To get a quick sense of how steadily the natural products and healthy living industries are growing from custom trade show displays, simply take a look around your local supermarket. Where not too long ago, health foods were once relegated to a small section of a single aisle (at best), today even the most mainstream retailers are now stocking a broad and plentiful assortment of healthy, organic and natural alternatives.
As with any booming industry, competition is tight and getting a leg up can be a challenge. Companies that produce these good-for-you products often find the door to success open for them when they stop traffic with a great and informative trade show booth at the right natural food or healthy living shows.
Just as the sector has seen dramatic growth in the number of products available, health foods and natural products are categories that have seen the emergence of a long list of events and exhibitions. How is a growing company with a limited budget to choose the best ones?
Arranged chronologically below is a list of some of the best natural food, beverage and healthy living industry trade shows – along with our insights on each – so you can decide which shows your company should attend this year.
Natural Products Expo West
March 9 – 13, 2016
Location: Anaheim Convention Center
www.expowest.com
The absolute “Mecca” event for natural food industry companies, Expo West is where new products can be kick-started onto the road to record profits. Our clients regularly tell us that relationship building and ROI is always high at this event and the opportunity for brand awareness can help build significant momentum. The event features over 3000 exhibits from over 1,800 different companies showcasing the newest products in natural and specialty foods, organic, health and beauty, natural living, supplements and even pet products. Nowhere else can you get your company’s products in front of so many buyers within the natural and organic products industry.
National Association Of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) 2016 Annual Conference
July 13 – 15, 2016
Location: Anaheim Convention Center
www.nacufs.org/professional-development-national-conference
For more than 50 years, the National Association of College & University Food Services has been supporting the college and university food service industry by providing members with the programs and resources they need to excel—from benchmarking and best practices to educational programming and professional networking. In today’s climate of responsible nutrition options, the show floor at NACUFS has become a great opportunity for natural and organic food and beverage producers to show what they can offer bulk purchasers looking for healthier options to provide their student populations.
The Green Festival
September 16 – 18, 2016
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center
www.greenfestivals.org
Green Festival is a series of events (including its largest incarnation at the LA Convention Center) that feature a bustling show floor that is a vibrant, dynamic marketplace where companies and organizations come to showcase their green products and services, and where people go to learn how to live healthier, more sustainable lives. Natural products companies are among the most popular exhibitors at this unique and powerful platform for connecting potential customers, retailers, wholesalers and corporations – all under one roof. It provides excellent opportunities for green brands to generate business-to-business and business-to-consumer sales, build awareness and strengthen relationships in an expansive and engaging green marketplace.
Natural Products Expo East
September 22 – 24, 2016
Location: Baltimore Convention Center
www.expoeast.com
We can’t really mention Expo West (as we did above), without also including its East Coast counterpart, Natural Products Expo East. This show brings together the natural, organic and healthy-lifestyle industry with thousands of products from passionate manufacturers, inspiring and practical education, and networking events where you will meet the contacts that just might carry your business through its next stage of growth. It’s the largest natural products trade show on the East Coast, with more than 20,000 attendees and more than 1,700 booths.
PMA Fresh Summit
October 14 – 16, 2016
Location: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando
www.pma.com/events/freshsummit
With more than 20,000 people participating, Fresh Summit can help your company be a part of emerging trends on a global level. Besides featuring some of the most innovative U.S. natural products companies throughout the supply chain, PMA works extensively to attract global buyers to Fresh Summit exhibiting companies can extend their reach into new markets around the globe.