Photo: Fairground Stuttgart
IKA/Culinary Olympics: the German Chefs’ Association e.V. (VKD), the Federal State capital of Stuttgart fairground and the Baden-Württemberg branch of DEHOGA have invited some of the world’s top chefs to Stuttgart.
Renowned as a gourmet region, the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg has successfully added another highlight to its event schedule: from 14th to 19th February 2020, it will stage the IKA/Culinary Olympics for the first time in conjunction with INTERGASTRA, the leading trade fair for the hotel and catering industry. This German region, which has long passed the stage of being considered an insider tip for gourmets, is proud to have attracted the IKA/Culinary Olympics to Stuttgart in cooperation with event initiator and organiser VKD and its partners, the Stuttgart fairground and DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg. After all, cooking and enjoying food and beverages is something that is innate in every true Baden-Württemberger: the region has more Michelin star and Gault-Millau toque restaurants than any other Federal State – consequently, Baden-Württemberg’s culinary riches are measurable. The state capital is located in the very heart of this gourmet region and will be centre stage for the delights created by leading international chefs in February.
Stuttgart features and excellent infrastructure
As a location, the Stuttgart fairground stands out for its great transportation network: situated right next to the airport, the IKA/Culinary Olympics are also easy to reach for international visitors. Apart from air travel, the fairgrounds are also easy to reach by train or car. With an overall surface of 120,000m² the Stuttgart fairground is the ideal location for events of all sizes. The IKA/Culinary Olympics benefit from these multi-use facilities and the state-of-the art equipment everywhere on the fairground premises. Ulrich Kromer von Baerle, Managing Director of the Stuttgart fairground, underlines the advantages of the Internationales Congresscenter Stuttgart (ICS) as the venue for the IKA/Culinary Olympics: “With the ICS we offer an amazing arena, which can host both the competitions and restaurants under one and the same roof. This means that at the IKA/Culinary Olympics both the teams and fans can access everything easily.” According to him, it is another milestone that for the very first time the International Exhibition of Culinary Art (IKA) will take place in conjunction with INTERGASTRA. “INTERGASTRA is one of the leading fairs of the industry and thus offers the ideal stage for the IKA/Culinary Olympics,” elaborates Kromer von Baerle. He claims that with over 1,400 exhibitors, the leading trade fair for the hotel and catering industry, which showcases the latest products and exciting business ideas, has developed very well over the years; and that, with its well-structured division of halls and an extraordinary range of exhibitors from the hotel and catering industry, it successfully demonstrates the entire world of hospitality. “While the IKA/Culinary Olympics will benefit from the strong foundations of INTERGASTRA, the latter will benefit from the former’s international character,” explains Kromer von Baerle.
VKD with strong Partners
With over 100,000 visitors expected, the IKA/Culinary Olympics are given the opportunity to present themselves to a broad specialist public. Richard Beck, President of the German Chefs’ association, the VKD, which promotes and organises the event, endorses the new location in Stuttgart. “With the Stuttgart fairground and DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg we have two strong partners at our side to make the 25th edition of the IKA/Culinary Olympics an international success,” says Beck. All eyes will be on us and we want to leave the best possible impression with our international specialist visitors,” emphasises Beck.
DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg are delighted about the international exposure
As the ideating force behind INTERGASTRA, DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg is also thrilled that the 2020 edition of the IKA/Culinary Olympics will be hosted for the first time at the Stuttgart fairground. “We consider this to be an important enhancement of our successful specialist fair. With its international flair, the IKA/Culinary Olympics will positively influence the ambiance at INTERGASTRA. We are looking forward to this great event; and consequently, actively support the organisation and implementation of the IKA/Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart,” says Fritz Engelhardt, President of Baden-Württemberg’s hotel and catering industry association DEHOGA. According to him, his association assists with accommodation arrangements and locating kitchens. “We were able to involve the Federal State schools for the hotel and catering industry,” explains Engelhardt. “In their teaching kitchens, the junior national teams will prepare for their competitions.” The apprentices of the Federal State’s vocational schools will also be partially in charge of the service at the IKA/Culinary Olympics. For the apprentices it is surely an outstanding experience to participate and assist in such an event.”
The IKA/Culinary Olympics is the world’s largest and oldest culinary competition and consequently enjoys a very high standing in the industry – not just in Germany but also on an international scale. As the organiser, the VKD and its partners, the Stuttgart fairground and DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg are delighted to welcome more than 2,000 chefs to Stuttgart.
