More than 500 candle manufacturers and suppliers took part in the World Candle Congress in Hollywood, Fla., July 8-11. With record-breaking attendance this year, the tri-annual event attracted manufacturers and suppliers from 30 nations on six continents to exchange information on the opportunities, challenges and innovations impacting the candle industry.

The 2013 Congress was sponsored by the U.S.-based National Candle Association (NCA) and the Latin American Candle Manufacturers Association (ALAFAVE). During the plenary session, the world’s four major candle associations—NCA, ALAFAVE, the Association of European Candle Makers (AECM) and the European Candle Association (ECA)—provided business-climate updates and reviewed key issues facing their members.

At the trade show part of the Congress, manufacturers considered the latest candle product innovations and services available from wax companies, wick suppliers, fragrance houses, equipment manufacturers, container suppliers and testing labs.

This year’s technical program included an overview of petroleum crude refineries and the paraffin wax outlook; an investigational analysis of wick and burn performance relationships; a presentation on the technology and outlook for Fischer Tropsch waxes for candle manufacturing; and a global review of key safety and regulatory compliance requirements for candles. One workshop centered on olfactory awareness and fragrance evaluation, and the keynote presentation on olfactory perception and cognition by Rachel Herz, a cognitive neuroscientist and recognized expert in the psychological science of smell.

The World Candle Congress began in 2004 and continues to expand its attendance at each successive meeting. This year participants came from countries including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, France and Germany.