The continuously growing number of infections and the related lockdowns as well as the travel restrictions in the international environment forced organizing Koelnmesse to call off the hybrid editions of ISM and ProSweets Cologne planned from 31 January to 3 February 2021. Koeln-messe has taken this decision in close collaboration with the industry sponsors of both trade fairs.

Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse, explains: “We deeply regret this, of course. We were well-aligned and we firmly believed that we would be able to enable the sweets and snacks industry a re-start with ISM and ProSweets Cologne 2021. However, due to the current uncertainties our exhibitors and visitors don’t see any dramatic improvement that would make a trade fair participation possible in January. We will nevertheless remain on the ball and will immediately set about orga-nizing ISM and ProSweets Cologne 2022 with new energy”.

The planned digital format, Matchmaking365+, will also not be implemented, because a purely digital offer without a physical trade fair would not bring about the desired benefit for the exhibitors and visitors. In their role as important innovation platforms for the industry, the two trade fairs are instead planning a campaign for the presentation of significant industry developments, new products and trends from the sweets and snacks sectors.

The planning for the events in 2022 has already started. Together with the industry sponsors, Koelnmesse will use the time to ensure that ISM and ProSweets continue to be well-aligned in terms of their concept. This includes the further development of digital formats, which offer a suitable enhancement to the physical trade fair. The next editions of ISM and ProSweets Cologne shall be staged from 30 January to 2 February 2022.