Back from ISM one more year. My first one was in 1997 and this show has changed a lot since then. While the organization is opening new branches in Dubai (ISM Middle East) and Tokyo (ISM Japan), the original one in Köln, Germany becomes smaller and smaller. One of the factors that is playing against the German show is the difficulties that some potential participants (I know cases of exhibitors and visitors) find when trying to obtain a visa for Germany. It is much easier for them going to Dubai instead, so it was a good move to open one edition there.
This year the sister exhibition “ProSweets” with a lot of focus on machinery and packaging has been also quite smaller, mainly due to the fact that later in May we have Interpack, in Düsseldorf, which is the great show for this field of activity. By the way, from 2027 the ProSweets will be renamed to “ISM manufacturing”. The part of the show devised for ingredients, that was part of Prosweets in the past, has already been renamed to “ISM ingredients”. So now “ISM” will be an umbrella with many different branches and sites.
Despite all this, it is still an excellent place where to find novelties, meet people and do business. So I would definitely recommend it again and again. Looking forward to 2027!! (30th Jan – 3rd Feb)
Chewing Gum Consultant 