Düsseldorf to host Germany's largest gastro summit "RollingPin.Convention" from 2024 onwards
28 September 2023
Germany's largest gastronomy summit is moving to Düsseldorf! The "Rolling Pin.Convention" - a very special trade congress and industry meeting with around 10,000 professionals from the gastronomy sector - will take place for the first time at the Areal Böhler in autumn 2024. The complete Who's Who of top chefs and renowned cuisine newcomers will be there. There will be master classes, trade exhibitions, panel discussions and networking. The awards on the Rolling Pin stage are regarded by chefs and sommeliers as the Oscars of the industry in the German-speaking world. Now the Rolling Pin.Convention is moving - from Berlin to Düsseldorf.
"As the centre of a lively gastronomy scene in the metropolitan region between the Rhine and Ruhr, the NRW state capital offers the best conditions for a successful convention. We made the decision to move because all partners want success and are convinced of the potential of the city of Düsseldorf as a gastronomy hotspot," says Jürgen Pichler, founder and CEO of Rolling Pin. And the city wants to present itself as a strong host. After initial talks with Jürgen Pichler and co-organiser METRO, Mayor Dr Stephan Keller had the idea early on to bring this unique industry event to the Rhine - and was able to win over strong partners in the form of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the industry association Dehoga Nordrhein and the Düsseldorf Convention, in addition to the city's Office for Economic Development.
Düsseldorf's Mayor Dr Stephan Keller: "Attractive gastronomy contributes to a city worth living in. This is especially true for Düsseldorf. Because our city, as well as gastronomy in its entire spectrum, stands for hospitality, enjoyment and community! That's why I'm convinced that we can become the hospitality capital if we all work together on it. Together with METRO, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Dehoga, the Office for Economic Development and the Düsseldorf Convention, we have now taken another important step towards this common goal. I would like to thank all partners for their commitment, Kerstin Rapp-Schwan for bringing together the relevant actors and, of course, Jürgen Pichler for his trust. Düsseldorf will present itself as an excellent host of the Rolling Pin.Convention and is looking forward to welcoming the renowned representatives of the gastronomy scene as our guests.
From left to right: Christian Nezmah, Kerstin Rapp-Schwan, Dr. Stephan Keller OB Düsseldorf, Martin Behle
METRO has been a co-organiser and partner of the Rolling Pin.Convention Germany since its launch in 2017 and sees the move as a further endorsement of Düsseldorf as a location. Martin Behle, Chief HoReCa Officer of METRO AG: "Already 8 years ago, Jürgen Pichler and I decided to bring the Chefdays – now Rolling Pin.Convention – to Germany. The response was impressive right from the start. Now we want to further expand the potential of this great industry event by bringing it to Düsseldorf. The west of the republic already has a lot to offer and we want to develop the region into a real gastronomy hotspot! For such a commitment, however, you also need the right companions: Mayor Dr Keller and other players in the city have actively supported us in our project from the very beginning and have made a strong case for Düsseldorf as an event location. We would like to thank Düsseldorf restaurateur Kerstin Rapp-Schwan for opening many doors for us in this project. Together we will take the event to the next level of success.”
On the city side, the project is being led by the Düsseldorf Convention, a department of the city subsidiary Düsseldorf Marketing GmbH. Frank Schrader, Managing Director of Düsseldorf Marketing and Düsseldorf Tourism: "The Rolling Pin.Convention will be in Düsseldorf from 2024! This is like an accolade for Düsseldorf as a gastronomy location and makes us even more attractive as a city – not only for tourists. But the project also shows what we can achieve when we work together towards a goal – thanks to all partners – this is perfect teamwork!
From the point of view of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry, too, the upgrading of Düsseldorf as a gastronomy destination is a comprehensible and economically sensible decision. Gregor Berghausen, Managing Director of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry: "An attractive range of restaurants has a positive effect on the quality of life in Düsseldorf as a lively and livable city and as an international business location. A major bottleneck factor for further positive development in the hospitality industry is the lack of skilled workers and employees. Therefore, the Rolling Pin.Convention can also provide a very good impulse for the region to attract people in the exciting professions and employment opportunities in the hospitality industry. That's why the Chamber of Industry and Commerce will address this topic through targeted activities within the framework of the Rolling Pin.Convention."
The industry association Dehoga Nordrhein already highly values the potential of the city of Düsseldorf for a diverse and high-profile gastro-scene. The relocation of the convention could contribute to further raising its profile. Giuseppe Saitta, District Chairman of Dehoga Düsseldorf: "Düsseldorf stands for culinary diversity and is known beyond the city limits for its outstanding gastronomic offerings. Next year, the Rolling Pin.Convention will turn the nationwide spotlight on the city and will bring new impulses for the entire hospitality industry. Whether restaurant, bar, pub or bistro – an exchange at eye level and the expansion of our network can only be profitable for all of us!"
The German edition of the Rolling Pin.Convention took place for the first time in 2017 and has been held regularly in Berlin since then. The latest edition of the event once again attracted around 10,000 gastro professionals to the Arena Berlin. The list of stars reads like an international and national Who's Who of the industry, including Ferran Adriá (inventor of molecular cuisine, Barcelona, Spain), Alex Atala (Restaunt Dom **, São Paulo, Brazil), Tim Raue (Restaurant Tim Raue **, Berlin, Germany), Tim Mälzer (Bullerei, Hamburg, Germany) and Alexander Herrmann (AURA by Alexander Herrmann & Tobias Bätz, Wirsberg, Germany), among others. The programme included over 60 cooking demonstrations, master classes, talks and work-shops. This year's highlight was once again the awarding of the "100 Best Chefs: Patissier, Gastronom, Maitre ... of the Year", the "50 Best Bars", the "50 Best Sommeliers", the "Top Employers" and the finale of the Junge Wilden 2023.
About ROLLING PIN.
Rolling Pin. was founded in 2003 by Jürgen Pichler and is today one of the largest and most influential international media companies for the gastronomy and hotel industry.
The vision "Unique Inspiration for Food, Wine & Bar Pioneers" runs through the entire Rolling Pin. brand world, which, in addition to the multi-award-winning cult magazine, also includes one of the largest online & job portals for the gastronomy and hotel industry, the Rolling Pin. Conventions and awards such as the 100 Best Chefs, 50 Best Bars, the Junge Wilden ... www.rollingpin.com.
About METRO
METRO is a leading international food wholesaler which specialises in serving the needs of hotels, restaurants, and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent merchants (Traders). Around the world, METRO has approx. 17 million customers who benefit from the wholesale company’s unique multichannel mix: customers can purchase their goods in one of the large stores in their area as well as by delivery (Food Service Distribution, FSD) – all digitally supported and connected. In parallel, METRO MARKETS is being developed as an international online marketplace for the needs of professional customers which has been growing and expanding continuously since 2019. Acting sustainably is one of the company principles of METRO which has been listed in various sustainability indices and rankings, including MSCI, Sustainalytics and CDP. METRO operates in more than 30 countries and employs over 93,000 people worldwide. In financial year 2021/22, METRO generated sales of €29.8 billion. More information can be found at MPULSE.de, our online magazine.
