INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The Sweets & Snacks Expo opened today as the first trade show to be held in Indianapolis in 2021 and the first in-person food trade show in more than a year. Attendees can explore new sweets and snack products and gain access to industry and retail personnel.

“There’s a lot of excitement and pent-up demand for the in-person show this year. With two years of innovation and new products, the resilient treating and snacking categories will be on full display at the 2021 Sweets & Snacks Expo,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association. “We are excited to be working with our partners in the City of Indianapolis to provide the 8,000 retailers, manufacturers, brokers and suppliers in attendance with the opportunity to find inspiration, take part in educational sessions and make meaningful connections with those in the industry they have missed over the past year to 18 months.”

The expo has 8,000 attendees, more than 450 exhibitors and nearly 3,000 retail attendees. It also has a $6.3 million economic impact on the city of Indianapolis.

“We are extremely proud of the work our state has done to safely bring world-class events to Indianapolis like the NCAA Basketball tournament, the Indy 500 and now the Sweets & Snacks Expo,” Indiana Governor Holcomb said. “This event is a great move forward for our business community to recover. The candy and snack industries have a strong economic footprint in our state, supporting more than 13,000 jobs.”

Some trends that will be covered at the expo include smaller pack sizes containing 200 calories or less, tropical flavors like pineapple and coconut, mixing and matching, and spicy snacks featuring flavors such as habanero and sriracha.