ISM 2023

Organised by Koelnmesse, which also serves as its venue, ISM arrives annually at the start of the calendar year alongside another popular related event - ProSweets Cologne. The international trade show lasts for four days and usually is scheduled during the first half of February so that it allows exhibitors to shape the upcoming fiscal year in terms of sales and publicity. The doors are open only for trade visitors and working hours are from 09:00 am until 18:00 pm. The last day wraps up two hours earlier at 16:00 pm. These are hours for trade visitors. Visitors who don’t have a car or wish to take taxis can rely on abundant, regular connections to Koelnmesse. In between the metro, the tram system and four lines of city rail, you always make it to ISM on time no matter where you’re staying.

You’re going to generate sales leads at an incredible pace at ISM because the last edition saw 1661 international exhibitors showcase their products to over 38,000 trade visitors. Visitors hold managerial positions in their respective companies and when they don’t have purchasing power directly, they have advisory capacity. At the same time, you are more than set in terms of who you are presenting products to. The biggest retail chains come to ISM to make purchases - Kaufland, Kroger, Metro, Coop, Whole Foods, Edeka, Aldi, Carrefour, Amazon, Walgreens and Costco. But that is just the tip as the trade audience is incredibly diverse. Yes, you have the expected - pastry shops, cafés, bakeries, confectioneries and trade chains, but there are also food chemists, nutrition scientists and vending machine operators. The markets you gain the biggest access to include Belgium, Italy, Poland, the UK, the Netherlands, the USA, and France. That’s outside Germany, of course.

ISM 2022

In 2022, ISM and ProSweets took place as hybrid events - live exhibitions complemented by the digital platform ISM & [email protected] The hosting dates for the events were 30.01.2022 to 02.02.2022, with the live aspects occurring in Messe Cologne. The editions featured representatives from 96 countries. Around 15,000 trade visitors attended the editions. Of these participants, 78% were from foreign countries such as France, Belgium, the UK, and the Netherlands. They also represented countries such as Russia, the USA, and Turkey. Because of the ongoing pandemic, attendees had to adhere to a series of strict safety protocols. This included precautions, such as the 3G entry policy and social distancing. Attendees had to maintain a safe distance of 1.5 metres during their visit and show immunisation passports before entry.  

What You Can Expect as an Exhibitor?

• ISM is a meeting point between supply and demand on the highest level as you’re able to present products to buyers of the highest calibre from all over the world–there are 144 countries represented;
• You stay fully in the know regarding the industry and markets since ISM is where most new products are first launched and the most important news shared before anyone else;
• ISM is a trendsetter, and you have a real chance to add your vision to other brands that are actively challenging the status quo and pushing the envelope towards new horizons;
• Because it’s such a well-received and important event, ISM attracts a significant amount of trade press from all over the world, which translates into higher brand awareness and brand recognition;