Three month countdown to the World Confectionery Conference 2025

With our fifth World Confectionery Conference rapidly approaching on the horizon, we are now just three months away from it all happening once again in just three months time, and our plans are coming together in encouraging fashion.

So here’s a thanks to all those who have contributed so far in terms of committing to exhibiting and speaking at the event – we’re now down to our last couple of places to feature on our agenda, which is a welcome situation as we head into the final phase of our planning for the show.

For those final commercial enquiries, contact my colleague Chris Meer at [email protected] as a matter of urgency this month as we look to finalise our programme, which once again places sustainability and innovation at the heart of the event. We shall also be focusing on industry ingredients, systems and broader technology that is continuing to shape our combined sectors and poses challenges and opportunities. So if you have yet to register to attend this year’s show, which takes place on 11 September at the Marriott Hotel, Grand Place, Brussels,  and you can do so at the following direct link, as we welcome participation from all strands of our industry.

Our keynotes for the show have been confirmed, with Can Buharali, president of Caobisco European confectionery trade association offering an overview of some of the key hurdles facing the market as it grapples with much anticipated EUDR environmental frameworks and corporate due diligence legislation centred on delivering greater transparency and human rights for all those operating across cocoa and wider supply chains serving our sectors.

Among our three other keynotes, Julia Ocampo, sustainability specialist at Luker Chocolate, will be leading the company’s return to our event, as she paints a picture of developments in the company’s native Colombia, as it continues to forge partnerships with confectionery businesses around the world. For its part, Ferrero will also be playing a strong role, as Sebastiano Collino, the Italian-founded firm’s global head of nutrition explores how wellbeing and recipe formulation have been a growing factor for its brands, while his colleague, Francesco Tramontin, a long-term supporter of our event, will be participating in our Q&A sessions.

Finally, Honorata Jarocka, representing the Mintel insights group,  will be appearing to deliver the lowdown on what is happening across the sector in terms of significant trends in what has already proved a memorable year for the industry. There are plenty more highlights indeed, including further market intelligence from leading British-based organisation, Euromonitor, Cama packaging systems offering a tehchnology update, as well as contributions from Alland & Robert, Corbion and Palsgaard ingredients companies that form a vital element of our overall supply chain.

We will be bringing back our World Confectionery Awards as well across six categories once more – so don’t be shy in placing an early entry this month for the show, as there’s been a lot happening out there across equipment, systems, ingredients, start-ups and finished products, so get in touch and enter your company for an accolade via confectioneryconference.com  where you can download entry forms to be in contention for 2025’s honours.

So here’s hoping to see as many of you there as possible – all of its previous iterations have had their own distinct special memories, so please do come and play your part in our next event as it seeks to celebrate achievements and developments across our sectors. 

Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production magazine

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