Koelnmesse hails ISM 2026 event as a key success
Major exhibitors, including Cargill, ensure that ISM was considered a key success this year. Pic: Neill Barston
Organisers of this year’s ISM event in Cologne hailed its 55th edition as another key success for the sector, as a host of dynamic ingredients, equipment and systems gained a major showcase, writes Neill Barston.
As Koelnmesse confirmed, this year’s visitor tally returned a notable figure of more than 32,000 visitors, who turned out to explore the Cologne venue’s halls, alongside those of sister show, ProSweets – which is set to be rebranded as ISM Manufacturing from next year.
Underlining its global nature, the event had a high number of international pavilions among its total of 39 across the four-day event, which drew some 1,600 exhibitors across segments ranging from high-end luxury chocolate, through to pop corn, candies and protein-enhanced snacks. (Watch our exclusive video review below)
As the ISM team noted, the high level of participation from international decision-makers from the trade, industry and supplier sector underscored the importance of the trade fair as a central business platform in a dynamic market environment. The business focus was enhanced by diverse networking and event formats that promoted the personal exchange.
Significantly, Dr, Uwe Lebens, owner and Chief Operating Officer of Genuport Trade, was awarded the prestigious ISM Award 2026, presented to him on the opening night of the show. Judges had been impressed by his key career achievements and his long-term contribution to the further development of the International Sweets & Biscuit Fair (ISM).
Speaking to Confectionery Production, Bastian Mingers, vice president of trade shows at Koelnmesse expressed confidence in the results for its 2026 combined events.
He said: “It’s been a great show, and have been super excited about the past four days of our experience here. The halls were very crowded, and we’ve had an increase on every key performance indicator for the show.
“The exhibitors are also really happy, which is what we need to see and what we want to hear.
I think that the beauty of the stand constructions has stood out – I am a trade show guy, so I really appreciate all the love and effort that everyone put into their presence here, to build their image and showcase products. On the product side, there’s been a huge variety of sweets from all cultures around the world.”
Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse, shared his enthusiasm for ISM’s performance this year.
He noted that in times of market volatility, the sector needs such platforms to provide both guidance, as well as enabling business deals, many of which were being agreed on stands across the event.
“With clear market relevance, even stronger international participation and a trade fair concept that brings the entire value chain together while at the same time paving the way for the future consolidation of all sections under the ISM umbrella brand. As such, we are consistently pursuing the long-term innovation process of our trade fair formats,” explained Bose.
ZDS celebrated its 75th anniversary at this year’s ISM event. Pic: Neill Barston
Notably, ISM 2026 began with a key panel comprising of leading representatives from the worlds of politics and business on the topic of “International trade policies and diversification”.
The opening dialogue at ISM in Cologne made it clear that the strength of the international sweets industry is interlinked with cross-industry collaboration and reliable trade policies.
“As the leading international trade fair, ISM offers precisely the right platform, where the industry, politicians and partners can come together to jointly secure the competitiveness and innovative strength of the sweets industry long-term. This was explicitly accentuated once more during the panel discussion,” stated Bastian Fassin, Chairman of the International Sweets & Biscuits Fair Task Force (AISM).
The dialogue continued in the evening at the ISM Opening Night held at the Confex, which was organised for the first time this year. Around 600 guests from the sweets and snacks sector came together in a relaxed atmosphere to network and engage in a personal exchange away from the hustle and bustle of the trade fair.
The trade fair concept of ISM 2026 itself also focused on networking and continuity: Together with ProSweets Cologne and the newly established ISM Ingredients, an integrated format arose that covered the entire value chain of the sweets and snacks industry.
As organisers concluded, the close spatial and thematic interlinking of the three events in Hall 10.1 was used intensively by the exhibitors and visitors and was evaluated as being clearly beneficial for efficient discussions and sustainable business developments. – ISM Cologne, is set to return between 31 January-3 February 2027. See a full, extended review of the event in our next edition of Confectionery Production magazine.
