ISM 2026

Update

ISM-Ingredients 2026 will be held between the 1st and 4th of February 2026 in Messe Cologne.

Preface

Founded in 1971, ISM (ISM Köln or ISM Köln Süßwarenmesse) is a pre-eminent trade exposition for the F&B industry’s sweets and snacks sector. It presents confectionery, sweet, and snack innovations. The annual event is held in Messe Cologne alongside ProSweets Cologne. This allows participants to access new markets, earn recognition and network. This results in over 39 000 attendants from more than 140 nations attending the event. The group includes more than 37 000 visitants. 70% of them represent a foreign country. 93% of the group has direct involvement in acquisition and procurement selections. Additionally, 79% have executive positions. The attendant group also features approximately 1 800 exhibiting companies. 87.5% of them travel from abroad. Additionally, more than 600 correspondents from 27 nations visit the fair. Participants represent nations like the United States, France, Argentina, Egypt, Japan, and Australia. They vary from manufacturers through suppliers to distributors. This includes wholesalers, importers, exporters, purchasers, trade chains, department stores, and hypermarkets. Food services, baked goods shops, cafés, bakehouses, confectionaries, and retailers also attend. So do online food merchandisers, vending machine operators and alimentation scientists. Nutrition chemists and sweets/snack producers likewise visit ISM Köln.

About ISM

Industries such as F&B, food processing, packaging, and wholesale attend ISM. Additionally, the retail, import & export, nutrition, health, distribution and HoReCa sectors attend the trade fair. So do the vending machine, chemical, and agriculture industries.

ISM Köln Süßwarenmesse is a trade fair with a comprehensive support schedule. For instance, one of its showstoppers is the detailed exhibition. It features seven exhibitor sections. These include cocoa-related, sugar confectionary, biscuits, snack fares, vogue & raw snacks, breakfast bites, and gelato. Another must-attend sub-event is the Finest Creation-Hand-Crafted. The ISM Expert Stage, ISM Award, Trend Court@ISM, Halal Market, and Sweet Kitchen should not be disregarded. This also applies to the New Product Showcase, ISM Start-up, and ISM Newcomer Area. The Cologne Coffee Forum and the Sweet Traditions Special Show are also must-attends.

ISM’s exhibitor list features a comprehensive range of leading companies. Among them are:

ISM Accommodation

Procure suitable accommodation for ISM before all the good deals are taken with Travel 2 Fairs Ltd. All that is necessary is to inform us about the rooms you need, how much you wish to spend, and your desired location. Travel 2 Fairs Ltd manages the rest. Reserve lodgings adjacent to Messe Cologne and gain valuable access to public transport. We can advise you on the best routes to take to the venue. Aside from affordable hotel accommodation for exhibitions, we also provide transport services. One way to travel to your hotel is to have a rent-a-car wait for you at the airport. Another is to schedule an airport transfer in both directions.

Event information might be outdated because of the coronavirus pandemic. More information is available from the organiser.

Past Iterations

ISM 2022

ISM Köln 2022 and ProSweets 2022 occurred as hybrid trade exhibitions between the 30th of January and the 2nd of February 2022. The events comprised a live exposition in Messe Cologne and a digital complement – ISM & ProSweets@home. The renditions' live aspect featured the latest coronavirus precautions. Attendees were required to show documents such as proof of recovery certificates. The events welcomed around 15 000 visitants from 96 nations, with 78% of them being foreign participants. Among the attending countries were Russia, the United States, the Kingdom of Belgium, Turkey, the French Republic, Great Britain, and the Netherlands.

ISM 2023

ISM Cologne 2023 occurred as part of the ISM and ProSweets Cologne – Special Edition. The events were held in Messe Cologne between the 23rd and 25th of April 2023. The iterations did not include coronavirus precautions. This was because of the repealing of the country's pandemic restrictions. The trade exhibitions received 119 exhibiting firms from 23 nations and more than 25 000 visitants from 135 countries.

ISM 2024

ISM Cologne 2024 coincided with ProSweets Cologne 2024. The iterations took place between the 28th and 31st of January 2024. They featured 1 675 exhibiting firms from more than 100 nations and over 43 000 visitants from more than 140 countries. More than 74% of the total exhibiting group and more than 75% of the total visiting group were from abroad. 

ISM 2025

ISM 2025 in Cologne coincided with ProSweets 2025 in Cologne. The iterations occurred between the 2nd and 5th of February 2025. They featured more than 1 500 exhibiting firms from 70 nations (89% from abroad). They were overviewed by around 32 000 visitants from 135 nations (71% from a foreign country). ISM and ProSweets 2025 in Cologne occurred on around 100 000 m2 of exposition space. The iteration featured a 5.5% increase in exhibitor attendance, around 7% growth in visitor participation and a 5% expo space expansion.