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The leaders of the organization behind the Sweets & Snacks Expo poured sugar on Indianapolis on Tuesday as the three-day event returned to the Indiana Convention Center.
Sweets & Snacks is a key convention for the confectionery industry, drawing candy and snack vendors from 90 countries in typical years. The event allows retailers, manufacturers and suppliers to showcase new products and technology, while also building their network of business partners.
The National Confectioners Association said it anticipates more than 16,000 attendees for the sugar-fueled corporate event, which Indianapolis previously hosted at a pandemic-reduced capacity in 2021, marking the first time the expo had been held outside of Chicago.
This year’s convention is expected to feature more than 1,000 exhibitors, up from the 750 to 800 it has welcomed in recent years, and an all-time high for the event. The show, which will feature 25 Indiana-based snack companies, is also expected to bring in more than $12 million in visitor spending.
Indianapolis was selected in 2022 to host the Sweets & Snacks Expo six times over the next decade: 2024, 2025, 2027, 2028, 2030 and 2031. Las Vegas is scheduled to host the 2026, 2029 and 2032 shows.
The expo hosted a kickoff news conference on Tuesday to celebrate the opening of the show, which runs through Thursday.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb was among those to participate in the event, along with Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy; Indianapolis Deputy Mayor Judith Thomas; Capital Improvement Board Executive Director Andy Mallon; and several dignitaries with the National Confectioners Association, including CEO John Downs. Downs told IBJ in 2021 he was impressed with the city and had interest in the event returning.
“Indianapolis has really put itself on the map,” Christopher Gindlesperger, senior vice president of public affairs and communications for the NCA, told IBJ. “‘City on the rise’ is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot, and I think it’s very applicable to Indianapolis. It’s hosting things like the NBA All-Star game, it’s got Caitlin Clark coming to town.
“We’re new in town and we get to join this ever-growing list of world-class events. That really not only benefits Indianapolis, but certainly benefits this expo in a major way.”
Gindlesperger said Indianapolis is a perfect location for the show to grow, as the city offers more easily navigable convention spaces, the ability for the show to present itself more prominently—largely through advertising and signage throughout downtown—and a more walkable footprint for event participants.
The city “just rose right to the top for us, in terms of the right fit … particularly at this moment in time, where the show is the biggest and boldest it’s been in its 25-plus year history,” he said. “Chicago was fantastic, in terms of helping us get to this point, but it is doesn’t offer what Indy has in terms of carrying us in the future.”
In 2021, when attendance was capped at 10,000, the show generated an estimated $9 million for the city’s economy and accounted for about 4,300 hotel rooms during its peak night. Projected hotel figures for this year’s show were not immediately available.
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How do you get a ticket to the convention?
It is a corporate event. Only qualified industry companies and their staff members may attend the convention.