![]() “We get such a great reception to our products here, making this a must-attend show.” “We have seen such a great amount of engagement and this is always a great show for us,” said Mike Seely of Seely Mint Farms. New trends seen in the natural products industry included protein-addition in products, plant-based diets, old concepts coming into resurgence, and simple ingredients used to provide a unique value proposition.Įducation sessions were again around capitalizing on these trends as well as competing in growing markets and an ever-expanding online environment.īoth independent retailers as well as larger companies are looking for ways to expand into new and virtual markets. I am been so impressed with the variety of companies at show. First-time attendee and health practitioner Shyama Geros said, “I am here to learn about natural products for skin care, and I am amazed at the number of companies in that specific product sector. This is the most important show we attend each year,” said Robert Agnew, senior vice president for Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods.Įxhibitor booths were certainly at their finest, and attendee engagement also was strong. “We rely on this show to build our business and meet with our retailers and distributors. Several companies looked to Natural Products Expo West to reach audiences and showcase new products. This year showed a nearly 10-percent increase in attendees, which was a record attendance, compared with last year. ![]() He added, “And while we do re-qualify attendees every year, we continue to see a tremendous growth in this industry and those who are looking to network and learn about new trends at our show.” “We have done quite a bit of pre-communication to keep attendees on track and moving,” said Adam Andersen, managing director at newly branded New Hope Network. Looking to add more space with the convention center expansion underway, parking and traffic were difficult, but show organizers worked to keep attendees informed. “Nothing replaces the human connection.The 2016 Natural Products Expo West, with more than 3,000 exhibitors, 1.1 million gross square feet of exhibitor space and 77,000 -plus attendees on hand, filled every square inch of space when it was held March 9-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center. “This is the first time a lot of us have had the opportunity to be in the same place since the pandemic hit,” Merrill said. He’s personally seen the mix of virtual versus in-person meetings go from about 90% online to 50/50. Jesse Merrill, CEO and co-founder of Irvine-based Good Culture, which makes a range of preservative-free cottage cheeses, said he’s seen most of the industry’s big names, as well as the launch of new brands at the Anaheim event. Some industry experts predict international tourism and large group travel won’t fully return until 2024, but this week’s Natural Products convention (with vendors from around the world and as close as Orange County) appears to be a good start. And there’s still some cash left from a tranche of about $6.5 million the City Council gave the tourism bureau to keep it afloat in 2020, but Burress said it’s now all been committed to programs marketing the city as a place for business and pleasure trips. (The long-term borrowing is structured so it can’t be paid back this early, he said.)īurress said Visit Anaheim’s staff has climbed back up to about 42 people and may continue to grow, although it may never be as large as it was before COVID-19. ![]() Of the $130 million the city borrowed about a year ago, when the pandemic was still laying waste to tourism, Anaheim has only had to spend about $34 million, Lyster said, so city leaders are discussing putting some of the rest toward community improvements and refilling emergency reserves. Lyster said the expo’s 3,000 vendors and 57,000 attendees are projected to generate about $2 million for the city just from hotel stays, and overall, tourism revenues have been beating forecasts for the year. “It’s good to be back in the convention center. “I think everyone’s just really happy to have some level of normalcy again,” she said. Jasmin Guleria, marketing director for plant-based food producer LikeMeat, said her New York-based company has hardly done any business travel or in-person meetings for the past couple years. They’re projected to draw 585,000 visitors, which will translate to a projected 370,000 hotel room nights and more than $1 billion pumped into the local economy (including peripheral spending at restaurants and shops). This week’s expo, which officially kicked off Thursday, isn’t the first event to return to the convention center, but it is the biggest so far, and it’s a sign of more to come.Īmong the current 37 convention center bookings for 2022 are WonderCon, the Star Wars Celebration, D23 (for Disney fans) and the National Association of Music Merchants, or NAMM, trade show. ![]()
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