On Friday 2 October, Slovak gastronomy, hospitality and tourism meet again in Piešťany. This year’s Gastrolove (un)conference frames the region as a living ecosystem — and ticket proceeds support the Jozefínum emergency shelter.
A region is not a pin on a map. It is flavour, story, people and a reason to return. That is the frame for this year’s Gastrolove (un)conference, taking place on Friday 2 October 2026 at Hotel ENSANA Esplanade in Piešťany.
For owners, this is not another polite networking evening. It is a day when farmers, producers, winemakers, chefs, hoteliers and tourism professionals share one roof — and talk about what happens when they stop operating as islands.
The 2026 theme is “The region as an ecosystem – when tradition becomes an experience.” The farmer brings ingredients, the winemaker the landscape’s story, the baker the aroma, the chef reshapes them, and the hotelier or guide helps the visitor see the whole picture. When those people collaborate, a destination gains identity — and a reason for guests to come back.
The main partner is again the Trnava Region Tourism Organisation. Executive director Agáta Mikulová puts it plainly: connecting stakeholders is how a destination succeeds. Gastrolove shows how local producers, chefs and hoteliers can work together — and how that collaboration becomes an offer visitors actually want.
For the first time, Gastrolove moves into Hotel ENSANA Esplanade. Organiser Simona Budinská (founder of Kávičkári.sk) says the larger spa-hotel setting is about comfort for participants, partners and exhibitors — and more room for the networking, tastings and informal talks that define the event.
Expect lectures, open discussions, workshops and tastings. Topics circulating in the hospitality community include ratings, sustainability, food waste, revenue management, local produce and practical digital tools. More important than any slide deck is the mix Gastrolove has built over the years: a student next to an experienced hotelier, a café owner next to a head chef, a producer next to someone from destination management — without heavy protocol.
This edition adds another layer. All proceeds from ticket sales support the Jozefínum emergency shelter for women and children in Dolná Krupá. Buying a ticket is not only entry to talks and tastings — it is concrete help for families in a hard place.
Organisers link that choice to Gastrolove’s own line: how to live and thrive in gastronomy with love. Craft and hospitality need not end at the plate; they can show up in how the industry stands together.
If you run a restaurant, hotel, café or production kitchen in a region, Gastrolove is a practical reminder of three things:
Details and tickets are on the Gastrolove / Kávičkári.sk organiser channels. The date is close: 2 October 2026, Piešťany.