LAS VEGAS — The 2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo wrapped its first-ever run in Las Vegas on Thursday, drawing 17,500 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center for four days of new product launches, education and category-level dealmaking.
Hosted by the National Confectioners Association, the show ran May 18-21, with the Supplier Showcase serving as a pre-show event on May 18 ahead of the main floor opening May 19. It marked the first time the trade event has been held in Las Vegas after years anchored in Chicago and most recently Indianapolis.
“Bringing Sweets & Snacks to Las Vegas for the first time created a unique opportunity to showcase the bold innovation, creativity, and momentum driving the confectionery and snack industries in a city known globally for its energy,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association. “We brought Vegas-level excitement to every part of the event, with robust education, dynamic networking, and breakthrough products that reinforced why Sweets & Snacks Expo remains the industry’s premier event.”
2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo
A record innovation field
The show’s Most Innovative New Product Awards (MINPA) drew nearly 500 entries this year, the largest field in the program’s history. The 2026 edition also debuted a restructured awards program built around two new top honors — the Trailblazer Award, recognizing disruptive emerging products, and the Powerhouse Award, recognizing high-impact launches from established brands. The new categories replace the previous Best in Show and Small Business Innovator designations.
The top honorees:
- Powerhouse Candy: WARHEADS Loud Mouth Bites, CandyRific
- Powerhouse Snack: Dot’s Snack Mix, The Hershey Company
- Trailblazer Candy: Mochi Gummies – Dark Chocolate Covered Cherry, Issei
- Trailblazer Snack: Raspberry Rose (Beauty + Glow) Popcorn, Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn
Category winners spanned the show floor:
- Chocolate: Alli & Rose Strawberry Moochies, CAL Marketing
- Gourmet/Premium Confections: Frozen Fresh Bananas in Greek Yogurt with White Chocolate + Granola, Tru Fru
- Gum & Mints: Bubblicious Gummy Gum – Strawberry Orange, Perfetti Van Melle
- Gummy Candy: Squashies Sours – Cherry & Apple, Smarties
- Non-Chocolate Candy: Sour Tiniez, Rotten
- Novelty/Licensed: Mashups Candy Salad Kit, 1UP Candy
- Seasonal: Brach’s Crunchy Chewy Jelly Beans, Ferrara
- Meat Snacks: Cinnabon Bakery Inspired Flavored – Bacon Jerky, Wicked Cutz
- Salty Snacks: Cholula Hot Sauce Flavored Tortilla Chips, Xochitl Inc.
- Savory Snacks: Everything Bagel Pretzels, Promise Confections/Edward Marc Brands
- Sweet Snacks: Nutella Ice Cream Cones, Ferrero North America
- Baked Goods: Strawberry Milkshake Cookie, The Graceful Cookie
“The Most Innovative New Product Awards celebrate the creativity, ingenuity and consumer-focused innovation that continue to move the confectionery and snack industries forward,” Downs said of the winners. “With a record number of entries this year, the 2026 finalists and winners demonstrate how brands are responding to evolving consumer preferences and creating opportunities for innovative treating.”
Winning products and finalists were displayed throughout the show in the Featured Products Showcase beginning May 19.
Education spotlights consumer recalibration
Education sessions throughout the week explored the trends, technologies and consumer insights shaping the future of candy and snacks. A standout was the NCA’s seventh annual State of Treating presentation, delivered by Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, which detailed how confectionery consumers are recalibrating — not abandoning — the category amid sustained price pressure. The presentation, drawing on Circana sales data and a December 2025 survey of 1,585 consumers, projected U.S. confectionery sales reaching $62.2 billion by 2030, up $7.3 billion from 2025. (See related Shelby Report coverage of the State of Treating session for the full retail playbook.)
Additional show programming included Eye-Opener education sessions, show floor education tracks, the Women’s Leadership Group breakfast, Distributor Connect, and a Startup Street showcase for emerging brands.
Looking ahead
The 2027 Sweets & Snacks Expo will return to Indianapolis from May 18-20, with a pre-show day on May 17. The move follows multiple years of the event being held in Indianapolis before this year’s Las Vegas debut.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo, hosted by the National Confectioners Association, is the premier trade event for the confectionery and snack industries. NCA member companies drive an estimated $55 billion in retail sales across chocolate, candy, gum and mints.