Cellie (Fiere di Parma): "Events bring together two increasingly converging worlds: the gastronomic culture of fire and the butcher's profession."

From April 11 to 14, 2026, Fiere di Parma will host a double event unprecedented in the Italian trade fair landscape: BBQ Expo and Butcher Show—the result of a partnership between Area Fiera and Fiere di Parma—occupy approximately 40,000 square meters of exhibition space and bring together, for the first time, the meat and food service industries on the same platform. Two complementary events, 400 brands, 68 events, and academies led by 42 pit masters. And more than 100 butchers from across Italy and abroad will be present at the fair, competing, and in the classroom. This productive and cultural system demonstrates how meat, in all its forms, has become a source of expertise, investment, and identity.

According to the latest ISMEA data, Italian production in the sector grew by 3.4% in volume, after a 6.3% increase in 2024. This trend contrasts with the European context, where beef production decreased by 3.2%, with significant declines in Germany (-7.9%) and the Netherlands (-13%). The value of the agricultural supply chain exceeds €4 billion, while the beef industry's turnover reached €6.7 billion, up 7% from 2023. These figures confirm the vitality of an evolving sector, which in Parma is finding a new space for discussion, vision, and growth.

"BBQ Expo and Butcher Show," says Antonio Cellie , CEO of Fiere di Parma, "bring together two increasingly converging worlds: the gastronomic culture of fire, with the entire technical and production system that supports it, and the butchering profession, which, as a retail format or department in large-scale retail trade, is rapidly evolving with skills and business models that place it among the most dynamic professions in the food industry. Parma didn't become a Food Valley by chance: it's a region with a profound productive and cultural vocation, within which these events find their most natural logic. Our vision is for Parma to be a trade fair-platform where different supply chains connect and develop, generating concrete opportunities for businesses by fostering food culture."

Bbq Expo occupies Pavilion 3 with an offering spanning the entire outdoor cooking chain: next-generation barbecues and smokers, heat management systems, technical accessories, fuels, rubs, and spices that anticipate flavor trends. Alongside the exhibits, space is also dedicated to outdoor design: outdoor kitchen solutions that confirm how the garden has become a room designed with the same materials and attention to detail as interior spaces.

Italian barbecue has taken a leap in maturity. It's no longer just a phenomenon curiously looking to the American world: today it's reinterpreting it with an Italian twist, infusing slow-and-slow cooking and compact bark with a sensitivity rooted in moderation, raw ingredients, and a culture of flavor. The rub, once a simple blend of spices, has become an aromatic project: organic Sicilian citrus fruits, fermented black garlic, powdered honey instead of cane sugar, freeze-dried coffee for deep notes without bitterness. A new grammar that doesn't betray American discipline but enriches it, producing a cleaner barbecue in the mouth, where smoke, sweetness, and saltiness interact without overpowering each other.

A maturity that also comes from the conscious choice of raw materials: select breeds, cuts valued in their entirety, and supply chains traced from farm to fire. Sustainable barbecue isn't just a slogan: it's the logic of those who know the animal before cooking it, who handle unconventional cuts with the same care reserved for the finest, and who build an authentic narrative of territory and identity around the embers. A fire culture that has transcended the confines of the home garden and entered restaurants, where slow cooking and flame management have become identifying elements of menus and formats.

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