Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Natural Products Expo West 2010 In Review



Natural Products Expo West is one of the premier event for the natural, organic and healthy products industry. The event is co-located with SupplyExpo, the Nutracon conference, the Healthy Baking Seminar and the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace. These combined events showcase the entire value chain of healthy products from start to finish, identifying the bestsellers of today and the trends of tomorrow.

The 30th annual Natural Products Expo West was only open to a professional audience of manufacturers, buyers, retailer and qualifying media. It is ranked as one of the top 100 shows in the US and one of the fastest 50 growing tradeshows in the US and Canada. More than 3,000 exhibits from over 2,100 different companies showcasing the newest products in natural and specialty foods, organic, health and beauty, natural living, supplements and pet products. Last year more than 53,000 industry professionals participated in the show from all around the world.

2010 Expo West Reviews:

In the words of Waylon Lewis, ElephantJournal.com: "It’s amazing. It’s huge. The welcome sign is literally maybe 100 feet by 100 feet. The view from the press room is such a long far drop down to the entrance that you feel like you’re in the Himalayas, instant vertigo. There’s more eco schwag, a contradiction in terms (?), here than at any conference I’ve ever been too. It’s all food, health supplements, buyers for grocery stores, men in ill-fitting suits, gorgeous women hired by men in ill-fitting suits to attract other men in ill-fitting suits to their booth, where sales are made."

From HealthyFellow.com: "Expo West is essentially an enormous trade convention. There are literally thousands of consultants, distributors, exporters, importers, manufacturers and retailers everywhere you look. This disparate mix converges in this same spot once a year to learn about the competition, and to buy and sell an incredible array of raw materials and finished products. But apart from the overt business aspect of the event, there’s also a certain electricity and excitement in the air that is experienced by anyone who truly loves natural health."

Claire Amber, for ElephantJournal.com: "Some Notable Changes: Last year, I was surprised at the weight and bulk of the official literature on the show. This year, I was very pleasantly surprised to be given a fold-out map with all the exhibitors listed. It was lightweight, MUCH less bulky, and it had enough info to use for the purposes of visiting the show. It also showed more consciousness in terms of saving resources, including trees, fuel, ink, time…it was a much more efficient way of going about things. Granted, the book version was a bit easier to use because you didn’t have to unfold it, but I never even really used mine last year because it was so darned heavy! I think I remember checking it with my bag, planning to check it out fully after the show, and never really getting around to it. So, in my experience, it went to waste. This time around, I’ll be sure to break out the map every now and then to formulate a game plan over the next couple days.

Another notable change is that I remember being given a bag to put my samples and literature in last year. This time, I found out that those are only being given to retailers. Fair enough. It’s a more sustainable approach, being more selective about who gets what."

All in all, the 2010 Natural Products Expo West was a success, with many new products unveiled, top-notch speakers and sights not to be missed (including the VivaPrime butterfly girls!).

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