Sweets live on colour and texture — under the mixed lighting of an exhibition hall they quickly turn flat and yellowish. We photograph your products, packaging and stand at ISM so they look appetising in the trade and on social media.
| Dates | Sunday 31 January to Wednesday 3 February 2027 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Koelnmesse, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Cologne |
| Frequency | Annual, four days, trade visitors only; ProSweets Cologne for suppliers and packaging runs in parallel |
| Profile | The world's largest trade fair for sweets and snacks: chocolate, confectionery, fine bakery, snacks, ice cream |
| Audience | Around 1,400 exhibitors from about 70 countries, large country pavilions and many first-time exhibitors from abroad |
| Our travel time | About 60 minutes from Essen — travel included in the package price |
Chocolate, gummies and biscuits live on colour, gloss and texture. Exhibition hall lighting is the worst case for that: mixed colour temperatures, hard ceiling spots and coloured stand lighting make brown look grey, red look orange and white look yellow.
So we work with our own colour-neutral light and a grey-card balance per setup, so the product colours in the photo match those on your packaging. For close-ups of surfaces — snap edge, glaze, sprinkles — we use macro optics and a small, repeatable rig right on the stand.
At ISM it is not only the product that sells, but the packaging and the shelf presentation. We photograph packaging ranges head-on and lit like in a studio, plus displays and shelf shots your sales team can use in listing meetings.
For the stand itself we shoot the architecture before opening without visitors, then the busy stand with tastings and conversations. For video we recommend short vertical clips: product close-up, tasting, statement — 15 to 30 seconds, subtitled, online the same day.
ISM opens on Sunday and closes on Wednesday. Buyer traffic is densest on Sunday and Monday. We recommend a full day on Sunday or Monday: product and packaging shots in the hour before opening, tastings, conversations and interviews afterwards.
Exhibitors who are also present at the parallel ProSweets Cologne are covered on the same day — both shows are on the Koelnmesse grounds.
Colour-neutral light and grey-card balance — chocolate stays brown, white stays white.
Packaging ranges and shelf shots, lit head-on like in a studio — for listing meetings.
Vertical clips of 15–30 seconds with subtitles, online the same day.
Architecture and lighting before the doors open, with no visitors in frame.
Tastings and consultations with retail and import buyers — from Germany and abroad.
Short statements with radio mics — intelligible in hall noise, delivered with subtitles.
A post with your stand while the show is still running gets seen and shared. That is why every package includes finished photos and video within 24 hours after the event ends — first images usually the same day. Two revision rounds included.
A sample from our production: the event recap for your website and LinkedIn — below it, native 9:16 footage for Reels, Shorts and Stories, shot in parallel with the main coverage.
Event recap · YOOZ
Event reel · izy
Brand event · YOOZ
Trade fair clip · Vapes Bars
Fixed prices, defined deliverables, predictable turnaround. All prices exclude VAT and include travel within North Rhine-Westphalia.
Add-on: On-stand interview + extended highlight video (approx. 90 sec.) €190
Payment: 50 % deposit on booking by credit card (Stripe link sent with the quote) or bank transfer, 50 % on the show day. No German VAT for non-EU companies; reverse charge for EU companies with VAT ID.
Capacity: maximum 4 exhibitors per show day — please reserve early.
Tell us the date, venue, stand size and what the images are for. You normally get a fixed-price quote within 24 hours, with no hidden line items.
We arrive with our own equipment, work discreetly around your stand, and never interrupt a conversation or a demo. Shot list agreed in advance.
Edited photos and cut video via a private download link — within 24 hours after the event ends.
From €990 plus VAT for two hours of photo and video on site with at least 30 edited images and a 30-second highlight video. Four hours from €1,490, a full show day from €1,990. Travel to Cologne is included.
With our own colour-neutral light and a grey-card balance per setup. The product colours in the photo then match those on your packaging — regardless of the hall's mixed lighting.
Yes. ProSweets runs in parallel on the Koelnmesse grounds. Stands at both shows are covered on the same day without surcharge.
In the hour before opening on Sunday or Monday, when the stand is built and still empty. Tastings, conversations and interviews follow after opening.
Yes. Interviews, briefing and the entire engagement run in English — a large share of our trade fair clients come from outside Germany. Invoices with VAT ID for EU companies, no German VAT for companies outside the EU.
Send us your hall, stand number and the products you want to feature. We will propose a time window and a fixed-price quote.
We normally reply within 24 hours. For short-notice bookings during a show week, please call.
