ProSweets Cologne 2009: All the signs suggest a record attendance

ProSweets Cologne, which will be held for the third time from 1st to 4th February 2009, looks set to attract a record attendance: three months before the opening, registrations have already reached the level of the previous event. "In addition to the exhibitors who already took part in the first events, we re also seeing numerous registrations by new exhibitors, so we re now confident that we will be able to post a new record attendance when the fair actually starts. It s a clear sign of how well ProSweets Cologne has been able to position itself in the market," explains Sabine Loos, Vice President at Koelnmesse. In 2009, for the first time ever, ProSweets Cologne will be held in parallel to the International Sweets & Biscuits Fair (ISM) throughout its entire duration, thus offering optimal synergies to exhibitors and visitors alike.


To date, some 275 companies have confirmed that they will be attending ProSweets Cologne. The previous event of 2007 attracted a total of 289 exhibitors from 26 countries. Once again, all the major market players in the four main product segments - Ingredients, Process Technology, Packaging Technology and Packaging - will be present, including FRANZ HAAS Waffel- und Keksanlagen Industrie GmbH, Gerhard Schubert GmbH, MM Graphia Bielefeld GmbH, ROQUETTE FRÈRES S.A. as well as many other returning exhibitors. Among the new exhibitors are leading international companies such as CARLE & MONTANARI S.p.A., Bühler AG, ACMA S.p.a., Klöckner Hänsel Processing GmbH, HOSOKAWA BEPEX GmbH, A.E. Nielsen Maskinfabrik ApS, Cavann S.p.A., M-real Deutschland GmbH, Chesapeake Stuttgart GmbH, Chr. Hansen GmbH, Koenig Backmittel GmbH & Co. KG and C.E. Roeper GmbH. Once again, there will be a strong foreign presence, with around 60 percent of the exhibiting companies coming from outside Germany - a proportion that underlines the position and importance of ProSweets Cologne as an indispensable communications platform in the global trade fair market. ProSweets Cologne is the only event of its kind to feature the full spectrum of goods and products supplied for the production, processing and packaging of confectionery and, together with the leading trade fair ISM, covers the entire value chain in this sector at one single trade fair location.
As in previous years, ProSweets Cologne will occupy Hall 10.1 of the Cologne Exhibition Centre, where the net area of exhibition space will grow once again as a result of the increased number of companies in attendance. Although located directly adjacent to ISM, ProSweets Cologne will also have its own separate entrance. Visitors and exhibitors at ISM also have free admission to ProSweets Cologne and can access the event directly from the ISM halls. Furthermore, all preregistered visitors to ProSweets Cologne have free admission.


In addition to the exhibitor stands, ProSweets Cologne also features a high-quality supporting programme to provide visitors with additional information and, above all, new ideas and solutions. This will include forums presented by the trade fair s conceptual sponsors: the Federation of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI), Sweets Global Network (SG), the German Agricultural Society (DLG) and the Central College of the German Confectionery Industry (ZDS) on current sector issues and topics.


A traditional feature of the event is the "Design Workshop", which is being staged in cooperation with the Berlin company Berndt & Partner Packaging Creality. Entitled "Packaging Experience", this event will show trade visitors what impact packaging can have and how it is perceived by the consumer. With the help of the so-called eye-tracking method, it is possible to track and computer-analyze the eye and pupil movements of consumers when confronted with differently designed packaging. This provides the industry with important information about the impact of packaging at the point of sale. In addition, specialists from the field of packaging will once again be on hand to provide ISM exhibitors with help and advice on how to develop the right packaging.


Also in planning is a special international show in the Ingredients segment on the topic of "Healthy Fruits" in the confectionery sector s supplier industry. This will feature a prominent display of cranberries, blueberries, Acerola cherries and raisins along with information on the manifold uses of these healthy fruits in numerous end products.


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