ISM Middle East runs 3-5 November 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre. The show focuses on confectionery, sweets, biscuits, snacks, and bakery, with around 700+ exhibitors and 25,033 trade visitors. It’s the regional spin-off of ISM Cologne (Germany), the world’s largest sweets and snacks trade fair, and runs alongside Private Label Middle East.
About ISM Middle East
ISM Middle East is the regional edition of ISM Cologne, the world’s largest trade fair for sweets and snacks held in Germany every January. The Dubai show carries the same focus, scaled for MENA, and is co-located with Private Label Middle East to create a combined sweets, snacks, and private-label procurement window for regional retailers.
The show carries weight because the GCC confectionery and snacks market has grown consistently with population expansion, expat consumer demand, and the region’s status as a major re-export hub for Africa and South Asia. Ramadan and Eid drive significant annual category spikes that retailers source for months in advance. ISM Middle East lands in the right pre-season window for annual sourcing decisions.
What’s on the show floor
ISM Middle East covers chocolate and confectionery (boxed chocolates, bars, pralines, seasonal), sweets and candies, biscuits and cookies, savoury snacks (chips, nuts, crackers, popcorn), bakery products (industrial and artisan), ice cream and frozen desserts, breakfast cereals and bars, healthy and functional snacks (protein bars, low-sugar, vegan), dates and Middle East specialty sweets, ingredients for confectionery and bakery (cocoa, sugars, flavours, fats, fillings), packaging for sweets and snacks, and contract manufacturing services.
Who buys at ISM Middle East
Confectionery and snack category buyers from supermarket chains, convenience and forecourt buyers, hypermarket procurement teams, hotel and foodservice buyers, duty-free and travel retail buyers, distributors and wholesalers serving MENA and Africa, importers building seasonal and gifting ranges, and procurement teams from regional confectionery brands sourcing ingredients and contract manufacturing capacity.
Notable ISM Middle East 2026 exhibitors and country pavilions
ISM Middle East 2026 hosts over 700 exhibitors across 73 pages of the official exhibitor directory. Confirmed exhibitors from the official list include:
- UAE: Tamreem (General Food Chocolate Manufacturing), Labelle Chocolates & Flowers, Ekara (Hope Trading)
- Lebanon: Lebanese International Food Industries Corporation SAL
- Turkey: Gursoy Tarim Urn. San. ve Tic. A.S. and additional Turkish confectionery brands
- Uzbekistan pavilion: Nehir (JV PO-LAT), SLADUS Produce, Classic (Class Food Servis), Krember (Almerro Group), Asia Kandi LLC
Country pavilions at the 2026 edition span the UAE, Lebanon, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and additional regional confectionery and snacks producing nations.
Building your stand for ISM Middle East 2026
Stand space booking goes through the organiser at ism-me.com. Once your space is confirmed, the stand build is where most of the design and budget decisions land. New Royal Advertising, a custom exhibition stand builder in Dubai, builds custom stands for ISM Middle East exhibitors with everything done 100% in-house, no subcontractors, free 3D design included with every quote, and a 120-second instant quote on our site.
Also exhibiting in Food, Hotel and Catering: Private Label Middle East, Gulfood Manufacturing, GulfHost, World of Coffee Dubai, Gulfood Exhibition and The Hotel Show. See the full Food, Hotel and Catering exhibition calendar →
Call +971 56 422 0364 or get a quote online to start your ISM Middle East 2026 stand build.
