Preparations are in full swing and the sweet anticipation for the Sweet Week 2024 is rising: ISM and ProSweets Cologne are being co-staged again from January 28–31 in the halls of Koelnmesse and are bringing the international sweets and snacks industry together. So far, more than 1,400 exhibitors from more than 70 countries are expected to participate in ISM 2024.

"Encourage. Enable. Excite!" will be the key theme of ISM again in 2024, because the focus of the sweets and snacks industry still lies on the challenges in the sections climate, raw materials, energy, supply chains, logistics, health, and digitalization.

"After a very successful ISM Middle East, we are all looking forward to ISM 2024 in Cologne. It is going to be particularly exciting on the Expert Stage this time: Here we are offering the exhibitors and the visitors a colorful and creative array of events – panel discussions, best practices, and presentations. In this way, we will present efficient and sustainable solutions from the industry and will be able to discuss new opportunities and future challenges. Beyond this, on the Expert Stage, together with ProSweets Cologne, we are placing the emphasis on aspects from the supplier industry," stressed Sabine Schommer, director of ISM.

Expert Stage

The Expert Stage of ISM and ProSweets Cologne is also the central point of contact for new developments in the sweets and snacks industry during this year's Sweet Week. Interesting lectures and panel discussions will take place at regular intervals here over the days of the trade fair. Furthermore, interested visitors can learn everything about innovative product ideas of international start-ups.

Beyond this, daily trend presentations by ISM knowledge partners Innova Market Insights and Euromonitor will take place as part of the Expert Stage. In this context, Innova Market Insights will once again present the "F&B Top Ten Trends" of the year in 2024. Euromonitor will explain under the title "Anytime, anywhere? The evolution of snacking," how current social changes are influencing consumers' snacking behavior and what this means for snack manufacturers and brands.

Sweet Trends, which is being organized together with Innova Market Insights, is taking place next to the Expert Stage. The market research institute, Innova Market Insights, will once again this year inform you about the new product trends and provide insights into the most recent developments for sweets and snacks.

The global sweets industry shows continual further development and surprises the consumers year after year with new taste experiences. In this connection, trend presentations by Innova will take place on the Expert Stage. Initial insights into the new products of the trade fair can also be found in the new products tool of ISM.

In the course of the sustainability debate, people are paying more attention to the origin and sustainable procurement of products and their raw materials. These themes will be the focus of the event program of ProSweets Cologne 2024. The two special shows on the respective segments, Packaging and Ingredients, will show innovative solutions for the challenges of the industry. In addition to this, the DLG's "Guided Tours" entitled "Tackling and wrapping up sustainability" are being held daily as well as the Sweets Global Network Guided Tours focusing on "Innovations & Sustainability. Industry experts will open up new perspectives, give insights into current research results and report about examples of best practice on the ISM/ProSweets Cologne Expert Stage on the Central Boulevard.

On the Monday of the fair, in the scope of the supplier trade fair, the exhibitors and visitors can look forward to the legendary ProSweets Cologne Party with live music, drinks, and snacks from 6:00 p.m. onwards.

"The event programme of the supplier trade fair also benefits from the spatial and content-related close interlinking with ISM. This is the perfect platform for both the exhibitors and visitors to promote the industry-oriented dialogue and a professional exchange. The Special Shows strongly focus on the segments Raw Materials & Ingredients as well as Packaging & Packaging Materials, which are the strong fields of growth of ProSweets Cologne. To offer the full spectrum of themes of the sweets and snacks industry and to further emphasise the added values of the co-located ISM, we are thus also offering ISM trade visitors from procurement and production departments free admission to ProSweets," explained Guido Hentschke, director of ProSweets Cologne.

Further detailed information on all lectures can be found in ProSweets' event search.

ISM Award

The ISM Award is being conferred for the tenth time this year. The award for outstanding services to the sweets and snacks industry will be presented during the festive ISM Dinner on January 28, 2024. Majlen Fazer, senior specialist in product quality, cocoa and chocolate at the largest Finnish food group, Fazer, received the ISM Award 2023.

Halal Market

Halal products continue to gain significance in the sweets and snacks industry, not only among the Muslim target group, but also beyond. The ISM Halal Market in Halls 10 and 11 will offer a unique overview of a purely halal line-up of products and provide the opportunity for collecting creative ideas for the preparation of meals and snacks with halal products.