Smart Label, HOST Innovation Award

It’s time for the seventh edition of the international contest promoted by HOSTMilano and Fiera Milano in partnership with POLI.design and sponsored by ADI – Associazione per il Disegno Industriale. Smart Label – HOST Innovation Award is an opportunity for innovative projects facing some of the most relevant challenges in the Ho.Re.Ca. field. Efficiency, originality and sustainability should be at the core of the proposals.

The Ho.Re.Ca. field has a distinctive paradigm in terms of marketing and consumption strategies. That’s why Smart Label has a systemic relevance and a global appeal.

Thanks to the contest, designers and brands can test the market feedback on their projects. The competition looks at projects that respond to the needs of a constantly evolving sector and that support Italian and international companies in enhancing new and different contexts. In the previous six editions, about 950 entries were submitted, and more than 280 products were awarded.

The prize ceremony will take place during HOSTMilano 2025 – the world’s leading event for professional hospitality and the out-of-home that will be held at fieramilano from October 17th to 21st. The awards will go to products, services and projects that stand out for distinctive features in terms of functionality, technology, environmental sustainability, ethics or social implications.

Here are the three contest categories. Smart Label will award products with a particular innovative content. Innovation Smart Label is the award for products with high innovation content that mark the overcoming of established trends, particularly through digital and 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. In particular, the jury will focus on those ideas that take advantage of new materials, energy saving or recovery technologies. Special Mentions will also be awarded to agri-food products (food & beverage) that stand out for particularly innovative content.

Until May 30th, 2025, companies registered in HOSTMilano 2025 will be able to submit one of their products or ongoing projects. According to the call, they have to fill out a special digital template (no other forms of nomination will be accepted). Each company may submit only one application.

The judging committee will be made up of Politecnico di Milano Faculty and field experts.

• Giselle Chajin, Service Design Director at Tangity, part of NTT Data
• Markus Orthey, Braun Design Director
• Matteo O. Ingaramo, Associate Professor at the Politecnico di Milano, School of Design
• Venanzio Arquilla, Associate Professor at the Politecnico di Milano, School of Design
• Vu Duy Phong, Chief Design Director De`Longhi Group

They will prize those proposals that meet innovation requirements according to each category. Evaluations will be based on key elements such as efficiency of functions, effectiveness of performance or usability, mode of use and innovative technologies, and user benefits.

Winning products, services, and projects will be on show in the Smart Products area at HOSTMilano 2025 and will be published on the contest special INDEX. They will be the vector of innovation and dynamism to the relevant sector and the entire economic system.

The rich schedule of events will also include the Design Talks born from the partnership between POLI.design and HOSTMilano under the patronage of NEWH – The Hospitality Industry Network. Seminars will be dedicated to architects and experts in the hospitality sector who will delve into the themes of sustainable innovation declined in design, concepts and formats.