Williams Refrigeration and sister company Falcon Foodservice Equipment sponsored a visit to the 2025 Host Milan show for eight young and talented professionals from the ceda Academy. “Amazing” was the verdict of one of the eight, Kate Nuttall, a senior designer at ABDA Design, with all her fellow delegates being full of praise and thanks for the trip.
The eight youngsters work in a variety of different specialties, covering areas such as kitchen design, sales and project management. They flew out on the Thursday before the show, then enjoyed two full days at Host before flying back on the Sunday.
Malcolm Harling, sales and marketing director of Williams, said, “They got to see many, many stands and it opened their eyes to the vast world of foodservice equipment. The idea behind the sponsorship is to help support the future of the industry by nurturing the next generation of foodservice professionals. Coming to a show like this will certainly further their education.”
Another delegate, Jessica Long, operations manager at ifse, said, “It’s been great. There are so many suppliers here it’s actually a bit scary – there’s just so much to see.” Harry Mansell, who works in sales at Nelson Commercial Catering agreed, “It’s a lot bigger than I imagined,” he said. “There are a lot of suppliers and a lot of different bits of technology that we’re not used to seeing back in the UK. So there’s a lot to learn.”
One of the new technologies at Host was previewed on the Williams stand – the market’s first refrigerated counters and cabinets that offer multi-temperature settings, so they can adjust to different food types. Augustine Okafor, project manager for Gratte Brothers Catering Equipment Limited commented, “At Host I can see the cutting edge technology that is flowing into our industry. And I could not be more excited for the coming years.”
Kate Nuttall echoed her fellow delegates’ thoughts: “Host is amazing,” she said.
As well as learning about Williams and Falcon products, the delegates gained insight from a selection of Ali Group companies at the show, and had the chance to visit other suppliers there, too. “I had such a good time and learnt a lot about the Ali Group suppliers,” said Jessica Lang.
Paul Bayer is national accounts manager at Falcon. He said, “Part of the experience for the ceda delegates is the hospitality. They get to do a lot of cross networking together and go home absolutely full of energy.”
The eight certainly got to enjoy some of the delights of Milan. Kenna-Aimie Hickton, senior project designer at Space Catering said, “Special shout out to our fabulous hosts for a fun-filled few days!” While Augustine Okafor said, “Saturday evening was memorable beyond measure!”
Garry Allitt, national sales manager of Williams, was another one of the team tasked with looking after the group. He said, “I think they’ve all had a wonderful time, and we’ve certainly had a wonderful time hosting them.”
The trip certainly enthused the delegates and reinvigorated their thoughts on the foodservice industry. Harry Mansell said, “As soon as you start learning you’ll get your feet on the floor and you’ll go to the top!” Meanwhile Kate Nuttall said, “It’s a really fun industry because it’s all about food and coming together, so it’s a really interesting place to be a part of.”
Augustine Okafor added, “It’s an ever-exciting industry. You’ll never be bored in the food industry. I promise!”
Malcolm Harling added, “The foodservice industry offers a great opportunity to make a career. We’re proud to be supporting these young people that have come into the industry through ceda.”