Sweets & Snacks Expo to Be Held at New Locations Over Next Decade
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Confectioners Association's (NCA) Sweet & Snacks Expo will rotate between Indianapolis and Las Vegas during the next decade.
Beginning in 2024, the Sweets & Snacks Expo will cycle through a rotation of two years at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, followed by one year at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas until 2032.
McCormick Place in Chicago will host the 2022 and 2023 Sweets and Snacks Expos. The show will take place in May every year moving forward.
"Indianapolis and Las Vegas are the right fit to meet the growing demand for our show and enable it to continue providing the innovation, insights and connections that the candy and snacks industries want and need," said John Downs, NCA president and CEO. "This decision is all about the show's future, and it was driven by our exhibitor and attendee community, for our exhibitor and attendee community."
The decision to relocate the Sweets & Snacks Expo to Indianapolis and Las Vegas was made after careful deliberation by the Sweets & Snacks Expo Committee, which is chaired by Ferrero/Fannie May Confections Vice President of Sales and Business Development Ed Seibolt, and the NCA Board of Trustees. In 2021, the show relocated to Indianapolis because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We saw great success in Indianapolis during the 2021 Sweets & Snacks Expo, with many attendees expressing a desire to return," said Seibolt. "Similarly, Las Vegas is an international destination with the facilities and attractions to help the Sweets & Snacks Expo continue to scale. I believe all parties will benefit tremendously from everything our new host cities have to offer."
The Sweets & Snacks Expo brings together confectionery and snack retailers, manufacturers and suppliers to showcase the latest product innovations. The full schedule of locations for the Sweets & Snacks Expo over the next decade is as follows:
- 2022 — McCormick Place in Chicago
- 2023 — McCormick Place
- 2024 — Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis
- 2025 — Indiana Convention Center
- 2026 — Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas
- 2027 — Indiana Convention Center
- 2028 — Indiana Convention Center
- 2029 — Las Vegas Convention Center
- 2030 — Indiana Convention Center
- 2031 — Indiana Convention Center
- 2032 — Las Vegas Convention Center
"It has been a great pleasure engaging with the staff, board and business members of the NCA over the past 18 months and hosting the Sweets & Snacks Expo last June," said Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy. "After the success of the 2021 show under particularly challenging conditions, Indy and the NCA were clearly a natural fit for long-term growth. The 2024 show can't come soon enough, and we look forward to hosting these amazing people and businesses, small and large, for many years to come."
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, added he is honored to welcome the Sweets & Snacks Expo. "We look forward to welcoming the world's best candy and snack makers to the destination with an 'Only Vegas' experience," he stated.
Washington, D.C.-based National Confectioners Association is the trade organization for the U.S. confectionery industry, which generates more than $37 billion in retail sales each year. Making chocolate, candy, gum and mints, the industry employs nearly 58,000 workers in more than 1,600 manufacturing facilities across all 50 states.