Diverse World Confectionery Conference programme comes into focus

As our World Confectionery Conference rapidly gathers momentum in its final couple of weeks, our agenda’s focus on the need for greater sustainability alongside innovation and action on major policies affecting our industry is especially timely.

So if you’ve yet to register for this year’s event, we would encourage both those who are new to the show or long-term supporters of our event to reserve their place in Brussels on 11 September, which you can do via our dedicated website at confectioneryconference.com

Indeed, you can gain a number of exclusives via our freshly-released latest preview edition of Confectionery Production magazine offering insights ahead of our annual industry gathering, as it returns to the Belgian capital to celebrate all things confectionery and snacks, as well as its vital industry supply chains.

This year’s keynotes include industry trade body Caobisco to kick-start proceedings, followed by Ferrero, as well as Luker Chocolate, and significant insights from Euromonitor and Mintel among the programme, which we have formed to hold a broad appeal across the sector.

Notably, as visitors to this year’s event will soon find, sustainability is far more than just a ‘nice-to-have’ for companies, it’s a vital aspect of their operations, and we believe that our talented array of presenters will ably demonstrate how their respective operations are striving to meet the needs of consumers – and just as importantly, the planet that we all share.

From equipment and systems, through to ingredients and finished products, this year’s World Confectionery Conference comes amid a major crossroads for many businesses operating with our combined industries.

World Confectionery Conference Brussels – 12 September 2024

As we have continued to document, there are many tests facing the broader industry, including handling uncertain economies, and mitigating higher operating costs, as well as planning for upcoming game-changing legislation including EUDR and its accompanying due diligence frameworks for those in the cocoa and chocolate sector, it’s clear that the industry has a lot on its plate right now. That’s even before we get to discussing how our markets are continuing to engage with rapidly-advancing AI technologies that are set to drive significant change in the coming years.

But we are aiming to tackle many of these issues head on, and discussing some potential solutions as well, as we have sought to do throughout our staging of the World Confectionery Conference.

The event will only ever prove as strong as the engagement we have from the sector, so we remain considerably grateful to those who have stood by our event, and are always welcoming of those who may be new to our industries. So here’s hoping to see as many of you as possible to sign up to our event as possible, and we’ll see you in Brussels soon.

Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production

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