Promohotel 2026 in Poreč: more than 150 exhibitors and 500 brands arriving at Žatika, focus on digital transformation and season preparation
From February 11 to 14, 2026, Poreč will once again become one of the key meeting places for tourism and hospitality professionals in the region, when the 41st edition of the international fair of food, drinks, and equipment for tourism, Promohotel, takes place in the Žatika hall. Organizers announce a four-day program that, along with the exhibition part, brings intensive educational content and gastro presentations, with a clear goal: to offer solutions and knowledge that the HoReCa sector can immediately apply in practice before the start of the new season.
The very fact that Promohotel is held in mid-February, at a time when plans for spring and summer are being finalized in tourist centers, gives it additional weight. Poreč, as a destination with developed infrastructure and a long tradition of organizing business events, also receives an additional impulse during the winter period, when professional gatherings are one of the mechanisms for maintaining economic activity and the city's visibility.
Key information: dates, location, and visit organization
Promohotel is held in the Žatika hall, on an exhibition space covering 4,500 square meters indoors and an additional 500 square meters in the outdoor part of the fair. The fair opens on Wednesday, February 11, and lasts until Saturday, February 14, 2026, and entry is planned with prior registration through the organizer's official channels.
For visitors coming from other parts of Croatia and abroad, Poreč is both a logistical challenge and an opportunity during this period: smaller tourist crowds make arrival easier, but due to the fair's dynamics, it is recommended to plan travel and overnight stays earlier, especially for those who want to follow education sessions and workshops over several days. In this context, it is practical to check
accommodation in Poreč during the fair in advance, especially if coming with a team or planning to combine a business visit with a tour of the destination.
- Date: February 11 – 14, 2026
- Location: Žatika Hall, Poreč
- Fair scope: 4,500 m2 indoor + 500 m2 outdoor exhibition space
- Organizer announcement: more than 150 exhibitors and more than 500 HoReCa sector brands
- Opening hours (according to visitor information): Wednesday 12:00–19:00; Thursday and Friday 10:00–19:00; Saturday 10:00–17:00
Why Promohotel is important for the HoReCa sector
In recent years, Promohotel has profiled itself as an event where equipment suppliers, food and beverage producers and distributors, furniture and interior solution providers, but also an expanding circle of companies offering IT and management solutions for tourism and hospitality meet in one place. Such a market cross-section is particularly important at a time when guest expectations are changing rapidly: from standards of quality and service speed, through sustainability and energy efficiency, to the digital habits of guests who increasingly make decisions based on online content, reviews, and availability.
In practice, this means that competitiveness is no longer built only on the menu or location, but also on the way reservations are managed, the presentation of the offer on the internet, cost optimization, process automation, and the ability to design the guest experience consistently through the entire "journey" from search to departure.
Exhibition part: from equipment and furniture to IT solutions
The announced scope of exhibitors suggests that visitors will have the opportunity to compare a wide range of solutions: from catering equipment and inventory, professional appliances and cooling systems, to gastronomic products and a segment that traditionally expands towards business services and digital tools. Organizers emphasize the international character of the fair, and the audience is typically composed of catering facility owners, managers, employees in the hotel and camping industry, but also experts from related industries.
For many small entrepreneurs in hospitality, such fairs have additional value because they allow for direct comparison of offers and conversation with manufacturers and distributors without intermediaries. For larger systems, on the other hand, the networking aspect and tracking trends, including process standardization and the introduction of new technologies into operations, are important.
Education Point: digital transformation as the main theme, along with marketing and new technologies
The professional educational program Education Point has been one of the most recognizable parts of Promohotel for years. This year's emphasis is on digital transformation, marketing, and the application of new technologies, along with topics concerning interior design and guest experience, the development of cycling infrastructure and sustainable mobility, and the connection of cultural content and natural heritage with niche forms of tourism.
A special part of the program is aimed at connecting domestic and international markets, highlighting the cooperation between Croatian and Italian companies in sectors relevant to the HoReCa industry. The announced program also includes an event held in Italian with translation provided, which further emphasizes the fair's ambition to be a regional meeting point, not just a local business event.
Practical workshops: websites with reservations, video for social networks, and search engine visibility
A significant segment of education on the last day of the fair is aimed at digital tools and content that directly affect sales and communication with guests. The focus is on practical topics such as creating websites with booking forms, creating video content for social networks, understanding the role of social networks and Google tools in guest behavior, and positioning the brand on search engines. Within this framework, the topic of artificial intelligence is also mentioned, including tools like ChatGPT, in the context of creating professional content, with an emphasis on applicability and daily use in business.
Such an approach is increasingly important because an increasing part of demand comes through digital channels. A guest, especially in short city-break trips or weekend arrangements, often makes a decision in a few minutes, and the impression of the website, clarity of the offer, availability of dates, and persuasiveness of the content are decisive. Therefore, there is more and more talk about "operational marketing", where communication and sales become an integral part of facility management, not a separate function.
For those planning to come from outside Istria and follow education sessions over several days, it is good to plan
accommodation near the Žatika hall in advance to avoid wasting time in logistics and maximize the business part of the visit.
Gastro program: demonstrations and trends adapted to today's guest expectations
Along with the exhibition and educational part, Promohotel traditionally attracts attention with its gastro program, which often becomes the most visited segment of the fair. Demonstrations by famous chefs and brands generally follow changes in guest habits: from requests for faster and more consistent service, to interest in local ingredients, international preparation techniques, and food presentation adapted to the modern "visual" standard.
In that balance between tradition and modern trends, the gastro segment of the fair often serves as a kind of idea laboratory. Caterers can see there how new products and techniques fit into real kitchen conditions, how to standardize preparation without losing quality, and how to design an offer that gives the guest "added value", which organizers highlight as one of the reasons why the audience returns year after year.
Poreč as a host: a city of business events and season announcement
Support from the local community and institutions is an important component of such manifestations, especially in tourist centers that want to extend the season and strengthen the business tourism segment. The City of Poreč-Parenzo has highlighted Promohotel in recent years as an event that gathers a large number of professionals in the winter months, and thus indirectly strengthens the local economy through consumption and visibility of the destination.
In practice, the arrival of a larger number of exhibitors and visitors means additional traffic for caterers and service providers, but also positioning Poreč as a place where people come not only for vacation, but also for professional gatherings. For part of the visitors, this is also an opportunity to test the destination for future business or tourist arrangements as early as February, so it is not unusual that after the fair, additional information is sought about
accommodation offers in Poreč and content outside the classic season.
The bigger picture: HoReCa in the year of technology, standards, and competitiveness
Fairs like Promohotel are increasingly perceived not as a "product exhibition", but more as a place where the pulse of the industry is measured. Digital transformation, which a few years ago was a topic reserved for larger systems, is now descending to the level of smaller facilities: online reservations, price and availability management, communication automation, digital marketing, video content, and search engine presence optimization are becoming a standard, not an advantage.
At the same time, the importance of design and guest experience is growing, including interiors, sustainability, mobility, and connection with local identity. In this sense, Promohotel tries to merge different "worlds" of the sector: from the operational kitchen and procurement, through design and infrastructure, to digital tools that often decide the fight for the guest.
Such a breadth of the program is particularly relevant in Istria, a region that bases a large part of its competitiveness on a combination of accommodation quality, gastronomy, and experience. On the eve of the new season, Promohotel thus becomes a place where, through conversations, presentations, and workshops, concrete business decisions are shaped. For many visitors, it is also a "preparatory camp" for the months that follow, when every mistake in planning or communication is quickly seen on the market.
To make the visit effective, some participants are already planning a multi-day stay, and experience shows that the most sought-after options fill up quickly, so it is recommended to check
accommodation for Promohotel visitors in time and align it with the schedule of education and business meetings.
Sources:- Promohotel (official page) – basic information about the fair, exhibitor/brand announcement and opening hours ( link )- Promohotel Education Point (official page) – program of professional events, registrations and thematic units ( link )- Poreč Tourist Board (event calendar) – announcement of dates and locations, event description ( link )- Istra.hr (official tourist portal) – fair announcement and data on exhibition areas ( link )- Studio 053 (organizer) – confirmation of organization and dates of Promohotel 2026 ( link )- City of Poreč-Parenzo (post archive) – context of the fair's role and local community support ( link )
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