ISM is the worlds largest trade fair for sweets and snacks, held annually in Cologne the week before Sirha. Tea sits adjacent in confectioner and gift-pack contexts: tea + chocolate gift sets, advent calendars with sachets, branded gift boxes for retailers.
A meaningful slice of our Full Production pipeline involves tea-in-gift-pack formats for confectioners and gift-set assemblers. ISM is where those buyers come from. We track the show through partners; a direct exhibit is unlikely.
34,000+
Visitors
1,500+
Exhibitors
70
Countries
January 31 - February 3, 2027
Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany
55 years of editions, reshaped by changing buyer behaviour and category growth.
1971
First edition launched as a spin-off of Anuga with 351 exhibitors and 5,800 trade visitors occupying 16,500 sqm at Koelnmesse.
1990
Show reached spatial limits in its original halls; continued expansion into larger Koelnmesse complexes throughout the decade.
2005
Relocated to the East Halls of Koelnmesse, unlocking more floor space as exhibitor count surpassed 1,000 for the first time.
2019
Pre-pandemic peak: roughly 1,700 exhibitors from 74 countries and ~38,000 trade visitors across 120,000 sqm.
2026
ISM Ingredients launched as a dedicated raw-materials and ingredients platform embedded within ISM, completing the first leg of a three-part rebrand.
2027
ProSweets Cologne rebranded as ISM Manufacturing. ISM, ISM Ingredients, and ISM Manufacturing now form one integrated "ISM trio" covering the full confectionery value chain under a single umbrella.
Where tea, private label, and beverage buyers concentrate on the show floor.
Chocolate bars, pralines, cocoa-based confectionery, compound coatings, and finished chocolate gift items.
Why it mattersChocolate gift-box assemblers and advent-calendar producers source here; these same buyers often bundle tea sachets alongside chocolate into mixed gift sets.
Hard candy, gummies, jellies, marshmallows, lollipops, and functional confectionery formats.
Why it mattersCategory buyers sourcing sugar confectionery for mixed assortments (seasonal tins, gift hampers) are open to adjacent SKUs including tea sachets.
Biscuits, cookies, wafers, patisserie, and cereal-based snack bars.
Why it mattersPremium biscuit brands that sell gift tins regularly add premium tea as a pairing; cross-category sourcing conversations happen in this hall.
Better-for-you snacks, plant-based confectionery, functional sweets, and (from 2026) raw materials plus semi-finished ingredients. New Product Showcase is staged here.
Why it mattersISM Ingredients hosts botanical and herb suppliers; this is the closest ISM gets to our supply-chain territory. The New Product Showcase in this hall attracts press and trend-focused buyers.
Halal-certified confectionery and snack products from producers serving the 1.8-billion-consumer halal segment.
Why it mattersHalal confectionery buyers sourcing assortment boxes are a secondary audience for co-packed halal-compliant tea sachets as gift-set components.
The central innovation stage, housed in Hall 10.1. Exhibitors submit products for blind judging by an international jury; 150+ entries from 90+ companies compete across categories. Winners receive the New Product Showcase Award and gain significant press coverage at the show. The 2026 first-place winner was a creatine gummy bar with chocolate from Spain.
A lifetime-achievement honour presented at the ISM opening ceremony. Recognises individuals for outstanding contribution to the global confectionery and snacks industry. The 2025 recipient was Ulrich Zuenelli, executive president of Loacker.
A new embedded platform for raw materials, botanical extracts, flavours, and semi-finished ingredients. Housed in Hall 5.2 at its 2026 debut. For tea-adjacent buyers, this is the first time ISM has hosted botanical and herb-extract suppliers under its umbrella.
An innovation co-creation hub hosting 20-25 startups and early-stage confectionery brands. Formats include pitching sessions, mentoring, and buyer speed-meetings. Gives early-stage gift-pack concepts direct access to retail chain buyers.
A dedicated central-boulevard zone for halal-certified confectionery, given a premium location from 2026 to reflect growing halal-category demand from European retail chains.
Brands typically exhibiting in the tea, private-label, or adjacent halls.
Retail chains, hospitality groups, and importers known to send delegations.
Strictly B2B. Trade-visitor verification required at registration. Day ticket EUR 89; season ticket (all four days) EUR 110. No general public admission. Tickets purchased online via the official ISM ticket shop.
Days 1-3 (trade): exhibitors from 08:00, visitors from 09:00 to 18:00. Day 4 (last day): exhibitors from 08:00, visitors from 09:00 to 16:00.
Book 4-6 months ahead via the official Koelnmesse hotel-booking service. Rooms within 2 km sell out first. Partner hotels include Hyatt Regency Cologne (riverside, 5 min walk to venue), Dorint an der Messe, Pullman Cologne, and Radisson Blu. Budget options cluster around Cologne Hbf, a 10-minute train ride from Deutz.
Stand fees start around EUR 195/sqm for group-stand participation and EUR 293/sqm for self-built inline stands, plus mandatory services (power, internet, stand registration). Minimum stand sizes are typically 9-12 sqm. Total all-in cost for a small inline stand runs EUR 15,000-35,000 excluding travel and samples.
ISM is not a tea show. It is the world's largest confectionery and snacks trade fair, and that is precisely what makes it interesting to us in a secondary capacity. A growing share of our Full Production enquiries come from brands and gift-set assemblers who want tea sachets as part of a broader assortment - advent calendars with 24 items where position 7 is a double-chamber tea bag, or a Christmas gift tin that pairs two chocolate bars with a hand-tagged tea sachet. The buyers who commission those products attend ISM.
We track the show rather than exhibit. Direct attendance makes sense as a visitor every second or third year - enough to map which confectionery brands are building assortment lines and which gift-format buyers are actively sourcing adjacent categories. The 2027 edition is notable because ISM Manufacturing (the machinery show) joins under the same umbrella, giving a single trip visibility into both buyer-side and production-side trends. The New Product Showcase in Hall 10.1 is worth half a day; winning products signal what the gift-set market will expect as standard in 18 months.
Quick answers buyers ask before committing the travel budget.
Trade visitors only. Every attendee must verify professional credentials at registration. Tickets cannot be purchased at the door without prior online registration. The show does not run a public day.
Not as a primary category. Tea appears at ISM in gift-pack and cross-category contexts - tea-and-chocolate gift sets, advent calendars with sachets, and mixed-assortment boxes. Buyers sourcing those formats attend ISM. Pure-play tea brands belong at Anuga or SIAL.
ISM covers finished confectionery and snack products. ISM Manufacturing (formerly ProSweets Cologne, rebranded from 2027) covers the machinery, packaging technology, and production systems that make those products. Both run concurrently at Koelnmesse.
At least four to six months ahead. Cologne fills quickly for ISM week in late January / early February. Use the official Koelnmesse hotel-booking service for guaranteed partner-rate rooms. Walk-in availability near the venue is rare by November.
Non-EU nationals typically need a Schengen visa for Germany. Apply through the German embassy or consulate in your country at least eight weeks before travel. Koelnmesse can issue an official letter of invitation on request to support your application.
Technically yes, but the audience is primarily confectionery buyers. A tea co-packer would reach the right buyers more efficiently at Anuga or PLMA. ISM makes sense only if your pitch specifically targets gift-set assemblers, advent-calendar producers, or confectionery buyers who add tea to mixed assortments.
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