🍬 SWEETS & SNACKS Expo 2024 Show Highlights

🤝 SWEETS & SNACKS Expo 2024 Conference & TRADE SHOW

This year’s unforgettable Sweets & Snacks Expo is North America’s biggest candy and snack trade show. It brings together thousands of brand makers, buyers, suppliers, and trend-watchers to launch products and build business connections. It’s not open to the public. This is where retail chains, convenience stores, and online platforms go to find what’s next.

It’s run by the National Confectioners Association (NCA). This trade group has been around since 1884, representing & supporting the interests of candy, chocolate, gum makers, and snack companies in the USA. NCA handles policy work, industry data, public messaging (like “chocolate in moderation”), and organizing this yearly event.

The Expo started in 1997 in Chicago and grew fast. After years at McCormick Place, it outgrew the space. Now it rotates between Indianapolis and Las Vegas, giving more room to expand each year from May 13-16.

John Downs, NCA president and CEO, said, “As the top innovation showcase in the confectionery and snack categories, the Sweets & Snacks Expo offers an opportunity for the community to come together to debut products, gain insights, and create meaningful connections.”

“This year’s show solidified that there is no better place to do so than right here in Indianapolis. You could feel a renewed energy on the show floor from manufacturers, retailers, brokers, and suppliers alike – and everyone is buzzing about our bright future.”

🍫 What is the Sweets & Snacks Indianapolis EXPO?

This year brought in over 16,000 attendees from more than 80 countries. The show floor had 1000 exhibitors, including everything from global brands to local makers to packaging suppliers. 320 of which were brand new to the showroom floor!

For the first time in Indianapolis, the Expo featured an expanded, all-in-one hall layout in an “L” shape that the NCA credits with boosting energy and attendance – rethinking how attendees moved through the space. Officials noted the city partnership paid off: Governor Eric Holcomb formally opened the Expo, and the expanded show is expected to generate roughly $12 million in local economic impact.

The convention center was packed with booths, tasting stations, displays, and networking areas. More than just candy stores and grocers attended. You saw gas station chains, e-commerce platforms, event planners, and even food scientists. Everyone was trying to figure out what comes next in snacking.

The mood was busy, upbeat, and loud. Lines formed at booths with strong samples. Most brands handed out specially designed mini-samples or full-size snacks. You could easily fill a carry-on just with handouts.

For example, the floor was divided into clear zones – salty snacks in one area, sweets in another,  suppliers, services, and first-time exhibitors in their own section. It made navigation easier and allowed exhibitors to target the right crowd without wasting time.

The city also rolled out the red carpet. Hotels, restaurants, and the convention district leaned in, giving the event a strong presence throughout downtown.
McCormick Place, it outgrew the space. Now it rotates between Indianapolis and Las Vegas, giving more room to expand each year from May 13-16.

Leonard Hoops, president and CEO of Visit Indy, said, “The Sweets & Snacks Expo isn’t just a sweet new addition to the world-class events that we host in Indy – it’s also big business. Our partnership drove a positive economic impact of more than $12 million that benefits all corners of Central Indiana. Even though the show just ended, we’re already looking forward to welcoming this exceptional event back to Indy in 2025 and beyond.”

🆕 What’s NEW at the Sweets & Snacks EXPO?

• New Floor Layout – Split into themed sections: candy, snacks, premium treats, and supplier booths. It made it easier to find what you came for.
• Startup Street – A new area highlighting up-and-coming brands with less than three years under their belt. Small companies got to show off niche ideas, international flavors, or clever packaging for the first time at the Expo.
• Supplier Showcase – Ahead of the main show, the May 13–14 Supplier Showcase brought food-ingredient, packaging, and equipment suppliers into a one-and-a-half-day expo. Attendees could meet technical suppliers face-to-face. For example, Delkor Systems demonstrated robotic packaging automation that reduces case material by up to 40% for sustainability.
• Destination Retail – A section built to look like a real store, showing off merchandising ideas that actually work.
• Snacks & Insights Stage – Live talks focused on trends, retail strategies, and shopper behavior.
• Networking Zones – More breakout areas and lounges made it easier to have actual conversations. Less shouting over candy bins.

🥨 SPOTLIGHT on Major Brands

• Hershey’s – The chocolate giant used the Expo to showcase its retail tech and new SKUs. Hershey executives demonstrated an augmented-reality planogram tool for retailers, and revealed several product innovations: the new Reese’s Caramel Big Cup, two new Kit Kat flavors (Pink Lemonade and Vanilla), Hershey’s Crunchy Waffle Cone bars, and novel Ice Breakers and Dot’s Pretzels flavors. As Hershey’s team noted, all this innovation is “energizing” the floor and setting up a strong 2025 line-up!
• Ferrero North America – Ferrero’s marquee Expo launch was Tic Tac Chewy, a new chewy candy line in fruity and sour varieties. This marks Ferrero’s first sugar-candy product in the U.S. and was accompanied by a playful “Soft on the Inside” ad campaign. Ferrero staff at the show also distributed samples of other innovations (such as Kinder egg surprises, Oreo thins variations, and seasonal Ferrero Rocher tins).
• Mondelēz International – Mondelēz focused on collaborations and omnichannel strategy. The most buzzed-about announcement was the Oreo × Sour Patch Kids mashup cookies (limited-edition Sour Patch-flavored Oreo cookies). Mondelēz also ran a seminar on digital commerce strategy and highlighted its investment in data and personalization. The Sour Patch Oreo blend underscored Mondelēz’s aim to surprise customers with bold flavor fusions and cross-brand promotions.
• Ferrara Candy (Ferrara/Nestlé North America) – Ferrara (parent of Nerds, Brach’s, Sweetarts, etc.) brought attention to the rapidly expanding Nerds brand. In particular, attendees spotted two new Nerds Gummy Clusters flavors – Berry Punch Rush and Grape Strawberry Blitz – at Ferrara’s booth. The company also hinted at rollouts of other new items like Lemonhead Ropes and SweetTarts Halos.
• Glico USA – Although a smaller player in the U.S., Glico used the Expo to cement the Pocky brand’s footprint. The company’s bright booth featured a photo-op wall and interactive sampling. The big news was the Pocky 10-Pack Share Size (a new multi-pack designed for gatherings) and the launch of a PRETZ Halloween Family Pack – both of which were lauded by attendees for encouraging sharing and seasonal sales.
• OTHER Leaders – Many other well-known brands made news. For example, Mars Wrigley staffed a large booth (the “Transaction Zone”) to give away samples and discuss shopper insights. Perfetti Van Melle teased a new Airheads Xtreme flavor (Very Berry) and a sugar-free Trident gum. Nestlé (via Kit Kat and Milo) emphasized product upgrades. Overall, the top confectionery and snack companies used the Expo to signal their key strategies for the year ahead.

Don’t miss out on the next SWEETS & SNACKS Expo!

🍩