All Candy Expo 2008: Like kids in some kind of a store

by Genevieve Koski, Josh Modell, Nathan Rabin, Tasha Robinson, Kyle Ryan
May 23rd, 2008

It's difficult to express the sheer weirdness and joy of a gigantic convention center filled with candy. There's nothing like walking down aisle after aisle of bright colors and overstimulation, all presented in the name of foisting sweet treats (and some salty treats) on the world. As outsiders, we clearly enjoyed the 2008 All Candy Expo more than most attendees. Plenty of tight-faced, brusque dudes in suits were just there as a matter of business; their unit-shifting just happens to take place in the world of blessed sugar. And not all of them were friendly to mere media types who weren't likely to change their convention-sales bottom line: One small-company rep rushed up to greet us, asked "Who are you with?" and when he heard "The media," turned around and walked off without another word.

Even so, for us, the All Candy Expo really is like a return to Halloween: the rush to ring every doorbell (or stop by every booth), the strategizing about how best to cover the territory, the sugar high followed by the sugar crash, and the breathtaking first look at all of the crap you've gathered, sitting in one huge pile. Add to that the excitement of getting a bunch of candy you've never seen or heard of before—import-only items not available in the States, pre-launch items about to hit the market, and the occasional small-company line of products looking for national distribution and national attention. The deliciousness runs the gamut from gourmet to downscale; the attendees range from the biggest candy manufacturers to tiny mom-and-pop companies.