As the global sweets and snacks industry navigates a more volatile and demanding business climate, ProSweets Cologne 2026 is positioning itself as a central forum for strategic orientation and industry dialogue.
The event’s programme is designed to address the sector’s most pressing future themes, bringing together suppliers, ingredient providers, manufacturers of processing and packaging technologies, as well as representatives from industry and trade.
For the first time, the show will run alongside ISM Ingredients as an independent format, a launch that has already been met with near-full booking and underscores strong demand across the value chain.
Organizers describe the joint platform as a response to mounting pressures that range from unstable raw materials markets to tighter regulation and shifting expectations from retailers and consumers. “The demands on the sweets and snacks industry are changing rapidly – from volatile raw materials markets and regulatory requirements to the new expectations of the trade and the consumers. This is precisely where ProSweets Cologne 2026 comes in: with a European-wide leading event programme that not only reflects trends, but also explains connections, shares experiences and actively promotes the dialogue between all stages of the value chain. Our aim is to provide guidance and create concrete starting points for corporate decisions,” said Guido Hentschke, Director of ProSweets Cologne and ISM Ingredients.
A new addition to the calendar is the ISM Opening Night, scheduled for 1 February 2026 at the Confex venue on the Cologne fairgrounds. Designed as a formal kickoff to the show week, the evening will bring together participants from ProSweets Cologne, ISM and ISM Ingredients in a setting intended to encourage informal exchange. The event will also host the presentation of the ISM Award, which recognizes an individual for exceptional contributions to the industry. Networking continues the following evening with the ProSweets Cologne Party in Hall 10.1, offering attendees an opportunity to connect after the second day of the fair.
The intellectual center of the exhibition will once again be the Expert Stage, located on the Central Boulevard at the entrance to Hall 10.1. Serving as a shared knowledge platform for ISM and ProSweets Cologne, the stage will host professional discussions and forward-looking analyses. Content development is largely overseen by the DLG, the industry sponsor of ProSweets Cologne, with formats such as the DLG Careers Day on 1 February 2026 placing a particular emphasis on young professionals and skills development. In collaboration with knowledge partners Innova Market Insights and Euromonitor International, the programme will also examine broader themes including sustainability, digitalization, artificial intelligence and the economic and structural conditions shaping the sector.
The Talks and Tasting Stage will return to Hall 10.1 with an expanded and more interactive format. By combining product tastings and creator presentations with expert lectures, the stage is aimed primarily at professionals working in marketing and innovation, reflecting the growing importance of storytelling and experiential formats in product development.
Another debut for 2026 is the ISM Start-up Pitches Award, to be presented for the first time on 2 February. Selected start-ups will pitch their business models and product concepts to a panel of industry experts in a session hosted by food entrepreneur, investor and start-up mentor Robert Kronekker. The winning company will be recognized on stage and will receive prize money along with an award certificate.
The close cooperation between ISM, ISM Ingredients and ProSweets Cologne will also be visible in the physical layout of Hall 10.1, where visitors can trace the entire production process from raw material sourcing to final packaging. The hall will also house Lab5 by ISM, featuring more than 30 start-ups and scale-ups from 16 countries, roughly 20 providers of trend-driven snacks and 30 exhibitors specializing in handcrafted products for the specialty trade. The Lab5 concept will be complemented by the New Product Showcase and a new themed area, ISM Functional Sweets, reflecting rising interest in confectionery products positioned around added health benefits.
A further focal point is the Special Show Ingredients – Functional and Climate-Conscious, a curated trend zone developed for ISM Ingredients 2026 in collaboration with the future agency Haute Innovation. Spanning approximately 200 square metres, the exhibit will highlight vegan alternatives, sustainable and functional ingredients, health-oriented food concepts and emerging food-tech approaches.
Rounding out the programme are free, hands-on packaging workshops organized with partner pacoon and other experts, addressing topics such as packaging innovation, artificial intelligence and the EU’s new packaging regulation, PPWR. Guided tours will provide structured access to the fair’s offerings, ranging from DLG-led tours focused on future ingredients to value-chain-wide tours organized by the Sweets Global Network.
Through this comprehensive programme, ProSweets Cologne 2026 aims to reinforce its role as a leading content and business platform for the sweets and snacks industry, fostering dialogue across the sector and setting impulses intended to support long-term, sustainable development.
Find out more at: https://www.prosweets.com/