The annual candy extravaganza will be big and buyer-friendly with more varied offerings than ever.

Planners of ALL CANDY EXPO® 2005 have been working hard to deliver all of the candy trade show’s traditionally popular features while adding new and different offerings to keep things exciting. This year’s agenda, for example, includes a series of live focus groups conducted by retail guru Phil Lempert. There’s also a new confectionery showcase and much, much more.

The Industry Forums offered at the EXPO are open to all attendees and offer a wealth of information on buying, marketing and merchandising candy. Monday, June 13, kicks off with the first educational session at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on Wacker Drive: The Changing Seasonal Consumer. Discover how time demands on American consumers have created new sales opportunities for creative manufacturers and retailers to grow their seasonal product performance in these fast-paced times. The session will be immediately followed by Candy IQ: Test Your Candy Knowledge—an interactive look into the fun and profit of the industry (attendees will compete for prizes in this fast-paced, game show style session).  

On Tuesday, June 14, head over to McCormick Place early to attend Merchandising Strategies to Grow Confectionery Sales and learn new solutions to promote confectionery growth. NCA’s groundbreaking research will offer consumers, retailers, and manufacturers opportunities to increase confectionery sales and profit performance.

Wednesday morning at McCormick Place you’ll have a chance to see how well you know your consumers if you attend America’s Demographic Trends—How Are They Affecting Candy Purchases and Consumption?  Learn how changes to American demographics will impact merchandising planning and the impact on the traditional big four candy holidays.

Each morning of the ALL CANDY EXPO®, supermarket guru Phil Lempert will lead live consumer focus groups on a variety of topics to help retailers and manufacturers discover what consumers need and want in confectionery shopping. The schedule is as follows.

• Tuesday, June 14

Adult women discuss purchase decisions.

• Wednesday, June 15

Teens and young adults reveal shopping trends.

• Thursday, June 16

Adult men discuss expectations and perceptions.

Be sure to attend the Grand Opening Session at the Hyatt Regency Chicago on Wacker Drive Monday evening, June 13 (new day, time and location), as a panel consisting of consumer trend expert Phil Lempert and industry executives will discuss major trends pertaining to the confectionery industry, and NCA will present its first-ever Corporate Citizenship Award to Wal-Mart for its corporate commitment to staying active and involved in the communities it serves. The award will be accepted by Wal-Mart’s Ronnie Hoyt, senior vice president and general merchandising manager.

Following the Grand Opening Session and Corporate Citizenship Award Ceremony on Monday evening, all registered attendees are invited to attend the Welcome Reception at the Hyatt Regency on Wacker Drive. This great networking opportunity will give you the chance to meet old friends and to make plans and appointments for the week ahead.

All registered buyers may access the Buyer Lounge, located just down the hall from the show floor (Room E353a). The lounge features comfortable seating areas, business service amenities and small semi-private meeting cubicles for buyers and their guests to conduct brief meetings. A concierge will be on hand to assist buyers with reserving a meeting room or utilizing any of the business amenities. This lounge is another excellent place for buyers to take a break, or to invite other show attendees (manufacturers, brokers, etc.) into the room, should they wish.

The entire industry has the chance to connect at Wednesday night’s reception on the Terrace of McCormick Place Lakeside Center.

Tuesday,  June 14  9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  

Wednesday, June 15  

 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 16  9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

In order to make Thursday a stronger business day for all, the children’s admission hour has been discontinued. Children will not be permitted onto the show floor at any time during the ALL CANDY EXPO®.

The Candy Time Room will be open during all show hours for registered attendees.

In keeping with its commitment to being the buyer-friendly show, The ALL CANDY EXPO® will offer a complimentary airport shuttle from McCormick Place to O’Hare and Midway airports on Thursday, June 16, from noon to 3 p.m. Spend more time on the show floor and less time worrying about the logistics of getting to the airport.