From 2 to 5 February 2025 everything at the Sweet Week in the Cologne exhibition halls will revolve around sweets and snacks again: The industry's only supplier fair worldwide, ProSweets Cologne, is being co-staged with the leading international sweets trade fair, ISM. As Director of ProSweets Cologne, Guido Hentschke is responsible for this event at Koelnmesse and he explains in the following interview what actually makes the trade fair what it is: A trading centre for all of the stakeholders of the industry – from confectioners through to globally operating sweet manufacturers.

Sweets Processing: Do you sweeten your coffee or tea with sugar?
Guido Hentschke: I always enjoy drinking my tea with our crystal sugar. I personally like my coffee best with milk.

SP: What is the status of the preparations for ProSweets Cologne 2025?
Hentschke: We have completely revised the concept of the trade fair in close collaboration with the task forces of ProSweets Cologne and the International Sweets and Biscuits Fair (AISM) and the leading players of the sweets and snacks industry. One key result of this realignment is an even closer interlinking with ISM. In this way, Lab5 by ISM, which focuses on innovations, trend snacks, start-ups, scale-ups, and handcraft businesses, is located in Hall 10.1 right next to the Entrance East. We have additionally optimised the hall concept to make the trade fair visit more efficient. By introducing clearly defined theme worlds, such as the World of Packaging Materials and the World of Sweet & Snackable Ingredients etc., we are bundling the exhibitors according to themes, which facilitates the orientation and makes the trade fair more experienceable and more emotionally appealing. Important industry key players have already confirmed their participation.

SP: What highlights and new programme items await the visitors next year? And how will these programme items strengthen the industry?
Hentschke: The sweets and snacks industry is facing considerable challenges: rising costs for raw materials and energy, high personnel costs, a lack in skilled labour, increasing regulations, and a slow rate of digitalisation of the production processes. In the face of this situation, the industry needs a strong partner for exchange, networking and knowledge transfer purposes we offer precisely this in the scope of ProSweets Cologne.

Our realistic goal is to become the leading content platform for the industry in Europe in 2025 already. An extensive lecture programme on the Expert Stage awaits the visitors as well as on the Sweet Week Talks & Tasting Stage in Hall 10.1 that is being organised jointly with ISM. A special highlight is the Sweet Week Production Summit that is being organised for the first time, which offers the production managers, CEOs and company owners of ISM exhibitors a unique forum. First-class examples of best practice on the implementation of AI tools for a cost-efficient and future-proof production will be showcased here. 3-minute pitch sessions of the supplier industry by ProSweets Cologne exhibitors will also be held here followed by a matchmaking forum in our Networking Area to promote concrete solutions and business relations. Beyond this, in 2025 we will once again be offering the visitors guided tours in cooperation with the Sweets Global Network and the DLG, which enable a targeted overview of the trends and innovations. These
formats reinforce the industry by creating synergies and promoting innovations.

SP: Due to being co-located with ISM, ProSweets is well-known for the high quality of the visitors that regularly attend the trade fair. Do you also have a programme planned that aims to increase the quantity of the visitors?
Hentschke: Yes, we have developed an extensive programme to increase the number of visitors. On the one hand, we are increasing the visibility of the trade fair within the industry by staging the Sweets Week Production Summit. On the other hand, we are intensifying our cooperation with the industry sponsors of ProSweets Cologne – the Sweet Global Network e.V. (SG), the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), the DLG (German Agricultural Society), and the Central College of the German Confectionery Industry (ZDS) to convey our messages across all relevant communication channels. With the support of strong media partners and thanks to the work of our international subsidiaries, we are winning over new visitor groups from abroad. Furthermore, for the first time we are giving our exhibitors 100 day tickets each free of charge, which they can forward on to their customers in order to significantly increase the number of visitors at their exhibition stand.

SP: In which hall can the visitors find ProSweets Cologne and how can they learn more about the exhibiting companies?
Hentschke: ProSweets Cologne is located in Hall 10.1. We will be reinforcing the visitor guidance in 2025 using physical and digital signage measures. Visitors can find information on our website, in the app, in the Visitor Guide, and on-site. In 2025, the exhibiting and attending producers will be guided clearly to the hall of ProSweets Cologne and Lab5 by ISM from all hall sections.

SP: Everyone is talking about AI. You too?
Hentschke: ProSweets Cologne 2025 is far more than merely a platform for product presentations. In the scope of the Sweet Week, the entire sweets and snacks industry comes together like a big family. Our priority lies on the continual further development of the trade fair, which we ensure at regular intervals through the close exchange with our exhibitors. And from these discussions we understood the need to offer solutions that show the producers how they can make the production processes efficient and sustainable for the future by implementing AI tools. This is why there will be a thematic block on AI both on the Expert Stage and also on our Sweet Week – Talks & Tasting Stage in Hall 10.1. Because the focus increasingly lies on forward-looking content and the industry trends. The whole of this will be accompanied by formats with influencers and live podcasts. We are increasing the media reach by working together with media partners and are creating at the same time an interactive experience for the visitors. Hence, we are organising ProSweets Cologne 2025 as a modern, vibrant trade fair experience.

SP: Generally speaking: What should distinguish a trade fair for sweets, confectionery and snacks in the year 2025?
Hentschke: The sweets and snacks industry gets together every year in the scope of the Sweet Week. It is basically a big family that meets up once a year. The continual further development of the trade fair is very important to us and we can only guarantee this if we maintain a close exchange to our exhibitors. For example, we are offering exhibitors, who haven't participated for a long time, tailor-made participation options to satisfy the changed requirements. We are bringing useful and forward-looking content onto the stages and offering insights into industry trends. We are turning the trade fair into an event by creating a platform for influencers and live podcasters on our Sweet Week Talks & Tasting Stage. And we are increasing the media reach using influencers and media partners. The 2025 trade fair is so much more than purely a product presentation. Offering the exhibitors storytelling in the run up to their trade fair participation, which we compile together with our exhibitors, are further decisive factors. And our exhibitors and visitors will experience all of this at ProSweets Cologne 2025.

SP: What important advantages does Koelnmesse have over other locations?
Hentschke: Its central location in the heart of Europe and the outstanding quality of its fair grounds are what distinguish Koelnmesse. We offer first-class meeting rooms in the scope of the new Confex, the most modern event and congress centre in Europe. Furthermore, we convince with specialised leading trade fairs such as ProSweets Cologne and ISM, which unite the entire sweets and snacks industry during the Sweet Week. Teams with many years of experience work closely together with the exhibitors and continually develop innovative concepts on an agreed basis, which sustainably secure the success of the trade fairs.