ISM/ProSweets Cologne, which will be held as a special edition from April 23 to 25, will address the challenges in the sweets and snacks industries that led to the one-off delay, including the steep price increases for raw materials, energy and logistics. “This is why we are all the more delighted that we are recording such a strong national and international participation at ISM despite this one-off postponement. This confirms how important the leading trade fair for the sweets and snacks industry is and shows once again that the trade fair format is urgently needed by the exhibiting industry,” says Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Around 1,300 exhibitors from 70 countries will present the trends of the international sweets and snacks industry in Cologne this year The lineup includes several newcomers from countries such as Armenia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. In total, there are 32 country pavilions from 25 countries and regions. ProSweets will welcome 117 exhibitors from 23 countries.
The key theme of ISM 2023 is ‘Encourage! Enable! Excite!’. The Expert Stage of ISM and ProSweets Cologne – Special Edition will be the central point of contact for the latest developments.
The foreign participations with the highest number of exhibitors come from Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the USA.
Traditionally, both international market leaders, as well as medium-sized and smaller companies, participate at ISM. They are all represented in different product segments and pick up on current and future industry trends.
Alongside the traditional product groups, such as sweets and snack items ranging from chocolate products and confectionery to ice cream, there will also be a focus on snacking, to-go items, breakfast as well as gourmet products. Exhibitors are listed online in the ISM exhibitor database, with an extended search tool including filters for name, country, hall, product, or trend theme (from organic and brand names, halal and kosher, through to vegetarian and vegan).
ISM reports that all important national and international trading houses and their top buyers have registered to visit the fair. Besides Aldi, Billa, Coop, Costco, Edeka, El Cortes Inglés, Globus, HIT, Kaufland, Lekkerland, Mercadona, Metro, Migros, Real, Rewe, Spar and tegut are also represented at the fair.
Hall 5.2
The new Lab5 by ISM is one of this year’s trade fair highlights, in Hall 5.2. The section ‘Finest Creations – hand-crafted’, introduced last year, will also be staged here and will focus on small-volume businesses with sweets and snacks.
The Trend Snacks Area, where 40 companies from 20 countries are exhibiting, can also be found in Hall 5.2. Suppliers of meat and fish snacks, vegan trend products, dried fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetable crisps, and fruit chocolate drinks can be found here
The Start-up Area is also here, dedicated to newly-founded companies and their innovations. Around 20 international companies will exhibit in the Lab5 by ISM in Hall 5.2.
Further highlights of ISM 2023 include the ISM Award and the winners of the New Product Showcase. In addition, the ISM Consumer Award 2023 will be presented for the first time on the last day of the trade fair. The most popular item among all of the products submitted to the New Product Showcase will be determined by consumer votes on Instagram in cooperation with Food News Germany.
Photo: Koelnmesse GmbH, Harald Fleissner
