It has taken me a while to write this report about the Fair but finally here it is.
I came back from ISM with mixed feelings. From one side, I was really excited to see new products and hear companies that are doing really well. I think ISM is a must for every company that wants to be “seen” in the world of confectionery. From the other side I saw a lot of empty space, like if there were less exhibitors than other years. Some exhibitors i talked to, were complaining about the high cost that attending the fair represents for them and some mentioned that this show should take place every two years instead of yearly. Some of the halls were partially empty (with curtains covering the space). However, i checked the official figures and they do not confirm this feeling. See the number of exhibitors according to the organization:
2010: 1.503
2011: 1.494
2012: 1.412
2013: 1.402
2014: 1.465
So, if we see this, it seems that 2014 has reversed the decreasing trend from last years. I’m sorry to say that this was not my perception.
In terms of number of visitors, these are the figures:
2012: 38.827
2013: 38.521
2014: “approx 35.000”
I do not know if the fact of not having the ProSweets show in parallel (like in previous years) has helped that. This year there is Interpack (in May, in Düsseldorf) so this show is probably considered as more interesting for machinery suppliers than ProSweets. Next year there will be ProSweets again, where suppliers for the confectionery industry exhibit their products (machines, ingredients, packaging material, etc.)
In any case, here is the link to the official report of the ISM organization where you will find more details about this edition: ISM
During next days I will be showing the different chewing gum novelties that I found in the show, as i did last year. i must say that this year the list will be, unfortunately, shorter because some companies did not launch any novelties.
Chewing Gum Consultant 