The fair was staged in Cologne from 28 to 31 January and with its wide spectrum of offers once again confirmed its standing as the number 1 industry meeting point for the international suppliers of the sweets and snacks industry. 248 exhibitors from 30 countries brought their expertise together again at larger and innovatively designed stands in Hall 10.1. Over 13,000 trade visitors from around 90 countries were recorded over the four days of the fair.

Suppliers were particularly impressed by the quality of the trade visitors and the high proportion of decision-makers. Particularly noteworthy was the even closer cooperation with ISM as part of the "Sweet Week", which once again created numerous synergies along the entire value chain. The combination of the two trade fairs not only enabled a more intensive exchange within the industry, but also offered a practical specialist programme and new event formats with a focus on innovation and sustainability.The latter is reflected at various levels, from machines and processes to raw material procurement.Joint presentations on the Expert Stage, special shows, guided tours and the ProSweets Cologne Party also promoted networking and business potential among the participants.

"Sweet Week together with ISM has had a particularly positive impact on economic activities and the strengthening of the industry. The presence of well-known international manufacturers of packaging and production machinery at ProSweets Cologne emphasises their important role for the confectionery and snack industry.

The close dovetailing of the two trade fairs also led to a larger number of machine sales this year," explains Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse GmbH.

At ProSweets Cologne 2024, trade visitors were offered a diverse range of exhibitors, including companies from the machinery and equipment or ingredients and semi-finished products segments.

"We were particularly pleased with the high level of participation in the 'Raw Materials & Ingredients' and 'Packaging' segments. This year, the exchange between the ISM and ProSweets Cologne trade fairs and the resulting unique added value for the industry took centre stage. However, ProSweets Cologne does not only appeal to the confectionery and snack industry, but also to cross-sector manufacturers," says Oliver Frese, Managing Director of Koelnmesse GmbH.ProSweets Cologne once again presented the latest industry developments, trends and innovations. The programme proved to be more practice-oriented than ever before in 2024. Visitors particularly appreciated the trend presentations on the Expert Stage and the interactive programme in the "Packaging & Packaging Materials" and "Raw Materials & Ingredients" exhibition areas.

By involving the senses such as touch, smell and taste, a new kind of event experience was created. This year's event focussed even more strongly on the environmentally friendly procurement and manufacture of products and packaging.

At the "InGREENients" special area of the Special Show Ingredients, trade visitors were able to taste innovative snack innovations from around the world that integrated the sustainability aspect through the use of unusual ingredients. The topic of upcycling ingredients was also presented as a forward-looking way of producing sweets and snacks. Visitors also had the opportunity to exchange ideas with the exhibiting start-ups.

The special show Sustainable Packaging "Science, Realisation, Inspiration" presented renowned partners such as the German Agricultural Society (DLG), the Sustainable Packaging Institute (SPI), pacoon Sustainability Concepts and the future agency Haute Innovation. The central theme was how packaging can be made more sustainable. The topic was underpinned by the current DLG-Insights Sustainable Packaging 2024 study: consumers, labelling, strategies for food & beverage. The popular Guided Tours of the exhibition centre, which took place more frequently this year, focused on different topics for a broad target group: the DLG hosted daily Guided Tours on the topic of "Sustainable packaging concepts and processes". In addition, the international confectionery trade association Sweets Global Network e. V. organised guided tours of the trade fair for the first time, starting from ISM to selected exhibitors at ProSweets Cologne.

By combining the two trade fairs, the latest developments in e-commerce, online marketing and the digitalisation of supply chains were also covered. In cooperation with DMEXCO, Europe's leading event for digital marketing and technology, new topics such as successful social media campaigns and the practical application of artificial intelligence were discussed as part of a series of lectures.

ProSweets Cologne is supported by the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), Sweets Global Network e. V. (SG), the German Agricultural Society DLG e. V. and the Central College of the German Confectionery Industry (ZDS).