News

ISM Presents Event Highlights For Sweet Week 2025

Posted on 12/12/2024

From 2 to 5 February 2025, the world of sweets and snacks will cast its eyes upon Cologne, because the Sweet Week – the unique trade fair synergy between ISM and ProSweets Cologne – will bring the industry together. The Sweet Week sets new benchmarks as an event, content, innovation platform and a networking hub. It covers the entire industry's value chain and brings players from the industry, trade and supplier sector together in one location.

Hall 10.1, which creates plenty of room for new ideas and cooperations, takes centre stage at the Sweet Week: Here, the Lab5 by ISM unites ISM with ProSweets Cologne and offers a platform for the New Product Showcase – a special exhibition for the most innovative new products, start-ups, scale-ups, trend snacks and finest creations. This connection is reinforced by the spatial proximity of Hall 10.1 to the theme worlds Packaging Materials and Sweet & Snackable Ingredients, which act as a central interface between supply and the end product. The Lab5 by ISM is enhanced by interactive formats like the "Live Sweets Creation", where the production of sweets can be experienced up close, as well as the get-together at the GISMO Bar on 4 February, which makes innovation tangible and promotes the exchange in an inspiring atmosphere.

"The emphasis of ISM and ProSweets Cologne 2025 is on the active dialogue and lending the industry targeted support with today's most urgent challenges. In the scope of the Sweet Week our diversified programme offers valuable impulses. Through the combination between practical best practices, trailblazing innovations and top-class industry experts, we enable the participants to develop concrete solutions that pave the way into a more sustainable and more efficient future," said Sabine Schommer, Director ISM.

"We would like to particularly accentuate our joint goal of actively pushing the networking between production teams and supplier companies in the scope of the Expert Stage and the Sweet Week – Talks & Tasting Stage, which not only creates a platform for conveying knowledge, but also offers room for a practice-oriented exchange and networking. In this way, we actively contribute towards the sweets and snacks industry remaining fit for the future in a world that is becoming increasingly more digitalised and sustainably-oriented," Guido Henschke, Director ProSweets Cologne, also emphasised.

Highlights of the Sweet Week 2025
Expert Stage - Knowledge Hub
On the Central Boulevard, right next to Hall 10.1, the Expert Stage offers first-class input on urgent industry themes such as sustainability, digitalisation and artificial intelligence. The programme will be enriched by the expertise of the knowledge partners, Innova Market Insights and Euromonitor International, and thus creates a well-founded basis for future-looking discussions and practical solutions.

The participants can look forward to interesting lectures like:

"The Algae Advantage: Revolution of the sweets industry with fresh microalgae" by Dipl. Ing. G. Mühlstädt, CTO ALGENWERK c/o PUEVIT GmbH
"Sustainable packaging: Packaging for tomorrow" by Manuel Leibrock, CMO of PAPACKS
"Artificial Intelligence - your new employees" by J. Lauten, founder and CEO of Foodforecast Technologies GmbH
"2025 Global Consumer Trends: What’s next for Snacks Consumers“ by A. Tique, Senior Research Analyst at Euromonitor International

Sweet Week - Talks & Tasting Stage
Innovation and interaction are also melting into a unique experience on the Sweet Week – Talks & Tasting Stage in Hall 10.1. The new format combines knowledge transfer, innovation and interactive experiences into a diversified programme that addresses both industry professionals as well as interested visitors. The latter can taste the latest products on-site and let themselves be inspired.

Further highlights include:

Insights into future industry trends, i.e. on themes like AI
Live podcasts with industry insiders like Food Insider, T. Gross
Workshops on sensor technology and trends by the food expert, Hanni Rützler
Pitches by start-ups, hosted by the investor, business angel and founder, Robert Kronekker
Insights into the recycling strategy for the reduction of waste, which opens up sustainable perspectives for the industry and offers a foretaste of the ANUGA HORIZON, hosted by Theresa Hingsammer, Director Anuga HORIZON

Sweet Week Production Summit
The Sweet Week Production Summit, a format that specifically connects production teams with the supply industry of ProSweets Cologne, is taking place for the first time on the Sweet Week – Talks & Tasting Stage at 1:30 p.m. on 3 February. The focus lies on practical examples of Best Practice and innovative approaches for a cost-efficient and future-proof production, especially through the use of AI tools.

The three-minute pitch sessions of the suppliers that will be discussed in depth in a subsequent matchmaking forum in the Networking Area to promote concrete solutions and business relations are especially worth highlighting. Lectures like "AI in food production: Intelligent planning for more efficiency and sustainability" by Maximilian Köhler (Optiwiser AI Solution) or the case study "Production planning of the future" by Norbert Weichele (OMMM Operations Management Solutions GmbH) will provide the industry with new impulses.

The Summit will be rounded off by the ProSweets Cologne Party, which offers the participants an additional opportunity for an exchange and to network in a relaxed atmosphere. The Sweet Week Production Summit thus concentrates on innovation, knowledge transfer and cooperations.

Emotional highlight: ISM distinctions and awards
The awards at ISM pay tribute to excellent contributions and innovations in the sweets and snacks industry and set important impulses for the industry's future.

One of the highlights is the presentation of the ISM Award on 2 February, which honours outstanding services in the sweets and snacks industry. In 2024, the distinction went to Ekachai Savetsomphob, whose commitment has significantly shaped the Thai sweets market.

On 2 February an expert jury will confer the New Product Showcase Award, whereas on 4 February the Consumer Award distinguishes the public's favourite. Both prizes honour the industry's innovative power and set new accents in the field of product development. In 2024, Planet A Foods GmbH was delighted to win the New Product Showcase Award with its sustainable cocoa alternative, ChoViva. The Consumer Award went to the Neapolitan wafer of Ja!, for which the cocoa alternative ChoViva is also used.

The event programme of ISM can be found under the following link: Eventsearch on the ISM - the world's largest trade fair for sweets and snacks

Koelnmesse – worldwide trade fairs for the food industry and food production:
Koelnmesse is an international leader in organizing global trade fairs for the food and beverage industry as well as for food production. With events such as Anuga, Anuga FoodTec, ISM, and ProSweets Cologne, Koelnmesse covers a wide spectrum – from ingredients to production, packaging, finished products, and the latest technologies and innovations. These globally renowned trade fairs, held in Cologne, Germany, set benchmarks in their respective sectors. In addition, Koelnmesse organizes numerous industry-specific trade fairs in key markets worldwide, including Brazil, China, India, Italy, Japan, Colombia, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Through these global activities, Koelnmesse offers its clients tailored events and leading regional trade fairs across various markets, providing a foundation for sustainable international business. Koelnmesse is thus ideally positioned to drive innovation and development in both the food industry and food production.
Further information: https://www.ism-cologne.com/fair/industry-trade-fairs/

The next events:
ISM - The world's largest trade fair for sweets and snacks, Cologne 02.02. - 05.02.2025
THAIFEX – HOREC Asia - Elevating the hospitality industry to new heights, Bangkok 05.03. - 07.03.2025
Anuga Select Brazil - International Trade Show Exclusively for the Food and Beverage Sector, São Paulo 08.04. - 10.04.2025