The 2023 Sweets & Snacks Expo opened May 23, kicking off its 26th year as a showcase for innovation in the confectionery and snack industries.
Over four days, attendees will have the opportunity to discover confectionery and snack innovations, gain insights through education sessions led by industry experts and make industry connections with the thousands of professionals in attendance.
This year marks the final time the show will take place at McCormick Place in Chicago before moving to new host cities. Beginning in 2024, the Sweets & Snacks Expo will cycle through a rotation of two years in Indianapolis followed by one year in Las Vegas until 2032.
“This year is an important inflection point for the Sweets & Snacks Expo, as it is the show’s final year in Chicago,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association and Sweets & Snacks Expo host organization.
“For more than 25 years, we have worked in collaboration with the city of Chicago to build and host the world’s premier candy and snack show. The value that the Sweets & Snacks Expo brings to confectionery and snack companies is incredibly important and it contributes in a major way to the success of these two great categories.”
This year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo highlights:
- Nearly 250 new exhibitors;
- More than 210,000 square feet of sweet, salty and sour products;
- More than 800 exhibitors;
- 16,000 attendees; and
- an estimated $21 million economic impact on Chicago.
Featuring new product launches, business-building solutions and merchandising innovations, the annual trade show brings together qualified candy and snack retail professionals and company representatives who showcase the latest in candy and snack products. The event is sponsored by the National Confectioners Association.
The National Confectioners Association is a trade organization for the U.S. confectionery industry, which generates $42 billion in retail sales each year. The industry employs nearly 58,000 workers in more than 1,600 manufacturing facilities across all 50 states and supports an additional 635,000 jobs in related fields.
