Intergastra 2026: HORECA Trend Signals − Vending Emerges as Growth Driver for Hospitality

More than 80,000 industry visitors attended Intergastra 2026 in Stuttgart (February 7–11, 2026), marking a significant increase from 2024 according to the trade show review by Allgemeine Hotel- und Gastronomie-Zeitung, driven primarily by stronger participation from Bavaria and Hesse. For the first time, vending was not a peripheral topic but a strategic focus: the Bundesverband der Deutschen Vending-Automatenwirtschaft (BDV) participated as an official partner, the stage programme ran in the Alfred Kärcher Hall (Hall 8, Stand 8C19), and BDV's follow-up coverage carried the headline: "Vending has arrived."

FocusVENDING: From Peripheral Programme to Trade Show Stage

The new FocusVENDING forum, jointly hosted by the Digital Vending Hub of VendingSpiegel and INTERGASTRA, brought together topics directly relevant to hoteliers and restaurateurs: smart vending, micro-markets, contactless payment systems, digitalisation, OCS (Office Coffee Service), 24/7 sales points and hotel applications. At the Operators Day (Saturday, February 7, 2026), operators discussed on stage market issues, legal certainty and new deployment concepts.

Stefan Lohnert, Managing Director of Messe Stuttgart, describes the format decision according to AHGZ: "Intergastra 2026 demonstrates how trade shows must evolve to remain relevant: we create thematic contexts that provide orientation, foster exchange and deliver practical solutions." For vending, this represents the first time a place in the context of the broader HORECA landscape, no longer in the peripheral programme.

Three Practical Examples Demonstrate the Range

Three concepts, presented on the Intergastra Vending Platform of Messe Stuttgart, show how vending is deployed in different ways in the HORECA context:

Spätz-O-Mat (Timo Böckle): Freshly prepared Swabian Spätzle after restaurant closing, offering regional cuisine around the clock. According to Böckle in a statement to Messe Stuttgart: "We developed our Spätzle vending machine a few years ago together with Stüwer GmbH. The concept has found extremely positive reception among our guests."

Regiomat: A digital farm shop with touchscreen and app, featuring real-time inventory data for operators and suppliers. For hotels in rural locations that do not wish to maintain full in-house catering, the model offers a practical assortment of regional products.

BeckaBeck (Römerstein): Daily leftover products are automatically sold with 20–50 % discount. The model combines business interest (leftover utilisation) with a concrete sustainability outcome: reduced food waste, without additional manual effort.

Stefan Stüwer (Stüwer GmbH, Deutscher Vendingpreis 2022) identifies the core principle behind all three approaches: "You just need to design it attractively and offer the right product, then it becomes a credible solution."

Market Data: What Stands Behind the Trade Show Signal

Dr. Hans-Ulrich Kauderer, Chair of DEHOGA Baden-Württemberg, spoke of "growing optimism in hospitality, gastronomy and institutional catering." The figures provide a structural foundation for this sentiment.

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Germany: The German vending market achieved total revenue of €4.62 billion in 2024 (products, services, rentals), +18.7 % compared to 2023, according to BDV Market Study 2024. Product revenue alone stands at €3.37 billion. Approximately 621,000 machines are in operation, 75 % of which are in the hot beverage segment. Currently, 76 % of machines are located in production facilities and offices. The BDV Market Committee has identified HORECA as one of six defined growth vectors, alongside hospitals, educational institutions, leisure facilities, outdoor locations and care facilities. Another data point: 40 % of operators offering fresh products replace or supplement a traditional canteen with them.

Europe: Approximately 5 million machines are in operation across Europe. Hotels and convenience locations hold a 10 % share of the total machine base, while the workplace share has declined from 80 % (ten years ago) to 70 %, according to EVA Market Report 2025. Smart fridges increased by 95 % in 2024 and reached 7,400 units in Europe. Micro-markets grew by +14.8 % to 10,100 units, representing a 171 % increase compared to 2019. Food sales in combination vending machines rose by 45 % from 2018 to 2024.

Three Technology Trends Bringing HORECA and Vending Together

Digitalisation and Connectivity: 85 % of the European vending machine base is equipped for cashless payment (2019: 58 %), according to EVA. In Germany, in 2025, more people paid by card than in cash for the first time: card 47 %, cash 41 %, according to the Allensbach Study 2025 by the Initiative Deutsche Zahlungssysteme (cited in BDV Intern 04/2025). Bean-to-cup machines now cover 74 % of the European hot beverage machine base, compared to 58 % in 2015. AI-driven inventory optimisation and IoT remote monitoring are no longer optional features for profitable operation.

Regionality and Sustainability: Reusable packaging, organic certification and regional supply chains have evolved from marketing promises to purchase criteria in guest surveys. The Regiomat approach demonstrates that direct supply chains from producer to machine, with digital inventory synchronisation, work technically.

New Deployment Sites: Co-working spaces, fitness studios and rural provisioning are added to hotels and restaurants as locations. Hybrid working has reduced the workplace share in Europe by ten percentage points; operators are seeking alternative sites, and HORECA provides exactly that.

What Operators and Hoteliers Can Derive in Practice

For hoteliers and restaurateurs considering vending as a service addition, three operational conclusions can be drawn from the Intergastra presentations:

First: design and brand alignment are not optional. A visibly standardised cabinet undermines the ambient experience that hotels rely on. Customisable front panels and illuminated product display are part of the cost calculation, not a luxury.

Second: the operating model determines profitability. In-house operation becomes cost-effective at approximately 20 machines; below that threshold, full-service through a specialised operator is typically more cost-efficient because maintenance, restocking and troubleshooting are outsourced.

Third: connectivity is a prerequisite. Real-time inventory data, remote monitoring and cashless payment are non-negotiable for profitable operation.

Outlook: INTERGASTRA 2028

The next INTERGASTRA will take place from February 12–16, 2028 in Stuttgart, for the first time jointly with the IKA/Chefs' Olympiad, according to about-drinks.com. Whether FocusVENDING will continue as a standalone format has not yet been communicated. The market trend suggests it will: as long as HORECA operators deploy vending as a structural solution to labour shortages and rising operating costs, the topic remains trade-show-worthy.