The organizers of the 2021 National Restaurant Association Show have canceled the event scheduled for May 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The state of Illinois is expected to continue limiting gatherings of more than 50 people through early June, when more vaccine doses will be available and more people will have been inoculated.

"While this order could be modified prior to expiration, McCormick Place has indicated ... they do not anticipate changes prior to June that would allow an event of this size and scope to occur in May," Tom Cindrick, president of Winsight Exhibitions, said in a statement on Feb. 26.

The show—also canceled last year because of the pandemic—has been a partnership between Winsight and the National Restaurant Association since 2018.

"We look forward to serving the foodservice community year-round through online resources and are committed to planning a 2022 Show focused on fueling recovery," he said.

Winsight has developed a collection of resources—including live Q&As with leading experts, panel discussions, and webinars that deliver actionable insights—all available to the foodservice community free of charge, the company said.

More content focused on the state of the industry and future projections, consumer trends, operational innovations and more is available online, and more will be made available throughout the year, Winsight said.

The National Confectioners Association cited the Illinois restrictions for its decision last year to move the 2021 Sweets & Snacks Expo from Chicago. NCA's show, which had been planned for May, is now scheduled for June 23-25 in Indianapolis.

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