NCA welcomes key vaccine progress ahead of Sweets and Snacks Expo

Organisers of the US 2021 Sweets and Snacks Expo have reported key progress in hosting June’s event, with enhanced safety precautions key amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, writes Neill Barston.

This summer, the event switches to Indianapolis from its traditional home in Chicago due to Covid-19 restriction, with the industry showcase being held at the Indiana Convention Centre between 23-25 June, as the region’s key annual showcase aims to re-start after suffering cancellation last year.

As the team behind the event notes, key to enabling the event has been the rapid goal of President Biden in setting a new COVID-19 vaccine goal of 200 million shots in his first 100 days in office. Consequently, on average, three million doses are being administered every day – with  over 100 million people within the US have received at least one dose of vaccine and over 56 million Americans are fully vaccinated.

Significantly, the target date has been moved forward to 19 April by which all adults in America will have had access to at least one vaccination, though take-up is not compulsory.

According to the NCA added, the country’s Centre for Disease Control has stated that fully vaccinated people who wear a mask and continue to practice social distancing could travel freely across the country.

Furthermore, show management and the City of Indianapolis have worked together to make the 2021 Sweets & Snacks Expo successful and safe for all attendees. The City of Indianapolis has invested $7 million in convention centre upgrades for things like hospital-grade air filtration, touchless doors, Clorox 360 sanitation, hand sanitiser stations and safe concessions and dining areas.

A number of further measures are being put in place for the event, including insisting all attendees being required wear face coverings, daily temperature checks using non-invasive thermal devices will be required to enter the building, and enhanced physical cleaning will be a priority with hourly sanitising of high-traffic areas throughout the show floor and common areas, including doorways, elevators and escalators.

In addition, show management will require social distancing, promote frequent hand washing, install sanitising stations throughout the show and provide antibacterial hand gels to everyone in attendance, as well as there being a touchless badge pick-up system, with education sessions also being designed around socially-distanced seating.

Additionally, the Indiana Convention Centre received accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star and the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) Clean Air Award, which recognises the implementation of stringent cleaning protocols and best practices for air filtration. For more information, visit sweetsandsnacks.com/

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