GERMANY | ISM in Cologne has confirmed its position as the leading trade fair worldwide for the flourishing global sweets and snacks industry. It has impressively demonstrated that the industry is optimistic and innovative despite all the challenges.
With innovative formats, ISM once again confirmed its role as a pioneering industry trendsetter. It demonstrated impressively that personal encounters remain essential for long-term partnerships and economic growth, especially in challenging times.
More than 1,500 exhibitors from 70 countries presented an impressive cross-section of the industry and demonstrated the dynamics of a constantly changing market.
Around 32,000 trade visitors from 135 countries, just under seven percent more than last year, used the trade fair to seal business deals on-site and establish valuable contacts.
With a strong opening and a star-studded panel on the Mercosur Trade Agreement, ISM 2025 immediately established itself as the central platform for industry-relevant discussions.
"With an increased number of visitors and exhibitors as well as a growing amount of exhibition space, the clear upward trend of ISM is ongoing,” said Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH.
“As the global trendsetter and driver of innovations and trends, ISM sets benchmarks for the global booming sweets and snacks industry - with a strong content and event programme, renowned speakers and new formats for creators, which inspire and network the industry.”
Rupert Schlegelmilch, the EU's Chief Negotiator of the Agreement, was, among other essential business partners.
With the co-located ProSweets Cologne, ISM 2025 formed the biggest industry get-together for the sweets and snacks industry worldwide. This unique trade fair duo has united the entire value chain—from raw materials to packaging to the finished product—under the "Sweet Week" umbrella.
The direct and successful co-location of both events created valuable synergies. The Sweet Week Production Summit, which brought together the participants of both trade fairs, also contributed towards this.
"The sweets and snacks industry is faced with major challenges, but also with new opportunities, for example, as a result of the EU trade agreement with Mercosur,” said Bastian Fassin, Chairman of the International Sweets and Biscuits Fair Task Force (AISM).
“In times of economic uncertainty, continued extraordinarily high cocoa prices and growing bureaucratic burdens, ISM is presenting itself as a strong partner and platform for the industry. It is rightly the industry's leading international trade fair - a place of orientation, dialogue and forward-looking business perspectives.”
With a share of over 70 percent, trade visitors had strong international participation. The countries most strongly represented were Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. Growth was registered above all from Cyprus, Israel, Mexico and Romania outside of Europe.
In addition to current trends such as sustainability, transparency, health, functionality and new combinations of different aromas or textures, the classic sweets and snacks were also the centre of attention.
Lab5 by ISM, which bundled the Trend Snacks, Start-ups, Scale-ups, New Product Showcase, Finest Creations, and Club of the Confectionery Shops sections, proved to be a crowd-puller. It underlined how future-oriented ideas and solutions can already advance the industry.
The new concept of directly connecting to the Raw Materials, Ingredients, and Packaging sections of ProSweets Cologne went very well. It created valuable synergies with the supplier industry.
The expert stage discussed the industry's challenges and opportunities in detail. Innova Market Insights and Euromonitor also examined the innovative power of the international sweets and snacks industry.
As an interactive stage, the Sweet Week Talks and Tasting format impressed the trade audience with its mixed programme of live podcasts, influencer tastings, expert panels, and product presentations by Johann Laf, among others.
Ulrich Zuenelli, managing partner of Loacker and member of the third generation of the entrepreneur family Loacker-Zuenelli, won the ISM Award 2025 - a distinction for his outstanding services and considerable contributions to the sweets industry.
The ISM foreign trade fairs, ISM Middle East and ISM Japan were also represented with an information stand, which actively promoted international exchange and networking within the industry.
In an increasingly globalised food world, these trade fairs play a decisive role as central points of contact for the diversity of the sweets and snacks industry. The ISM family has relied on new impulses at both local and global levels, which have shaped the industry's future.
