Nominations for the NCA’s US confectionery industry leaders awards now open

The NCA’s 2024 State of the Industry Conference is set for 10-12 March at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and the two Confectionery Leadership Awards will honour top retail or wholesale buyers, category managers, and executives for their effective business collaboration, category management best practices, and innovations in merchandising confectionery products.

Nominations close on 6 November. Any employee of an NCA member company or a fellow retailer can nominate a deserving individual for a Confectionery Leadership Award.

The NCA’s Woman of Influence Award, presented by NCA’s Women’s Leadership Group, honours a woman who has demonstrated superior leadership and industry mentorship and has a proven record of growth, success, and influence in the confectionery industry. Audra Vogler, CEO of brokerage Hoffmann Vogler, was last year’s winner and nominations for the Woman of Influence Award can be submitted by any member of the confectionery industry until 10 November.

The Candy Dish Awards celebrate the special relationship between manufacturers and the broker/sales agent community and is presented to a broker/sales agent industry member who has performed above and beyond the call of business to promote, grow, and advocate for the confectionery industry.

Nominations for the Golden Candy Dish can be made by fellow brokers or manufacturers.

The Silver Candy Dish Award is presented to a leader in a sales, marketing, or management role in confectionery manufacturing who has made significant contributions to growing the confectionery category utilizing a broker network. Only employees of an NCA broker member company may nominate someone for a Silver Candy Dish. Nominations for both Candy Dish Awards will be accepted until 15 November.

The NCA says that the awards will be presented on Sunday, 10 March during a special recognition ceremony at SOTIC. The conference will also feature one-of-kind education and networking events, the release of NCA’s proprietary State of Treating report, along with two retailer-hosted roundtable sessions known as Treat & Greets.