All over the world airport operators have recognised the value of highclass and varied F&B provision if the airport is to be an attractive environment, and in many cases over the past few years they have considerably upgraded their portfolio. For catering brands these sites with dense visitor traffic give an eye-catching window in a demanding competitive milieu. On the other hand, occasionally unforeseeable situations, and derivative demand, require much more flexible and more resource-heavy management of staff and goods employed. In our pan-European Survey we portray three European airports, whose catering profile has been extended and modernized over the last few months.

Hilton Worldwide is one of the world's largest hotel groups, operating more than 3,900 properties with over 650,000 rooms across 90 countries. With the opening of its first regional hotel in Egypt back in 1959, the company was one of the first international hospitality enterprises in the Middle East. Today, the hotel chain operates 54 hotels with more than 300 restaurants across the Middle East & Africa region. In February 2012, Hilton Worldwide announced the opening of an additional 200 new F&B outlets in the MEA region within the next three years. The company plans to set up a whole range of new tailor-made concepts and franchise deals as well as to continue well-established partnerships. A portrait by Bettina Quabius.

Reliable flow of materials through foodservice establishments is subject to greater constraints than those encountered in most factories. Kitchen space is tight while product delivery is ergonomically demanding and intensely time-critical. Bruce Whitehall talks to specialist manufacturer Hupfer about its increasingly international focus on kitchen logistics.

How to ensure growth in an uncertain economic future: that was the question topping the agenda at the 13th European Foodservice Summit held in Zurich last September. We asked participants from six countries around the world about the pros and cons of growth for the coming years, about important steps they have taken and their strategies to gain further ground (Part 2).

Computer systems and robots are ready to take over human communication and thinking and all we can do about it is to train our brain to cope with it. This is the alarming thesis of Frank Schirrmacher, co-publisher of FAZ, one of Germany's leading newspapers. His speech at the 13th European Foodservice Summit in Zurich last September focused on why in the information age we are forced to do what we don't want to do and how we can regain control over our thoughts.

One of Europe's most influential restaurant concept creators at both ends of the spectrum, Alan Yau is the father of ground-breaking formats like Wagamama and Hakkasan. At the 13th European Foodservice Summit in Zurich, he shared his methods of and approaches to concept development and his vision of ‘emotional architecture'. www.alanyau.cn

The 13th European Foodservice Summit in Zurich kicked off with athought provoking presentation from Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute CEO Dr David Bosshart. Here Ann Elliott, of Elliott Marketing & PR(www.elliottmarketingpr.com), takes us through some of the highlights of his presentation entitled ‘The slower you move, the faster you die' on the acceleration of just about everything.

When the economic crisis hit Europe, Spain was undoubtedly in the eye of the hurricane. But unlike a storm, the crisis did not abate after a couple of days. The depression that reached Spain in summer 2008 is still gripping the nation and, of course, the local foodservice market. Only a few companies have managed to cope with the tough conditions. Among them is the Spanish Eat Out Group. "We are doing pretty well," said Ignasi Ferrer, CEO of Eat Out at the 13th European Foodservice Summit in Zurich. In his emotional speech he shared his own particular recipe for fighting the crisis.

Even though we are still talking about a niche product, interest in craftsman- brewed speciality beers is growing in many European countries. The Micro-Breweries are benefiting from the fact that beer-lovers are increasingly on the lookout for variety in a mass market that continues to be more and more dominated by fewer and fewer major players. Many consumers are reacting to globalisation by demanding sustainable, locally manufactured products ... and the premium image of these beers is just the sort of thing that meets this demand.

Hardly any new concept in the past decade has had such a strong impact on professional catering in Central Europe as the Vapiano formula, which began life in Hamburg in 2002. By 2006, with a good dozen locations in Germany, the country where the idea was born, they ventured forth across the border - to Vienna. Today, the brand is present at 123 locations in 27 countries, the majority of them now outside the home country. We recount the history of Vapiano's expansion as the first part of a series about European concepts and their strategies on their way into the big wide world.