Smart Label, Host Innovation Award

SMART Label, Host Innovation Award 2023.

With HOSTMilano and POLI.design the world reference for innovation in HO.RE.CA. returns.

Product and process innovation as an opportunity for resilience and growth, at a time when the Ho.Re.Ca. sector is facing major challenges in international markets, which increasingly demand efficiency, originality and sustainability.

This is the essence that inspires Smart Label – Host Innovation Award, the recognition dedicated to innovation in the field of professional hospitality promoted by HostMilano and Fiera Milano in partnership with POLI.design and patronized by ADI – Association for Industrial Design.

A reference for all-round innovation

Because of its particularities in terms of marketing and consumption strategies, the out-of-home presents itself as a paradigm of incremental innovation: that is why the biennial Smart Label event has a systemic importance that makes it a worldwide reference for the most “out of the box” innovative solutions.

In fact, the collaboration between HostMilano, Fiera Milano and POLI.design makes it possible to verify in the field the opportunities for market expansion enabled by innovation, fostering innovative projects that meet the needs of a constantly evolving sector and support Italian and international companies in enhancing new and different contexts. This is also testified by the important participation numbers: in the five previous editions, more than 790 applications were submitted and 256 products were awarded.

A role that is reconfirmed again for this sixth edition, which will see the Awards given during HostMilano 2023, the world’s leading event for professional hospitality and the out-of-home – at fieramilano from October 13 to 17 – to those products, services and projects that will emerge for distinctive features in terms of functionality, technologies, environmental sustainability, ethics or social implications.

“Never as in such complex economic and social contexts as the current ones, design can be transformed into a resource capable of orienting societies and production systems towards new development models, becoming a strategic lever” – explains Matteo Ingaramo, Chairman of POLI.design – “This concept has been clear for years to all players operating in the Ho.Re.Ca. sector and I am convinced that even more so today design will be their weapon to resurrect and compete especially on international markets. I am sure that the competition this year will be very fierce and we will be facing with a very high level of designs.”

“In the particular conjuncture we are experiencing, the return of the Smart Label – Host Innovation Award is even more significant. In fact, advanced innovation, smart solutions and attention to sustainability, not only environmental but also social, have now become essential factors to ensure the resilience and growth of companies,” comments Simona Greco, Exhibitions Director of Fiera Milano. “Due to its peculiar characteristics, the Ho.Re.Ca. sector often anticipates and prefigures general trends; for this reason, the ideal context to identify and reward innovation is a leading international platform for professional hospitality such as HostMilano, capable even in a phase such as the current one of confirming itself as a global hub of innovation as well as a demand-supply meeting point.”

Modalities of participation and conduct

Among the three categories provided, Smart Label will award products with a particularly distinguishing innovative content.

Innovation Smart Label is the award for products with high innovation content that marks the overcoming of established trends, particularly through digital and the Internet of Things.

Green Smart Label will be awarded to products with high innovation content and distinctive features with reference to energy saving, environmental compatibility and eco-sustainability, particularly through the application of new materials that contribute to energy saving or energy recovery.

Special Mentions will also be awarded to agri-food products (food & beverage) that will stand out for particularly innovative content.

Until May 31, 2023, companies registered at Host Milano 2023 will be able to submit the application of one of their products or projects in progress, according to the methods indicated in the call for entries, through a specific digital template (no other forms of application will be accepted). Each company may submit only one application.

Commission and evaluation criteria

A judging committee, made up of Politecnico di Milano teachers and experts in the field, will evaluate the applications and award the recognition to those proposals that demonstrate that they meet the innovation requirements according to each category. The committee will evaluate the applications on the basis of key elements such as efficiency of functions, effectiveness of performance or usability, mode of use and innovative technologies, and user benefits.

Candidate products, services and projects that win the recognition will be displayed in the SMART Products area at HostMilano 2023 and will be published on a dedicated INDEX, sending a message of innovation and dynamism for the relevant sector and the entire economic system.

In the rich schedule of events, not to be missed are also the Design Talks, again in partnership with POLI.design, and under the patronage of NEWH – The Hospitality Industry Network: update seminars dedicated to architects and experts in the hospitality sector that will delve into the themes of sustainable innovation declined in design, concepts and formats.

All the winners of SMART LABEL 2023

Innovation SMART Label, dedicated to products with a high innovation content:

• JORDAO
• LATTE ART FACTORY
• Sadun s.r.l
• Wacao Company Limited
• Zerica Srl

Green SMART Label, for energy saving, environmental compatibility and eco-sustainability:

• BIOPAP SRL
• Blumohito
• Foster Refrigerator
• JEAN DUBOST
• Pedrali
• Rational

SMART Label, dedicated to products capable of determining significant evolutions in the sectors:

• Carel Industries
• CASTEL MAC SRL
• Eggciting Products B.V.
• Franke Coffee Systems
• GRANULDISK
• ITALIANESPRESSO.COM SRLS
• Jøni
• Kai Europe Gmbh
• KROMO Ali Group Srl
• MESA CERAMICS
• Modular Srl
• Pietro Grinders
• SIMONELLI GROUP
• The Space
• UNOX S.P.A.