Natural Products Expo West, known to most in the industry as simply “Expo West,” is a popular trade show for natural, organic, and healthy products. This year, the show will take place March 12–16 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

New Hope Network, the conference producer, is anticipating show registration to be around 70,000–72,000 attendees, with buyers making up approximately 60% of that total.

About the show
“In addition to the tradeshow floor, Expo West is known for its education-focused conference, community networking events, and activities, including concerts, happy hours, film screenings, and more,” says Jessica Rubino, vice president, content, New Hope Network. “Exhibiting companies represent innovation across the food and beverage, dietary supplements, personal care and lifestyle categories.”

She notes that there will be a lot of innovation happening across the snack and bakery categories that will be on display on the show floor—from plant-based offerings to the proliferation of ancient grains cultivated through regenerative agriculture practices.

Key themes
Rubino shares that Expo West is an inspirational celebration of the industry, committed to improving the health of the people and the planet.

“From exploring the next generation to combating climate change, priorities for snacks and baked goods really comes down to what is going on in innovation, responsibility technology, and sustainable breakthroughs. What the future of retail looks like, and how that impacts wholesale, will also be an important piece,” she adds.

During the State of Natural and Organic Keynote, the conference will explore the idea of agency through the lens of Gen Z consumers.

“This session will provide market sizing across natural products categories, top trends, industry forecasting, and consumer insights that are shaping the future of CPG,” says Rubino. “The conscious products industry’s role in combating climate change and advocating for regenerative organic food systems will also be front and center and highlighted throughout much of our programming and during Climate Day. Other themes include nutrition innovation, responsible technology, sustainability breakthroughs, and the future of retail.”

What’s new
Rubino explains that buyers and the evolving retail landscape are important priorities for the show.

“Due to popular demand, we have introduced for the first time ever an exclusive Buyer Only Hours, meaning that they will be able to show the show floor and take meetings privately without any other guests,” she reveals. The Buyer Only Hours will take place March 13, 12–1 pm in the ACC Level 3 and North Halls.

“We are also emphasizing the organic category through ‘An Organic Night Out,’ which will honor the year’s best in organic. As the industry’s proverbial ‘Oscar Awards,’ it will be the first time ever that Natural Products is commemorating organic in a big way, through the ticketed awards event, which is hosted by The Organic Center and Organic Voices/Only Organic,” Rubino notes.

The expo will also host a film screening and discussion of Common Ground, a movie that explores how humans connect to the state of the world’s soil, and will feature other entertainment such as concerts from Celisse, The Dip, and Grace Potter.

Sessions to check out
“In addition to the above, we’re so excited about our keynotes Chef Sean Sherman (March 14), who will be talking about indigenous food systems and Jay Shetty (March 15), who will be exploring consciousness and purpose in CPG,” shares Rubino.

Other snack and bakery-adjacent sessions include:

• A Regenerative Reimagining: How To Integrate More Local and Diverse Ingredients Into Natural Products
• Natural Products in the Age of AI: Practical Tools for Innovation and Impact
• Eat Up! How Upcycled Ingredients Enable the Transition to a More Circular Food System
• The State of Organic
• The State of Plant Based
• Workshop: Winning at Foodservice

Advice for first-time attendees
“There is so much to see and do at Expo West that I always recommend loosely mapping out your schedule in advance, but also leaving openings for all those serendipitous interactions and experiences that make the show so special,” Rubino suggests.

“We have a range of tools to help inform you pre-show, so be sure to sort through the agenda on ExpoWest.com, as well as leverage newhope.com and our Show Scoop newsletter for tailored agendas and event highlights. For buyers, we also have a new tool called Beacon Discovery that can help you navigate exhibitors based on specific criteria and attributes.”

For first-time exhibitors, Rubino recommends staffing your booth with knowledgeable team members and conducting research ahead of the show to make sure they give everyonewho stops by the appropriate attention—attendees never know whom they might meet, she says.

“For first-time attendees, I would recommend finding the right balance of doing business on and off the show floor, as there are so many other opportunities to forge relationships at networking events and education sessions,” relates Rubino.

She also advises not to miss the 2024 NEXTY Awards Ceremony on March 14, which will be prom-themed.

“On newhope.com, we will be featuring our NEXTY Awards finalists in advance of the show, which provides a glimpse into some of the most exciting innovations across the natural products industry. The 2024 NEXTY Awards Ceremony and Celebration on March 14 will feature the most progressive and inspiring products across dozens of categories.” SF&WB