Why Brands Should Exhibit At Natural Products Expo West
With the advent of social media marketing and advertising, many small food brands might be tempted to think that face to face marketing is no longer necessary or crucial for targeting customers and growing a business. While it is true that social media channels offer a relatively straightforward path of connecting with customers specifically interested in your market niche, taking a business to the next level requires face to face interactions with industry professionals looking for suppliers for the retail and wholesale markets. Presenting or exhibiting at a tradeshow is a relatively low-cost marketing strategy that can not only raise your brand awareness with important players in your industry but can also lead to long-term contracts in new markets.
According to one recent analysis, more than seven out of ten brands that exhibit at least one trade show per year get promising leads from new buyers and prospects. Businesses that operate in the specialty food industry should expect increased competition in the coming years as the average American consumer continues to demand healthier food options. Just three years ago, the global health and wellness food market stood at 707.12 billion U.S. dollars. By next year, it is projected to increase to 811.82 billion U.S. dollars.
Now is the time to get a jump on the market and devise strategies to develop long-term relationships with important players in the healthy, natural, and specialty food industries. Exhibiting at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West is a great way to connect with current clients (over 65 percent of all tradeshow exhibitors connect with current clients when exhibiting) as well as making connections with buyers in order to expand into new markets.
What is Natural Products Expo West?
Natural Products Expo West is an excellent opportunity for Grain-Free, Paleo, and Keto Certified brands to discover new industry opportunities while strengthening current business relationships. Billed as “the world’s largest natural, organic and healthy products trade show,” exhibiting at this trade show is a fantastic opportunity for low carb food brands looking to launch a new product, connect with top buyers, increase awareness of your brand, or tap into the latest natural and organic trends.
The upcoming Natural Products Expo West is set for March 3rd to March 7th in Anaheim, California, and will have over 580,000 square feet of exhibits, or about the size of ten football fields. Over 3,600 companies are expected to be on display and around 86,000 industry professionals regularly attend this annual event. You can find the complete exhibitor list here, to get an idea of how many different and varied brands will be present at this trade show. The website even boasts a complete product inventory, with over 43,000 (and counting) products that will be featured by exhibitors at the trade show.
Benefits of Exhibiting at Natural Products Expo West
Low carb food brands who are fortunate enough to set up a booth at the upcoming Natural Products Expo West can expect to find tens of thousands of industry professionals walking the aisles in search of potential suppliers for the ever-increasing market for natural and healthy food alternatives. Everyone from major retailers to small boutique shops have taken notice of the increasing popularity of low carb diets and lifestyles, and this trend will only further increase the possibility of finding large markets for your low carb brand.
The Natural Products Expo West makes it easy for buyers from the industry to specifically search for certain types of brands and products. The above-mentioned product inventory allows buyers and others in the industry to search for products or exhibitors by category. For example, a recent search for the word “Keto” yielded 14 products and 35 exhibitors who will be present at the upcoming trade show. Over the course of four days, buyers looking to find the best keto and low carb food brands should easily be able to set up meetings and interviews with several of the 35 exhibitors currently enrolled for the trade show. With only 14 registered products currently listed for the March trade show at Natural Products Expo West, there is certainly space for more low carb food brands to list their Keto-certified products.
Furthermore, the Natural Products Expo West is also a tremendous opportunity for low carb food brands to continue their education about the leading development in regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration through rotational grazing, continued health development associated with healthier diets, and other important issues related to the natural foods industry. The educational aspect of this trade show will feature dozens of speakers, including Richa Gupta, the president of “Good Food for Good,” Dr. Carolyn Slupsky, Professor at the Department of Nutrition at UC Davis, Alexandra Trott, the Kroger Merchandising Lead Consultant for Natural Foods, and many more. Small food brands can find time to attend the most important educational events that will help them to continue innovating as they grow their business. You can find a complete list of the educational program here.
How to Submit a Proposal to Exhibit at Natural Products Expo West
Exhibiting at Natural Products Expo West is a great way to help your business:
• Meet in-person with buyers of natural, organic, and healthy lifestyle products
• Highlight new products
• Build brand awareness with the press and the general public
• Network with people, companies, academics, and professionals in the natural products community
• Stay up-to-date on new trends and innovative ideas
• Strengthen relationships with existing buyers, brokers, and distributors, and
• Build new business connections.
Exhibitor registration is a fairly straightforward process. Exhibitor hall prices range from $0 to $995, depending on the type of exhibitor. You can determine your business type here, to discover the exact fees.
The registration process begins at the New Exhibitor website, which can be found here. There is a non-refundable $95 application fee. Once your brand has applied and been accepted through the online portal, you will also need to determine the type of booth that you prefer. You can find a description of the booth types available here.
The Natural Products Expo West trade show offers an excellent opportunity to grow your grain-free, paleo, or keto food brand at a relatively reasonable price.