INDIANAPOLIS — Although Indianapolis has hosted 368,828 attendees at 76 physical events since last July, none of them were actual trade shows. That’s why the news that the National Confectioners Association is bringing its 8,000-person expo — the largest confectionery and snacks event in North America — to the Indiana Convention Center June 22-25 is particularly tasty.
“We’ve been safely hosting events of up to 20,000 attendees since last July,” said Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy. “Of course, most recently, we successfully hosted the entire NCAA men’s basketball tournament. And now that vaccines are widely available and organizations are starting to exhibit and participate in trade shows again, Indy is ready to lead the way in hosting business events while mitigating health and safety risks to our community and visitors.”
“The Sweets & Snacks Expo will be a very special show this year,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association. “With recent CDC safety guidelines relaxing social distancing requirements and declaring domestic travel safe, the Expo is timely for the confectionery and snack industries, and our retail partners. While the event will look different than previous years, we are excited to be back in business and, of course, to make meaningful connections, gain category insights and experience two years of product innovation at the show floor.” The Expo is on track to attract more than 2,250 retail attendees to explore more than 130,000 square feet of candy and snack exhibits.
The National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo had called Chicago home since its first All Candy Expo, held at Chicago’s Navy Pier in 1997, until it was canceled last year due to COVID-19. It was moved to Indianapolis for 2021 due to COVID-related restrictions and protocols that were still in place when the decision to relocate the event was made, according to Visit Indy.
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Indianapolis’ $7 million commitment to health and safety upgrades at the convention center and Lucas Oil Stadium, along with its proven ability to host other events, sweetened the National Confectioners Association’s relocation deal, the NCA’s Downs said.
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“Our move to Indianapolis for the 2021 show allows us to offer an in-person event, for which we have received tremendous support from the industry. We are grateful to the City of Indianapolis and the Indiana Convention Center for their efforts to ensure a safe and successful event, as they have done for many major events in recent months, including the NCAA Tournament. To that end, the city has invested $7 million in the convention center facility to enhance safety measures, including hospital-grade air filtration, touchless doors, a Clorox 360 sanitizing system, hand sanitizing stations, and safe concessions and food service areas. Additionally, we will implement safety protocols that reflect CDC and local health authority guidelines.”
The numbers speak for themselves: as of May 12, more than 425 exhibitors have confirmed their presence, many of whom are exhibiting at the show for the first time.
“We are thrilled to have such support and look forward to welcoming attendees to the premier event for candy and snack industry leaders. And for 2022, we will be returning to Chicago,” said Downs.
This is just the beginning of the trade show’s return to Indy
While the Sweets and Snacks Expo is the first trade show to return to Indianapolis, it’s just the beginning of what city officials hope will be a smorgasbord of conventions to come — and 29 of them are already scheduled at the Convention Center through December. Following the Confectioners Association show will be the annual Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show, which is expected to draw 8,700 visitors to the Convention Center from June 29 to July 2. FDIC International is expected to draw 30,000 visitors in August and CEDIA Expo is expected to draw 15,000 in early September.
The highlight, as always in Indianapolis, will be the Indy 500, which is expected to draw 135,000 race fans to the city over Memorial Day weekend. The race will replace the Kentucky Derby, which drew 51,000 people to Churchill Downs in Louisville in May, as the largest sporting event in the United States since the pandemic began.
Contact Leonard Hoops at (317) 262-3000 or lhoops@VisitIndy.com