating connections, conveying identity, and uniting people.”

The dialogue between design and food culture is part of a broader process of promoting Italian food and wine as the country's heritage , with particular attention to sustainability and biodiversity, themes also central to the recognition of Italian cuisine on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

With “Design for Food, gastronomic culture and hospitality”, Hospitality places the relationship between people, food and space at the centre, proposing a vision of catering in which design and gastronomic culture together contribute to defining the quality of the welcome and the experience .

The project brings together diverse skills and professionalism, thanks to the involvement of selected technical and design partners.

The exhibition features a series of objects from the ADI Index and the Compasso d'Oro , selected with the contribution of Michele Cuomo , architect of the ADI Food Design Commission and winner of the 2015 Compasso d'Oro International Award, who was involved in the in-depth study on food design. Rounding out the initiative are several thematic focuses on different aspects of hospitality: accessibility, developed by Carlo Trevisani and Silvia Sandini with the COLORILLE© tactile coloring system; flower design, with Claudia Antolini ; and olfactory branding, curated by Laura Favaretto of the Meitei laboratory.

“Design for Food, gastronomic culture and hospitality” will be presented at Hospitality – The Hospitality Exhibition , scheduled from 1 to 4 February 2027 at the Riva del Garda exhibition centre.