NCA SOTIC 2022
NCA’s Sweets & Snacks Expo to leave its Chicago home in 2023
The National Confectioners Association (NCA), the trade fair’s organisers, announced the news from Miami at this week’s State of the Industry Conference.
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.
In 2021, the show relocated to Indianapolis because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement comes as the show convenes to celebrate 25 years of candy and snack innovation in May in Chicago.
"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 NCA President & CEO John Downs.
"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 NCA said 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 Ed Seibolt, Ferrero/Fannie May Confections Vice President of Sales and Business Development, and on the NCA Board of Trustees.
"We saw great success in Indianapolis during the 2021 Sweets & Snacks Expo, with many attendees expressing a desire to return," Seibolt said. "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, for the host city it brings significant financial impact and the 2022 show is expected to generate $21m for Chicago.
“It has been a great pleasure engaging with the staff, board, and business members of the National Confectioners Association over the past 18 months and hosting the Sweets & Snacks Expo last June,” said Leonard Hoops, president & 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.”
