Hospitality e WMF 2025 – The Hospitality Show, dedicated to hotellerie and catering and We Make Future, international fair and festival on innovation: AI, Tech & Digital, and , launch the “Startup for Hospitality” contest. The initiative is aimed at startups in Ho.Re.Ca. to support innovative projects marked by accessibility and inclusiveness of services, contributing to the development of a more equitable hospitality open to all.
The call is open until Dec. 10, and the selected startups will participate in Hospitality-Il Salone dell’Accoglienza, from Feb. 3 to 6, 2025 at the Riva del Garda fairgrounds, and will thus have the opportunity to tell about their project during the final, Feb. 3. This is a unique opportunity for startups to present themselves in the context of Italy’s leading certified international trade fair for the sector and to confront more than 20,000 professional operators and more than 850 Ho.Re.Ca. companies.
The winning startups will also participate in WMF, at BolognaFiere from June 4-6, 2025, where they will be able to present their project during initiatives and events dedicated to the world of innovative entrepreneurship. The past edition of this event had more than 70,000 attendees from 90 countries, 700 exhibitors and +3,000 startups and open innovation stakeholders.
Selection criteria and how to participate
The Startup for Hospitality call seeks technology solutions that improve access and usability of services and spaces for people with disabilities or special needs, promoting an inclusive and barrier-free experience in hotels, restaurants and other hospitality venues. Entries will be evaluated by a committee composed of contact persons from Hospitality e WMF 2025 – The Hospitality Show https://hospitalityriva.it/it, dedicated to hotellerie and catering We Make Future, an international fair and festival on innovation, based on criteria such as the team’s expertise, stage of development, degree of innovation, feasibility and social impact of the project.
Room for ingenuity and creativity
Cosmano Lombardo, founder and ceo of Search On Media Group and creator of WMF https://www.wemakefuture.it/: “We have always maintained with WMF that innovation, and therefore also innovative entrepreneurship, only makes sense if applied to produce positive impact on society as a whole. This call also wants to concretely support those projects that set themselves this important goal, connecting them with multiple key players for their further development.”
“In an ever-evolving industry like hospitality, increasingly sophisticated knowledge and skills are needed. For this reason, Hospitality e WMF 2025, are launching a contest dedicated to startups operating in HoReCa. We want to give space to ingenuity and creativity by inviting young companies to participate and rewarding the best ideas that promote accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability in the sector,” said Alessandra Albarelli, General Manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, organizer of the event. ”We are convinced that innovation generates value for everyone and that technology, in order to have a real impact, must be driven by human skill and expertise.