Salzburg hospitality fair puts AI and business links in focus

The Alles für den Gast trade fair opens in Salzburg on Saturday, with artificial intelligence and business networking among its main themes, ORF reported. The event at the Salzburg Exhibition Centre will bring together 750 exhibitors from 25 countries.

Exhibitors from Germany, Serbia, Ukraine, China and the United States are travelling to Salzburg to make business contacts, explore new products and present their own offerings. The fair is primarily a place to establish and maintain business relationships, said Alexander Kribus, managing director of the exhibition centre. While it gives exhibitors the chance to meet both existing partners and new contacts, concrete business and contract deals are often prepared later.

The programme will examine practical uses of AI in restaurants and hotels, including reservation systems, guest communications, staff scheduling and business operations. It will also consider cooking and service robots. Organisers say the technology should not replace employees, but give them more time for personal contact with guests.

The fair is open only to industry professionals and runs from November 7 to 10. As it did last year, it will last four days instead of five, at the industry’s request. Kribus said the shorter schedule had not affected visitor numbers; organisers expect up to 40,000 visitors this year, as they did last year.