The event is one of the world’s largest sweets and snacks trade fairs and its 50th anniversary took place this year at the beginning of February in the Koelnmesse exhibition centre, just before the COVID-19 crisis gripped the world.
Turbulent times
Organizers said it relies on international industry network and good partnerships during these turbulent times and is planning to play a decisive role in the post-corona era in showing participating industries the solutions and trends for a successful future.
Production, logistics, sales and communication will see increasing change – networking among stakeholders, reactivating economic relationships and establishing new business will be more important than ever before, said Anne Schumacher, vice-president, trade fair management, at Koelnmesse.
She said trade fairs will be vital in this regard because they are an important building block for the economic growth of companies.
“ProSweets Cologne is therefore already working on suitable formats in order to rise to these challenges. The aim is to offer all market participants at times such as these new solutions at an early stage, which provide a chance for rapid economic recovery and lay the foundation for the continued future success of the industry. “
A key pillar of Koelnmesse is its global network of trade fairs in the food & foodtec sector. This provides unique access to the entire international food industry, including growth markets such as Brazil, Colombia, China, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates
“That is how we want to help the food industry remain in contact with its customers, share know-how and, above all, network with each other even more. With all our trade fairs in the food & foodtec sector, we currently remain engaged in active and highly constructive dialogue with our customers,” said Schumacher.
"Many of the exhibitors are already looking forward to important events in their segment since they are essential for presenting their products, providing impetus in the industry and driving forward their economic growth. We are therefore working at full speed to develop new creative and digital solutions so that our customers continue to have suitable platforms for their business and innovations, especially in times of increased uncertainty. We believe that right now it is even more important to share best practices in dealing with the current challenges because only through mutual exchange can we create industry-specific solutions for the changing requirements.”