More and more food events in Hamburg

This year, around 7,500 visitors are expected at 200 events on five days. Patrick Rüther, Managing Director of Tellerrand Consulting, expects the second round from September 12-16, 2024 to be even more popular and is hoping for 10,000 visitors. "The Oberhafenquartier will be our main venue this year. We will be hosting culinary events and parties like the Gaumendisko in one venue. The agenda also features yoga sessions, podcast recordings and film screenings. And we are planning expert talks and panel discussions in a second venue." Yet, the festival remains decentralized, Rüther stressed. This is reflected by events on cooking, growing and producing food all over Hamburg and the surrounding region. Bars in Hamburg will be more involved this year with emphasis on sustainable enjoyment. New drinks will be created from only regional products for four weeks in August and September. The Sustainable Sip for the best drink will be presented in Food Lab Hamburg, which will also host the first Hamburg's stars on September 15. "Then, famous chefs in Hamburg will come together for a special event. Visitors can enjoy all kinds of delicacies and network with movers and shakers in Hamburg's gastronomic scene," he added. 

Planning for the food festival is now in full swing and trade fairs and events are still being added to the agenda. The 7th North German Food Summit will launch on September 5, 2024 in Warnemünde for experts. Emphasis is on employee and customer loyalty, Gen Z and artificial intelligence. Other events include a “forest walk with local beer”, chocolate and farm tours or kitchen parties as well as the Greenfood Festival on September 14-15, 2024. Parallel to Open Mouth, the Eat & Style trade fair on kitchens, cooking, dining and table decoration will get underway on September 14-15 as well. The next Food Innovation Camp (FIC) gets underway on June 23, 2025 after the success of this year’s event in the Chamber of Commerce. This year’s meet focused on the food industry of the future and attracted around 1,300 delegates. Malte Heyne, CEO of Chamber of Commerce, highlighted challenges such as the resumption of the previous 19 per cent VAT rate in early 2024 or massive price hikes on e.g., oil or oranges. Every second business is experiencing dwindling guest numbers and declining revenue, a recent survey by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association has found. However, FIC can help counter these phenomena with its wide range of ideas on food, catering trends and innovations.

"The pandemic and the resulting restrictions revealed the extent of the correlation between the number of visits to city centres and the range of food and beverages on offer," a study by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research has found. Now in 2024, great things are expected of the "Le big TamTam" food market, which opened in the Hanseviertel shopping centre in mid-July. Five trendy food concepts are set to revive the “Grand Dame” of Hamburg’s shopping arcades. The 45,000 square metre centre consists of 60 shops and the Renaissance Hamburg Hotel. "A well-designed food market is a valuable traffic generator, according to CBRE Investment Management, a representative for the owner CBRE Group. Given the convenience of online shopping, positive experiences are crucial to attracting people to the city centre," said Rüther. Developed by Tellerrand Consulting, "Le big TamTam" is “still in the soft opening phase. Procedures in the 2,000 square metre space are being continually optimised," he added. Demand is promising despite a soft opening bang in the middle of school holidays when many residents of Hamburg are out of town. "We even had to stop admission once or twice even though we cater for up to 500 guests."
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