ISM’s Lab5 is alive and set for relocation within ProSweets
ProSweets and ISM are set to return later this month. Pic: 'Neill Barston
A major interactive element of ISM, the live demonstration known as Lab5, is set to be relocated for the 2025 edition of the event in Cologne, Germany, and will be given its own section as part of the parallel ProSweets equipment and systems event, reports Neill Barston.
This year’s global confectionery show was hailed by its Koelnmesse organisers as a significant return to form in terms of visitor numbers from around the world, as post-pandemic crowds returned to ‘near normal’ levels, attracting a dynamic international audience (watch our ISM interview with its director here).
For the 2025 edition of the event, being held between 2-5 February next year, Lab5 will have its own dedicated area set within Hall 10.1 of ProSweets next to the East entrance. This will offer new products and trend snacks, and also presenting start-ups, scale-ups and small handicraft businesses.
As the organising team noted, the relocation is anticipated to further strengthen the existing ties between the two shows, and creates added themes improving the quality of the experience for show visitors.
This includes being located near areas dedicated to Raw Materials & Ingredients and the Packaging sections, under the banner of the event’s Sweet Week, designed to create the ideal conditions for effective networking. Visitors can track all of the process steps seamlessly, from the presentation of the raw materials, through to the final packing. Furthermore, special attention will be placed on the sustainability of packaging and ingredients, which opens up new business opportunities for both producers and suppliers.
Sabine Schommer, ISM director believed the changes to the next edition would have a positive impact. She said: “The Sweet Week is becoming an indispensable meeting point for the confectionery and snack industry. As the ideal supplement to the ProSweets sections, Ingredients and Packaging, Lab5 by ISM creates new cooperation opportunities between the manufacturers of ISM and supplier companies. Young visionaries and established brands meet up with each other here – innovation and tradition at eye level.”
Live demonstrations
The ‘Finest Creations’ is one of the established and popular crowd-pullers, which presents the art of confectionery and cake-making up close. In the scope of the ‘Live Sweets Creation’ the visitors can experience the production of exquisite treats live.
Notably, the newly introduced Scale-up Area specifically targets companies that have been operating on the market for between five and ten years and thus enhances the existing Start-up Area. These sections offer young, innovative companies the opportunity to present their products and ideas to a wide trade audience.
Trend Snacks, which are traditionally replacing meals more and more frequently, are also considered key crowd-pullers. From smoothies and muesli bars in the morning, to dried fruit and nuts as an in-between snack – ISM presents a wide assortment that satisfies the highest quality demands.
Further networking will be possible with the event’s GISMO Bar, where the visitors can relax and enjoy a drink, with daily live music of a DJ, which will be enhanced by the ‘New Product Showcase’, which grants insights into the industry’s latest products.
