Magazines Archives - 2011 July

Sweet success at sold-out Sweets & Snacks Expo 2011
Story 3 - Special Review

THE 2011 Sweets & Snacks Expo — staged at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, USA, from May 24-26 — was the biggest to date, bringing back long-standing participants as well as new exhibitors, and attracting buyers from across North America and around the world. Yoki Wong reports.

THE 15th edition of the Sweets & Snacks Expo, an annual trade show sponsored by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), was a sold-out event. Tagged as "the largest confectionery, cookie and snack event in the Americas", the 2011 Sweets & Snacks Expo hosted 556 exhibiting companies and attracted 14,000 industry professionals from more than 70 countries and regions.

Said NCA's president, Larry Graham, in a post-show release issued by the NCA: "For the second year in a row, we posted significant growth in both show size and number of companies [participating]. We delivered more than 170 new exhibitors to the 2011 Expo — that's a 13% increase over 2010. Occupying more than 140,000 net sqf, this was our largest show with the most exhibitors in the expo's 15-year history."

According to the NCA, more than 5,500 candy and snack retail and wholesale customers were pre-qualified to attend this year's expo. The buyers represented major retail and distribution channels, including grocery, convenience, mass department and speciality stores.

"Buyers and category managers were the leading titles at the show while another 28% of attendee titles represented executive involvement among the nation's highest volume accounts," NCA stated.

"Our show delivered the top-notch manufacturers and their customers who came to strengthen current relationships as well as forge new business partnerships," said Michael G Rosenberg, president and CEO of The Promotionn Motion Companies, Inc and chairman of the 2011 Sweets & Snacks Expo.

"We stepped up our offerings this year, including the new Innovation Alley which featured 10 candy and snack-related start-up companies. Several of them ended the show with orders from some of the country's top retailers. It is clear that this year's expo was the one place for retailers and manufacturers to get things done."

Added Graham: "We have evolved into so much more than just a show. Attendees come to find not only new product innovations but also effective business strategies and inspiring ideas and solutions given by our strong line-up of keynote speakers.

"Our goal was to provide a solid business opportunity in a fun, energeticatmosphere where attendees can discover innovation, find new products, gain insight and get connected to others."

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