All Candy Expo to Move to Spring in 2008

VIENNA, Va. -- The National Confectioners Association (NCA) here, sponsor of the All Candy Expo, said yesterday that the dates of the 2008 show have moved to May 20 to May 22. The event is billed by the association as the largest confectionery, cookie, and snack show in the Americas.

"The spring dates let buyer attendees take advantage of earlier buying cycles while many confectionery and snack exhibitors are afforded an extended selling timeline for the year, so it's a win-win situation for both sides," said NCA president Larry Graham in a statement. "Our job as an association is to keep a pulse on shifts and trends in the market, and after thorough research and consideration, it was confirmed that over 75 percent of current exhibitors as well as key trade channel buyers agreed that spring dates would provide them with more opportunities in the marketplace. It was evident that we needed to make this change to best serve the broad cross-section of our confectionery and snack industry partners."

"We also recognized a huge value to our industry in securing dates that would not interfere with other trade show events both domestic and internationally," noted Tom Joyce of the Hershey Co., who is chairman of the All Candy Expo committee. Joyce added that the committee and executive board moved the show "to meet the needs of the majority of our members and customers."

With 2007 exhibitor participation up by 12 percent over last year, and a floor plan that has increased almost 9 percent from 2006, the All Candy Expo will just keep getting bigger, according to Graham.

"We added over 130 new exhibiting companies in 2007 and the debut of the Gourmet Marketplace became one of the hottest spots on the show floor," he added. "The date change is only another positive that will help us continue to grow."

The inclusion of snack and cookie companies as exhibitors for the first time in 2007 increased the Expo's exhibitor base by nearly 15 percent. NCA research showed that the majority of buyers polled buy both snacks and confectionery products, so the group decided to feature snack manufacturers as a way to allow attendees to boost their buying efficiencies.
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