Summit Kick-Off 2025
With renewed vigor for the upcoming Summit year, Milan became the epicenter for Italy’s gastronomic leaders at the EFSS Executive Exchange, with the Summit Advisory Board convening the following day.
EFSS Executive Exchange – Milano Edition
Gathering more than 50 selected participants, the Milano Edition of the EFSS Executive Exchange was a resounding success. Numerous top-tier executives from the Italian professional foodservice scene attended the exclusive dinner invitation, including Luca D’Alba (Managing Director Autogrill/Avolta), Sergio Castelli (CEO Areas Italia), Corrado Cagnola (CEO KCF Italy), Andrea Valota (CEO La Piadineria, the second-largest restaurant chain in Italy after McDonald’s), and Alessandro Medi (CEO Dispensa Emilia). At the heart of the lively discussions were the challenges and perspectives of the newly commenced business year, with exchanges on current projects, experiences, and business plans.
The event was hosted by the organizers of the European Foodservice Summit (dfv Mediengruppe/foodservice) in partnership with Whitespace Partners. EFSS Programme Manager Katrin Wissmann and Whitespace CEO Vincent Mourre officially opened the evening. Acting as the media partner was the Italian trade journal “retail & food,” led by Editor-in-Chief Andrea Aiello. The restaurant on the top floor of the recently renovated Eataly Smeraldo, the Milanese flagship of the international market hall and gastronomy concept, provided the perfect setting for the exclusive networking dinner. Eataly CEO Andrea Cipolloni took the opportunity to greet the esteemed guests and share insights on the latest developments within his culinary empire.
Launched in 2024, the EFSS Executive Exchange Editions aim to engage leading figures in national gastronomy markets and integrate them into the Summit network. “This ensures the Summit Spirit is lived and perpetuated throughout the year,” explains Katrin Wißmann. “The goal is continuous exchange among industry experts in the European gastronomy sector, fostering innovation and strengthening collaboration on both national and international levels to make our industries more resilient,” adds Thomas Meyer, Business Director foodservice. Further editions are planned for London, Paris, and Barcelona in 2025.
Advisory Board Meeting
The following day saw a smaller gathering of the Summit Advisory Board: nine intense hours of brainstorming around the most relevant topics, speakers, and stage formats for the 26th European Foodservice Summit, which will once again take place in Amsterdam from September 17-19, 2025.
“Our aim is to generate fresh momentum, present effective solutions, and unveil surprising new perspectives,” says Wißmann. “It’s about providing deep insights and learnings from international industry professionals and companies, offering analytical market know-how while expanding both professional and personal horizons.”
The creativity of the Board Members knows no bounds, as evidenced by the array of ideas and speaker proposals, spanning countries and industries, that filled the whiteboard by day’s end. “Now, over the next few days, we need to create a coherent program from these ideas and—thanks to our Board Members—begin speaker acquisition,” Wißmann notes. Initial program highlights will soon be communicated via the EFSS Newsletter, the European Foodservice Summit’s LinkedIn channel, and on food-service.de.