ISM highlights
Exhibitors always complain about the first and last days of most trade fairs and this year’s ISM was no different. The fair was notably smaller but according to the final report, visitor numbers were actually slightly up with stronger international visitor numbers standing at 64%. The amount of visitors from the Americas and Eastern Europe increased, the Middle East showed stable numbers and decreases were seen from Asia and Africa.
The business done featured strong negotiations. “As a result of the worrisome situation in terms of raw ingredients, there was very strong interest in taking part in discussions,” says Tobias Bachmüller, chairman of the International Sweets and Biscuits Fair Working Group and managing partner of Katjes Fassin. “The negotiations were therefore very intensive.”
For the first time, ISM presented a partner country — Turkey, which succeeded in generating lots of interest thanks to its strong presence at the fair (as well as the belly dancers at the ISM party). ISM was officially opened by Germany’s Federal Minister of Economics, Rainer Brüderle, and the Turkish Minister of Industry and Trade, Zafer Çağlayan and In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Brüderle emphasized the confectionery industry’s importance as an employer and generator of ideas.
Taking place this year for the second time at ISM was the CEO Lunch. Werner Michael Bahlsen, chairman & CEO of Bahlsen and Roland Neuwald, CEO of Real passionately discussed the future of confectionery from the viewpoints of manufacturer and buyer respectively. They had particularly strong opinions on the commodity markets and the impact on product price levels.
The winners of the New Product Showcase were Swiss Cacobean for its new line of chocolates for children that contains 40 per cent less sugar, in combination with fairy tale and story book themes. Germany company ültje and its “Bolivian peanuts“; and Pralibel, a Belgian company with coated praline creations that come in nostalgic boxes came in second and third place. From the chocolate artisan point of view, the ISM Chocolate Master generated a lot of attention with master chocolatiers Axel Hanf and LotharBuss giving live demonstrations while Belcolade’s chocolate fillings workshops offered a playful way of understanding the nature of fillings.
The ProSweets conference took the place of the actual ProSweets exhibition, which will return in 2012. The focus on flavouring ingredients, communicated technical and market-relevant know-how concerning aroma and flavour technologies and consumers’ preferences in the confectionery industry.
On a personal note, we had a fantastic time showcasing both the new Sweets & Snacks Europe magazine as well as the strong presence of Confectionery Production. The response has convinced us that we have done the right thing in splitting up the two sides of the industry and publishing separate magazines for buyers and manufacturers while letting them support and strengthen each other. Thank you for all the feedback, it was great to see you all again and present you with this latest title.
Please see the full report on ISM, its events, discussions and new products in the next issue of Sweets & Snacks Europe.
