Monday, May 19 – Thursday, May 21, 2026 | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
Sunday, May 18 – Wednesday, May 20, 2027 | Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN
The Sweets & Snacks Expo is a feast for the senses. Your exhibit should be too.
At NPARALLEL + Atomic Props, we design and build custom trade show environments that stop traffic and spark connection. From our Minneapolis headquarters to the show floor, we manage the entire journey, concept, creative, fabrication, shipping, installation, and even post-show storage.
You focus on the buyers, retailers, and decision-makers walking your space.
We’ll handle the heavy lifting and make sure your brand shows up bold, strategic, and unforgettable.
We’ve got you.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo is the largest trade show for confectionery and snack products in North America. Organized by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), the show brings together manufacturers, retailers, distributors, brokers, and suppliers across the candy, chocolate, gum, mint, and snack categories. It’s the industry’s primary marketplace for new product discovery, retail buying decisions, and business development.
The 2026 show takes place May 19–21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Pre-show activities kick off May 18, including the Supplier Showcase, the Most Innovative New Product Awards (MINPA) ceremony, and networking events.
The Expo draws more than 1,000 exhibiting companies and over 15,000 industry professionals. The exhibit floor spans multiple halls of product innovation, sampling, and face-to-face meetings with retail buyers from grocery, convenience, mass, club, and e-commerce channels.
Key features for 2026 include Startup Street (a dedicated zone for emerging brands), the New Product Showcase, over 40 educational sessions and workshops, and Innovation Avenue, highlighting trends in sustainability, health-forward snacking, and functional ingredients.
1,000+
Exhibiting Companies
15,000+
Industry Professionals
40+
Educational Sessions & Workshops
3 Days
of Exhibit Floor Access (May 19–21)
Booth space at the Expo is priced per square foot, with separate rate structures for confectionery and snack manufacturers (main Expo floor) and suppliers (Supplier Showcase). Rates also differ based on NCA membership status.
| Exhibitor Type | Rate (per sq ft) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NCA Member – Confectionery | $47.50 | Main Expo floor (May 19–21) |
| NCA Member – Snack | $47.50 | Main Expo floor (May 19–21) |
| Non-Member – Confectionery | $66.75 | Main Expo floor (May 19–21) |
| Non-Member – Snack | $66.75 | Main Expo floor (May 19–21) |
| Supplier Showcase | Separate rate structure | Runs May 18–19; contact NCA for rates |
A key distinction: only manufacturers of finished confectionery and snack products can exhibit on the main Expo floor. Companies that supply ingredients, packaging, equipment, or services to the industry exhibit in the Supplier Showcase, which runs on a different schedule (May 18–19) and has its own rate structure.
Another important factor: all exhibitors must go through an application and approval process before reserving space. Unlike many trade shows where booth space is first-come, the Expo requires NCA review of every application to verify that the exhibiting company qualifies for the appropriate category.
Booth space is one piece of the total cost. A standard rule of thumb is that total exhibit investment runs 3 to 5 times the cost of floor space alone. For a 20×20 booth at $47.50 per square foot ($19,000 in space), the total project cost typically lands between $57,000 and $95,000.
That total covers exhibit design and fabrication, freight and drayage, electrical and internet service, furniture and fixtures, lead retrieval, union labor (required in Las Vegas), graphics production, carpet and flooring, and product sampling infrastructure like refrigeration, prep stations, and waste management.
NCA membership itself is a cost consideration. The difference between member and non-member rates ($47.50 vs. $65.75 per square foot) means a 20×20 booth costs $19,000 as a member and $26,300 as a non-member. That $7,300 gap makes membership worth evaluating if you plan to exhibit regularly.
Want to understand what your 2027 exhibit will actually cost? We can walk you through the full budget picture based on your goals, booth size, and show strategy.
Want to understand what your full Sweets & Snacks Expo exhibit investment will look like?
We can walk you through the complete budget picture. →
The 2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo lands at the Las Vegas Convention Center, just off the Strip at 3150 Paradise Road. Ten minutes from Harry Reid International Airport and connected to the Monorail, it is built for movement. People flowing in from every direction. Energy everywhere.
And we know it well.
The LVCC is one of the largest convention facilities in North America, which means scale, logistics, and details matter. Multiple loading docks. Streamlined freight access. Reliable power and internet. A venue that understands high-volume food trade shows and the pace that comes with them.
We have supported clients here. We understand the rhythm of move-in, the timing of install windows, the way the halls feel when the doors open and buyers start walking.
And when you need a reset after a long day on the floor? We can point you to the right dinner reservation, the quiet coffee spot, or the place with just enough buzz to keep the momentum going.
In Las Vegas, experience is everything.
We make sure yours is handled from the first crate to the final handshake.
Hall assignments for the 2026 show will be published by NCA as the floor plan fills. The main Expo occupies the West Hall, with the Supplier Showcase typically housed in a separate section. Check the NCA exhibitor portal for the most current floor plan.
LVCC has multiple dock areas serving different halls. Advance coordination with the show’s official services contractor (Freeman) is critical for timing your freight delivery and avoiding dock congestion during peak move-in windows.
Las Vegas requires union crews for all booth setup and tear-down involving tools, electrical connections, rigging, or plumbing. Factor this into both your budget and your installation timeline.
Standard booth height limits vary by booth size and hall. Island booths typically allow taller structures than inline or corner positions. Confirm height limits with the NCA exhibitor services team before finalizing your exhibit design.
The show organizer confirms that cold storage is offered both onsite and pre-show, ordered through the Exhibitor Resource Center. This is especially relevant for exhibitors who need refrigerated product sampling or frozen product demos.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo rotates between two cities on a scheduled cycle through 2032. The 2026 show is in Las Vegas, followed by Indianapolis in 2027, then back to Las Vegas in 2028. For companies planning multi-year exhibit strategies, this rotation affects shipping logistics, labor costs, and venue familiarity.
Ideally, 9 to 12 months out.
Sweets & Snacks is not a “grab a booth and go” kind of show. There is an exhibitor application and approval process through NCA that adds important lead time. That means you are factoring in application review, strategic exhibit design, custom fabrication, and freight scheduling, all before show week even begins.
The brands that win here plan with intention.
Starting early gives us the runway to design something bold, build it right, and move it cohesively onto the show floor without last-minute stress.
Give us the time. We will give you the edge.
| Timeframe | What to Do | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 9–12 Months Out | Submit NCA exhibitor application and begin the approval process. Lock in booth size and location preferences. Start exhibit design conversations with your partner. | ||
| 6–9 Months Out | Finalize exhibit design and begin custom fabrication. Secure NCA membership if cost analysis supports it. Book hotels and travel for your on-site team. | ||
| 4–6 Months Out | Approve final exhibit build. Order show services (electrical, internet, lead retrieval) through the exhibitor portal. Plan product sampling logistics: refrigeration, prep stations, waste management. | ||
| 2–4 Months Out | Confirm freight and shipping schedule. Coordinate union labor for LVCC installation. Finalize sampling inventory, sell sheets, and booth collateral. Train booth staff on product positioning and buyer meeting strategy. | ||
| 4–6 Weeks Out | Ship exhibit to Las Vegas. Submit all remaining service orders before early-rate deadlines. Confirm drayage and dock scheduling with Freeman (official services contractor). | ||
| Show Week | Supervise installation (May 18 for Supplier Showcase, May 19 for main Expo). Attend pre-show networking and MINPA ceremony on May 18. Execute buyer meeting schedule May 19–21. | ||
| Post-Show | Dismantle and ship exhibit to storage or next show. Begin lead follow-up within 48 hours. Debrief with your team on what worked and what to change for next year. | ||
One planning note specific to this show: because the Expo moves to Indianapolis in 2027, companies exhibiting in both years need to factor venue differences into their planning. Booth dimensions, freight logistics, and labor requirements change between LVCC and the Indiana Convention Center.
This isn’t CES. The people walking this floor are retail buyers, category managers, and distribution professionals evaluating products for commercial viability. They’re looking at packaging, pricing, shelf positioning, and whether a product can move at retail. Your exhibit needs to support that evaluation, not just create a visual spectacle.
The buyer mix is broader than most exhibitors expect. You’re not just presenting to grocery chain category managers. The floor includes c-store and gas station operators, club and warehouse buyers, e-commerce retailers, food service companies, distributors, brokers, concessions operators (stadiums, theaters, amusement parks), and increasingly, PE investors and VC firms scouting the category.
Each of those audiences evaluates your product differently. A convenience store buyer cares about impulse purchase packaging and planogram fit. A food service operator needs bulk sizing and shelf stability. An investor wants margin structure and growth trajectory. Your exhibit needs to support more than one conversation at the same time.
Lead with your product, not your logo. Retail buyers want to see packaging at shelf scale, taste the product, and evaluate how it fits into their category. Build sampling and display into the booth architecture.
Buyer meetings at this show close deals. Dedicated meeting space (even a semi-private counter with stools) separates serious conversations from floor traffic and keeps your team productive.
Plan for volume. Refrigeration, prep stations, serving supplies, and waste disposal need to be designed into the booth from day one, not retrofitted on-site.
Buyers think in shelf sets, seasonal rotations, and margin. Speak their language with sell sheets, case studies, and pricing information that supports the buying conversation.
Planning your Sweets & Snacks Expo exhibit? Let’s start the conversation.
Whether you need a 20×20 booth for a new product launch or a large-scale island exhibit showcasing an entire product portfolio, we design and build exhibits specifically for this show’s audience and environment.
Every project starts with understanding your goals for the show. Not just booth size, but specific business outcomes: how many buyer meetings do you need to book? Are you launching a new product line or reinforcing an existing one? Do you need product sampling infrastructure, cold storage, or a demonstration kitchen? We build the exhibit design around those answers.
Our 160,000 sq ft Minneapolis facility gives us full control over your exhibit build. For confectionery and snack brands, that means purpose-built sampling stations with proper refrigeration, retail-style product display cases, branded packaging walls, and meeting areas designed for buyer conversations. Every exhibit is fully assembled and photographed in our facility before it ships.
Interactive product exploration, digital flavor profiles, touchscreen ordering systems, and real-time inventory demos can all strengthen a confectionery brand’s presence at this show. We build tech into the exhibit architecture from the start so it feels like part of the experience, not an afterthought bolted onto a display wall.
We manage shipping, freight coordination, drayage, union labor at LVCC, installation, dismantling, and post-show storage. For the Expo, we also coordinate cold chain logistics for exhibitors who need refrigerated product on the show floor. Our project management platform (NPX) keeps you updated on every milestone from design through install.
The answer depends on your show strategy, budget, and how central the Expo is to your annual trade show calendar. With the show rotating between Las Vegas and Indianapolis, your exhibit may also need to adapt to different venue configurations year to year.
Full brand control, designed to your exact specifications, and reusable across multiple shows. Best for companies that exhibit regularly and want maximum ROI from their trade show investment.
Lower upfront cost, flexible configurations, and no storage commitment. Ideal for first-time exhibitors or companies testing whether this show delivers the buyer audience they need.
Many of our clients start with a rental for their first year at a show, then invest in a custom build once they’ve confirmed the event delivers the buyer audience and results they need.
Not sure which direction fits?
We can walk you through the options based on your goals, budget, and how many years you’re planning to exhibit. →
The Expo has a few unique elements that first-time exhibitors should understand before they commit. Here’s a quick-start guide.
1
Submit your NCA exhibitor application early. The approval process takes several weeks, and early registration gives you better booth location options. Budget for the full picture: design, fabrication, shipping, union labor (required in Las Vegas), and show services like electrical and lead retrieval. A basic 20×20 booth can run $57,000–$95,000 total. Know the key paperwork: NCA application, exhibitor category verification, and service orders through Freeman.
2
Design for the Sweets & Snacks Expo audience specifically: retail buyers evaluating products for commercial viability. Lead with product sampling and packaging displays, not brand storytelling. Plan sampling infrastructure from the start (refrigeration, prep stations, waste management). Build in dedicated meeting space for buyer conversations. Check your height restrictions with NCA before finalizing your exhibit design.
3
Start pre-show outreach early. Email target accounts with your booth location and meeting availability. Have a lead capture system ready on day one: test your setup, train staff on lead rating, and draft follow-up sequences in advance. Attend the May 18 pre-show day for the MINPA ceremony and early networking. Follow up within 48 hours. Speed matters when buyers are courted by hundreds of exhibitors.
Consider Startup Street if you’re an emerging brand. This dedicated zone offers smaller booth configurations at lower price points, plus automatic entry into the New Product Showcase. It’s designed specifically for brands making their first impression at the show.
Booth space starts at $47.50 per square foot for NCA members and $65.75 for non-members on the main Expo floor. Snack manufacturers pay the same rates. The Supplier Showcase has a separate rate structure. Total exhibit investment (including design, fabrication, freight, labor, and show services) typically runs 3 to 5 times the cost of floor space. For a 20×20 booth, expect a total project budget in the $57,000 to $95,000 range depending on complexity.
It is not. The Sweets & Snacks Expo is a trade-only event. Every attendee must qualify under a specific industry category (manufacturer, retailer, distributor, broker, food service operator, investor, or supplier). They also need to provide company-level and employee-level documentation proving they’re active in the confectionery or snack business. That verification process means the people visiting your booth aren’t casual browsers. They’re vetted professionals with purchasing authority or direct industry involvement.
The 2026 show takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada (May 19–21). The Expo rotates between Las Vegas and Indianapolis on a set schedule through 2032, with Indianapolis hosting in 2027 and Las Vegas again in 2028.
Exhibitors must submit an online application through the NCA at SweetsAndSnacks.com. Applications are reviewed and approved before you can reserve booth space. The process requires proof of business and classification into the appropriate exhibitor category (confectionery manufacturer, snack manufacturer, supplier, etc.). Plan for this to take several weeks.
The main Expo floor is reserved for manufacturers of finished confectionery and snack products and runs May 19–21. The Supplier Showcase is a separate section for companies that provide ingredients, packaging, equipment, and services to the industry, and it runs May 18–19. The two sections have different rate structures, different hall locations, and different attendee traffic patterns.
That depends on your product portfolio, sampling requirements, and meeting strategy. A 10×10 works for a focused single-product or new brand launch. A 20×20 gives you room for dedicated sampling, product displays, and a small meeting area. Anything larger typically includes multiple product zones, private meeting space, and branded architecture. We can help you match booth size to business goals
Nine to twelve months before the show. The exhibitor application and approval process adds lead time that many first-time exhibitors don’t expect. Registering early also gives you better options for booth location, which directly affects foot traffic and buyer visibility.
For confectionery and snack manufacturers looking to reach retail buyers, yes. The show brings together category managers and procurement decision-makers from grocery, convenience, mass, club, and e-commerce channels. It’s the most concentrated audience of confectionery and snack buyers in North America.
Yes. Startup Street is a dedicated zone on the Expo floor designed for emerging brands. It offers smaller booth configurations at lower price points and automatic entry into the New Product Showcase. It’s a strong option for brands attending for the first time or launching a new product category.
Yes. We manage every phase: initial concept and design, custom fabrication in our 160,000 sq ft Minneapolis facility, shipping and freight coordination, union labor at LVCC, installation, on-site support, dismantling, and post-show storage. For food industry shows, we also handle cold chain logistics and sampling station infrastructure.
Confectionery and snack brands do not show up like tech or heavy equipment. They show up through taste.
If people cannot sample it, they cannot sell it. That means your exhibit needs real infrastructure: prep stations, refrigeration, storage, waste management, health code compliance, and packaging-forward displays that can handle high-volume traffic without slowing the experience down. Flow matters. Function matters. Speed matters.
And then there is the mindset of the buyer.
This audience walks the floor with a retail lens. They are thinking about shelf placement. Margin. Impulse potential. Seasonal rotation. Supply chain reliability. Your environment has to support that conversation. It cannot just look good in a rendering. It has to make buying feel easy.
At Sweets & Snacks, design is not decoration.
It is strategy built for tasting, traffic, and transactions.
Planning for the 2027 Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis starts now. The earlier you begin, the more options you have for booth location, exhibit design, and product presentation strategy. Design, fabrication, and freight coordination all need lead time, and the venue shift from Las Vegas to Indianapolis means logistics, labor requirements, and floor plans will look different from 2026.
