ISM2023

ISM Japan shifts its inaugural edition to 2023

11-Feb-2022 - Last updated on 10-Feb-2022 at 11:43 GMT

Japan's borders have been shut for almost two years, disrupting daily life for its citizens and businesses. Pic: GettyImages

Related tags ProSweets Ism

Koelnmesse, organisers of the ProSweets/ISM sweets and snacks trade fair in Cologne, said its plans for a new ISM event in Japan later in the year have been postponed until 2023.

Despite ISM Japan receiving “overwhelming interests and excitement from the industry,” organisers said due to the continuing uncertainties brought by the spread of the COVID- 19 variant Omicron, Japan has closed its borders to all new foreign arrivals since November 2021, thereby posing a challenge for ISM Japan’s international stakeholders (visitors, exhibitors, and partners) to attend the trade fair.

Although ISM Cologne went ahead successfully earlier this month, the news is a blow as the Asian debut of ISM promised to deliver one of the region’s first dedicated sweets and snacks trade fairs with an international impact.

Koelnmesse said that after an in-depth assessment of the situation in Japan and around the world, and close consultations with key stakeholders and partners, a decision was taken to shift its inaugural edition to April 2023, at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan.

“As much as we would have loved to bring the event to life this April, we felt it was important to give the participants the full experience befitting for an inaugural event. Moreover, the ease of participation for our international exhibitors are paramount to making it a successful event,” said Makoto Takagi, Managing Director of Koelnmesse Co, Ltd.

Coronavirus cases

Japan has declared various levels of emergency throughout the two-year pandemic and has been breaking daily records for coronavirus cases and deaths amid a recent surge in infections driven by the Omicron variant.

When the event is finally given the go-ahead, it will feature manufacturers, producers, wholesalers, distributors, importers, exporters, brokers, and OEM private labels from the sweets and confectionery industry, along with the latest processing and packaging technologies for sweets and snacks.

Takagi added: “We are currently seeing business networking at its finest during the ongoing ISM Cologne. We are looking forward to bringing this network and spirit to Japan next year. With the recovery of the global economy and resumption to a new-normal, the team is committed to working on building a strong first edition of ISM Japan 2023 and offering exhibitors an attractive business platform.”