New Hope Ending Expo East; New Trade Event Set for 2024

Savor the nostalgia because after nearly four decades, Natural Products Expo East is on its last lap.

Organizer New Hope Network confirmed in a letter to attendees yesterday that this year’s annual conference, which begins today in Philadelphia and runs through Saturday Sept 23, will be the show’s last.

New Hope Network, which is owned by Informa and the operator of Expo East’s significantly larger sister show Expo West, will replace the event with a new experience intended to connect brands directly to retail buyers and investors. Called “Newtopia Now,” the conference will rotate locations each year with the inaugural event kicking off in Savannah, Georgia in August 6-8 2024.

At Newtopia Now, the exhibit halls will reportedly be replaced with a more intimate setting including curated product discovery halls, matchmaking sessions as well as networking opportunities. According to New Hope, the event will have a “tailored and intentional approach to connection and product discovery.”

“The needs of the industry are changing, and the experience we provide our community must adapt to meet those needs,” said Carlotta Mast, SVP and market leader at Informa Market’s New Hope Network. “It’s with a spirit of innovation that we announce the next era of the New Hope Network journey: Newtopia Now, which invites passionate co-creators from across the industry to join us in building a more responsible, prosperous and regenerative world.”

Brands have been offered the chance to register for the new event in lieu of the annual booth rebooking appointments that traditionally takes place during and after Expo East.

Expo East has taken place in cities up and down the east coast over its forty year run, including Boston, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., before it was relocated to Philadelphia in 2020.

Note: This story will be updated.