An entertainment highlight at SNAXPO will be a performance by Blue Man Group, to which full registrants will be invited at no additional costs.

The group is known for combining comedy, music and multi-media artistry to create a unique form of entertainment. The performance, sponsored by Heat and Control, Inc./Ishida Co. Ltd. and Printpack Inc., will be Tuesday evening, March 21, at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.

Transportation and a light reception before the show will be provided.

SNAXPO 2006 will officially kick-off with a “Las Vegas Style” reception, where attendees can visit with old friends and make new ones while listening to the Rat Pack Tribute Show, a re-creation of those fabulous legendary crooners, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.

Join SFA for “Gaming 101” at the Snack Food Association Political Action Committee (SnackPAC) reception on Sunday, March 19, 5:00-6:00 p.m. Learn the tricks of the trade from some of Las Vegas’ top dealers. SnackPAC provides resources for SFA to assist Congressional candidates who are sympathetic with SFA’s views on major issues of concern. It is an important opportunity for SFA members to directly participate in the political process. Attendance at the SnackPAC reception involves an added cost. For more information, contact Liz Wells at 1-703-836-4500 ext. 202.

One of the many benefits of exhibiting at SNAXPO 2006 is that your company can invite its customers to see its booth and visit the SNAXPO exhibit hall using one of the unlimited, complimentary Customer Day Passes it receives from SFA. This benefit is available ONLY to manufacturing companies, not supplier companies.

SFA encourages exhibitors to take advantage of this once-a-year opportunity to extend a free invitation to their customers to come to Las Vegas, see the SNAXPO Exhibit Hall and their booth, and at the same time support SNAXPO by increasing attendance and creating excitement inside the hall.

SFA member companies will have an opportunity to showcase their latest snack products at SNAXPO 2006 in the popular Snack Tasting Area on the exhibit floor. In this area,  SNAXPO attendees and the media can taste the latest new products while learning about current snacking trends.

It’s official. The Snack Food Association (SFA) has moved to its new headquarters in Arlington, Va.
Please write this down: Our new address is 1600 Wilson Blvd, Suite 650 Arlington, Va., 22209. Our phone number, fax number, Web site and e-mail addresses remain the same.

The new building is located near Rosslyn, Va., which is just across the Potomac River from the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. It is easily accessible by both the Rosslyn and Court House Metro stops, so our staff and members can commute easily. The location is also convenient to Capitol Hill and the federal office buildings in Washington, D.C.

The new space offers views of the National Cathedral and Georgetown University, and the office is perfect for our staff and member visitors. The boardroom and chairman’s office provide ample space for our members to use when visiting our headquarters. So, please plan to make a visit to our new headquarters.

I want to again thank our board of directors for their leadership in moving the association to our new location. I also want to thank the former board members who had the great foresight to purchase our previous headquarters building over 25 years ago. It was a fantastic location for many years and was a great investment for the association.

We are also commemorating our 25 anniversary of the last SNAXPO held in Las Vegas with a return to that exciting city on March 19. Our registration, exhibit space sales and sponsorship promise to guarantee the best SNAXPO in our 69 years of holding this event. With outstanding speakers and entertainment, the show will offer the best value for full registration attendees ever. If you have not registered yet, I urge you to go online to sfa.org and register for this superb event.

Before I see you all at SNAXPO, I want to take this opportunity to thank our Chairman of the Board, Bob Shearer, for his dynamic leadership throughout his term as chairman. This has been a year of many significant changes at SFA and in our industry, and we have been fortunate to have Bob’s steadfast and courageous leadership during this time.

SNAXPO 2006 will offer rich resources of information and industry contacts at the world’s largest trade show devoted to the snack food industry.

It’s just around the corner, and SNAXPO 2006, March 19-22 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, is just about ready to roll.

Snack food industry executives who attend will go home with a major competitive edge, having benefited both from a wealth of knowledge to be presented by an outstanding array of speakers and educational programs, as well as information on the latest trends and developments from suppliers who will be exhibiting on the expo floor.

On top of that, there will be untold opportunities for networking and developing contacts for future business, as well as plenty of fun and a chance to experience the excitement and winning spirit that is Las Vegas.

“We are looking forward to an absolutely outstanding convention and exposition,” says SFA President and CEO Jim McCarthy. “Attendance will be excellent, we have a tremendous program planned, and our location provides excitement and great entertainment opportunities.”

It’s important to note that the deadline for room reservations at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino was February 15. Late registrants will have to seek their own rooms and will be unable to benefit from SFA-negotiated discounts.

However, registration for SNAXPO is still being accepted online at www.sfa.org, although after Feb. 24, registration fees increase to $50 per person. On-site registration will begin at 8 a.m., March 18 in the Bayside B Foyer on Level 1 of the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center.

Exhibitors can register any time, although those who register after Feb. 24 will miss the published registration list.

Attendees at SNAXPO 2006 will feel like they’ve drawn four aces in a high stakes poker game with the lineup that’s on tap.

SNAXPO 2006 is one of three major SFA-endorsed industry events occurring in Las Vegas in March. The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) will hold its Real Deal Expo just prior to SNAXPO, giving SFA members AWMA rates and a great opportunity to meet with distributors and other key players in the industry.  The AWMA event will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton March 15-17.

In addition, SNAXPO 2006 will be held concurrently with The Food Safety Summit, the nation’s largest show and conference on food safety, quality assurance, and food security on Wednesday, March 22. It will take place just next door to SNAXPO 2006, and SNAXPO attendees will have access to the Summit floor and conference program at no additional cost on Wednesday only.

The fourth winning card might well be the opportunity to see one of Las Vegas’ premier entertainment shows, Blue Man Group, sponsored by Heat and Control, Inc./Ishida Co. Ltd. and Printpack, Inc. That performance, plus a reception and transportation, will be provided Tuesday evening, March 21, at no additional costs to attendees who have purchased full registration packages.

Or, it might be the knowledge gained from SNAXPO speakers and educational sessions—knowledge that can help provide the winning edge for those who participate.

For example, the keynote address will be presented Monday, March 20, by Gary Loveman, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. Loveman will reveal how his company has developed sophisticated technological and analytical capabilities that, coupled with a service-driven culture and highly targeted marketing strategies, have resulted in a high level of customer loyalty, steady sales gains and a platform for sustained growth.  

Following Loveman’s address, the exhibit hall will open at 11:30 a.m. and attendees will have an opportunity to explore the latest offerings from snack food industry exhibitors until 5 p.m.  Two educational sessions will also be held on the exhibit floor beginning at 1:30 and 3 p.m.

On Monday evening, an international reception will be held from 6:30 until 8 p.m.

Tuesday morning begins with the 2006 IRI State of the Industry presentation, an annual SNAXPO highlight, providing important trends data for the industry.  Attendees will learn how consumer and market demands are reshaping the snacking industry as IRI presents up-to-date snack food sales and consumer insights for the major snack food categories, and discusses the influence of current trends on industry performance.

In addition, Mintel International Group will present its U.S. Healthy Snacking Report that will cover all aspects of the healthy snacks market in the Unites States. The presentation will offer exclusive, quantitative and current data combined with market analysis with a primary objective to increase profitability.

The exhibit hall opens at 11:15 a.m. and stays open until 4:30 p.m. Educational sessions will be held on the show floor at 1:30 and 3 p.m.

Learn about the power of “buzz marketing” as presented by Mark Hughes, who helped build the Half.com online marketplace from a small startup to a multimillion dollar eBay-owned brand name.  Hughes will share the six secrets of word-of-mouth marketing, as discussed in his book, “Buzz Marketing: Get People to Talk about Your Stuff.”

The exhibit hall is open from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., and attendees may also visit the Food Safety Summit show.

Presented Monday and Tuesday on the show floor, these sessions include a special Tuesday in-depth program on energy, as well as presentations on RFID, Acrylamide, an outlook on food and nutritional policy, and retailer issues.

The energy session will be led by Paul Vinson, an energy expert at SFA associate member company Printpack, Inc. Vinson will present an overview of the natural gas and crude oil markets, and discuss supply, demand and other important market factors. Energies of all types have become an increasingly important part of snack food distribution and manufacturing. As recently as three years ago, we enjoyed historically consistent and relatively low pricing for natural gas, No. 2 fuel oil, diesel and even electricity. Now, the industry is facing natural gas prices as much as 500% higher than historical levels and diesel/fuel oil costs that have at least doubled. Manufacturers and suppliers alike have been dealing with high fuel surcharges for over-the-road freight that now exceed 20% on average.

This session will provide an in-depth discussion and offer ideas and suggestions for energy efficiency and cost savings.

The seminar on RFID will be presented by Pat Walsh, director of industry relations at the Food Marketing Institute, who will present a basic discussion of RFID/EPC geared toward small and medium-size food/CPG manufacturers.  Walsh has managed FMI’s RFID activities since the inception of the movement to use this technology to increase efficiency in the supply chain.  Walsh will discuss the ROI of RFID by category, as well as requirements for implementation by some of the nation’s largest retailers.

“Acrylamide: Do we have a problem? An update” will be led by Steve Saunders, Frito-Lay, Inc., who will discuss the latest developments involving acrylamide and its implications on the snack food industry.

“Food & Nutrition Policy: A 2006 Outlook”—Lisa Katic, president, K Consulting, Katic will highlight key food policy issues faced by the food industry and discuss the outlook for the year ahead. Katic, a registered nutritionist, is a consultant to SFA.

SFA will present its Sixth Annual Latin American educational program completely in Spanish.  The program will kick-off on Sunday, March 19, with a full day of educational sessions led by Valente B. Alvarez, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Interim Director Food Industries at Ohio State University, who will identify and discuss the important factors that affect current trends of the U.S. food industry.

Topics will include Latin economic trends, snack industry trends in Latin America and the U.S., NAFTA/CAFTA, food safety and food security.

For additional information about SNAXPO or to register, please call SFA at 1-703-836-4500 or visit www.sfa.org.