Organizers will welcome 1,200 exhibitors from more than 60 countries to Cologne for ISM 2022, set for Jan. 30-Feb. 2, after canceling the in-person trade fair last year.

Koelnmesse will implement the #B-SAFE4business safety and hygiene program. Additionally, it says admission will be granted to visitors under the three pillars of the CH3CK platform: recovered from COVID-19, vaccinated against COVID-19, or a negative test.

"As the leading industry meeting point, our top priority is to ensure that the restart is as safe as possible for the industry,” said ISM Director Sabina Schommer. “At the same time, we want to set new accents with new themes in the scope of our event and congress program. Lectures by experts, special events, startup pitches and award ceremonies are just a few of the highlights the visitors can look forward to at ISM.”

Trade visitors can examine new products in the many display windows of the New Product Showcase exhibition in the new Hall 1. In addition, the three most innovative products of ISM 2022 will be presented there. The ISM Packaging Award, powered by ProSweets Cologne, will be awarded for the most innovative form of packaging.

The Trend Court@ISM in Hall 5.2. is dedicated to trends within the sweets industry. Different accents will be set in three sections. New product trends and developments within the industry will be presented in a special area under the theme "Sweet Trends presented by Innova Market Insights.” Beyond this, Innova Market Insights and Euromonitor International will organize trend presentations several times a day in the scope of the Expert Stage. The Expert Stage offers an exchange of knowledge and information and is the joint lecture stage of ISM and ProSweets Cologne. Key industry themes will be discussed every day from Sunday to Wednesday. The lectures will also be available via the digital format ISM & ProSweets Cologne @home.

Approximately 20 companies that were founded no more than five years ago will present their innovations and new concepts in the Trend Court@ISM in the Start-up Area in Hall 5.2. The Start-up Area is located in the Trend Section of Hall 5.2 and is the initial port-of-call for innovations. All of the startups have the opportunity to present themselves in the scope of a startup pitch. These will take place on the Expert Stage in Hall 5.2 on Tuesday morning.

As a conceptual innovation, there will be a specialized trade section focusing on small-volume business for the first time, which is titled "Finest Creations - hand-crafted.” This exhibition section unites craft establishments, whose visitor target group includes confectioners, cake shops and specialized sweet shops. The new exhibition section will also be located in Hall 5.2.

ISM is placing the focus worldwide on the future of the sweets and snacks industry and will provide an overview of what is going to be possible in 2030. In their keynote speech "Future Sweets - What and how will we eat in 2030?" Dr. Sascha Peters and Diana Drewes from Berlin-based Haute Innovation will speak about sustainable solutions for sweets with high nutritional values, recyclable packaging and future raw materials. This will be staged on Tuesday, Feb. 1, on the Expert Stage in Hall 5.2, as well as in digital format in the scope of ISM & ProSweets Cologne @home.

The ISM Award will be conferred for the eighth time this year. The winner will be honored for outstanding services to the sweets and snacks industry at the gala evening on Jan. 30. In 2020, the award went to Patrick Poirrier, CEO of the French family business CÉMOI.