Become the Source for the Candy and Treats Your Shoppers Want
Taste, test and compare thousands of new products from more than 565 candy and treat exhibitors—including cutting edge innovations that haven’t even reached store shelves yet. Expo curates the newest and most innovative confectionery products for you so you can confidently anticipate what your shoppers want to stay ahead of the competition.
Gain The Insights You Need To Anticipate Trends and Attract Shoppers—No Matter Where They Are


Learn about shopper behavior shifts and trends in candy, e-commerce, multicultural treats, seasonal ideas, new flavors and more in a variety of 30 minute learning labs. Expo is your source for trend forecasting.
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Tuesday 05/22
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8:30 am-9:00 am
2018 State of the Market: Candy and Snack
Room 180 Larry Levin - Executive Vice-President - Consumer and Shopper Marketing - IRI, Sally Lyons-Wyatt - Executive Vice-President Practice Leader - IRIThis session highlights the most current performance, insights and trends for candy and snacks combined with growth recommendations for each category.
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11:00 am-11:30 am
Driving Profit Through Balance at Retail Checkout
Discovery Theater Cam Cloeter - Founder and President - IMC, Hank Cardello - Senior Fellow - The Hudson Institute, Larry Wilson - Vice-President Industry Affairs - NCAIn this session you’ll gain insights from the most current research on how retailers can contemporize their checkouts by providing shoppers a broader array of choices and more balanced options while delivering success for the industry.
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12:00 pm-12:30 pm
The Multicultural Opportunity in Treats and Snacks
Discovery Theater Don Longo - Editorial Director - Convenience Store News, Jim Dudlicek - Editorial Director - Progressive GrocerThis diverse panel will provide recommendations on how to capture key demographic segments that are driving increased treating and snacking consumption from leading experts and retailers.
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4:00 pm-4:30 pm
Inside the World of Craft Chocolate: New Flavors and Tasting
Discovery Theater Brad Kintzer - Chief Chocolate Maker - TCHO ChocolateEnter the indulgent domain of craft chocolate with this rich sensory experience of new flavors while gaining insights on how you can capture premium-seeking chocolate consumers.
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Wednesday 05/23
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10:00 am-10:30 am
Let’s Talk TASTE
Discovery Theater Renata Januszewska - Global R&D Sensory Methodologies Manager - Barry CallebautDiscover the sensory language in Barry Callebaut’s ‘Consumer Chocolate Sensory Wheel’, based on a new book ‘Hidden Persuaders in Cocoa & Chocolate – A Flavor Lexicon for Cocoa and Chocolate Sensory Professionals’, written by Januszewska, with input from Barry Callebaut’s team of chocolate and cocoa scientists and specialists, and leading global flavor house Givaudan. It […]
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1:00 pm-1:30 pm
Hitting the Confectionery Sweet Spot at Retail
Discovery Theater Brian Gracon - President and Founder - Gracon and AssociatesThis session will present an overview of the ways many companies have used emotional benefit strategies to build their brands in the shrinking retail environment, and how you can, too.
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2:00 pm-2:30 pm
Rise of the Global Competitor and Private Label: Implications for Candy and Snacks
Discovery Theater Ryne Misso - Director of Marketing - Market TrackThis session will highlight the two biggest entrants into U.S. retailing and private label while also providing recommendations on how to succeed in this new challenging environment.
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3:00 pm-3:30 pm
Engaging Treats and Snacks Shoppers Across the Path to Purchase
Discovery Theater Larry Deutsch - Executive Vice-President and General Manager - Blue Chip MarketingThis Session presents how shopper marketing still has power to drive sales, engage shoppers and complement other marketing initiatives to achieve transformational growth.
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Thursday 05/24
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11:00 am-11:30 am
The Reason for the Seasons: Are You Maximizing Your Seasonal Sales?
Discovery Theater Larry Wilson - Vice-President Industry Affairs - NCA, Tiffany Menyhart - Director of US Category Management - Mars/Wrigley North AmericaThis session will help you optimize your seasonal sales by sharing the secret sauce for maximizing traditional seasonal sales as well as gaining incremental sales on new and untapped opportunities.
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