Coordinated by Koelnmesse Group and the Dubai World Trade Center, Yummex Middle East, formerly known as Sweets & Snacks Middle East, will host the sold-out event Nov. 7-9.

Halloween always promises a good scare, but a new survey sponsored by the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates spending for this year’s holiday will be downright spooky -- spooky good, that is.

Fortunately, the participating sellers, buyers and I won’t be the only people to benefit from the three-day ECRM show. At the end of the event, 300 boxes of unspoken-for candy were donated to Boo at the Zoo, an annual fundraiser hosted by the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans and the nearby Audubon Zoo.

I was working as a staff writer at a newspaper in Western Illinois when I learned earlier this summer that former Managing Editor Crystal Lindell was moving to a new position at Food Engineering. I jumped at the chance to once more join the Candy Industry team - for a variety of reasons.