The Expo West Survey: How to Enjoy the Natural Products Super Bowl

When it’s Thursday afternoon and you’re wading through shoulder-to-shoulder traffic in the basement exhibition hall deep inside the sprawling Anaheim Convention Center during the peak hours of Expo West, asking yourself how did life come to this, take heart (and maybe a deep breath). It’s all part of the experience.

Sure, packing over 3,000 food and beverage brands and 60,000-plus attendees into an expo center for four days brings its share of logistical challenges, but that experience is part of what has been drawing the CPG community to the annual industry “Super Bowl” every March since 1981. Now that it’s evolved into one of the largest trade shows in the country — one rife with mini-shows, entertainment, networking, and social and business opportunities – the meaning of the gathering has come to encompass more than just romancing different retail buyers.

Over the past month, BevNET and NOSH tapped contacts from around the CPG industry to get a feel for the pulse of this year’s show as it prepares for kickoff in Anaheim on Wednesday.

Whatever Your Goal Is, It Starts Here

Each brand has its own metric for what makes a successful Expo West. For early stage exhibitors, it may be all about growing awareness and getting a foot in the door, while mature companies may look to launch splashy innovation or unveil more experiential trade show booths. But for most of the people we spoke with, the goal itself was simply to be there.

Whether you are showing up as an attendee or exhibitor, Expo West is a place brands go for inspiration. Even as they compete for attendees’ attention share, brands and entrepreneurs clearly feed off each other’s energy. Now 20-something shows deep into his natural products career, Grandy Organics’ chief granola officer Aaron Anker said his goal for the show is “to meet and get energized by [as] many cool people as possible.”

“This is a great opportunity to meet amazing people who have made some amazing products and pick their brain as to why their product is going to be successful or what trends they’re seeing that led them to create such an innovation,” said Richard Harrington, the founder and CEO of Adapt SuperWater.

Closing deals at the show should not be the expectation, as Expo is “more about starting little fires which you stoke as part of the post-show follow up and due diligence,” said Adam Hertel, Chief Sales Officer at Rudi’s Bakery and a veteran of 15 prior Expo West shows. “A major part of the strategy now is to show up and leverage the opportunities which could present themselves, most of which organically happen from being present that would otherwise be missed.”

There are various ways to make the most of Expo West (see further below), but respondents also noted that there’s a perceived value in just being part of the industry’s biggest annual event. “As an exhibitor, my goal is always to stay front of mind with retailers and business partners,” Hertel said. “Most of all,” he added, “it’s critical to convey brand excitement to the industry and show why your brand position is relevant within the landscape.” Elsewhere, a representative from the prebiotic soda brand poppi said the company had decided to expand its booth to include more space and seating for conversation this year, feeling the brand had grown its business and brand recognition after last year’s show.

Seasoned beverage investor Mark Rampolla, co-founder and managing partner at PowerPlant Ventures, is unequivocal regarding Expo West’s place in his personal calendar: “I haven’t missed [a show] in 18 years and [have] no plan on missing the next 18,” he told us. Even after all that experience, he stills sets his goals for the show around three simple principles: learn, teach and connect. That means seeking out new trends and industry activity, guiding younger and newer entrepreneurs and members of his firm through the event, and building new relationships with peers while deepening existing ones.

Rampolla wasn’t the only one emphasizing the event’s all-around value, even as the industry learned to adapt without in-person trade events during Expo West’s two-year hiatus at the height of the pandemic. When asked if they ever considered not attending this year’s show at any point, all but one of the people we spoke with responded with a “no.”

“Not for a minute,” was the response from Elliot Begoun, founder of TIG Brands and a speaker at this year’s Expo. “I think it is more important than ever [to] leverage the opportunity to come together as an industry. In our virtual world, it is harder to foster serendipity, which is so crucial.”

Part of the connection is moving from online to human contact. Expo is a giant opportunity to meet with “all the people you see on LinkedIn on a daily basis,” said Clark Nowlin, founder/CEO of Golden Ratio Coffee, set to attend his second show this year. But it can also drive deeper connections. “I shared a room with two other founders [during Expo West] and we all got much closer after that event. We now speak weekly or monthly about the struggle.”

Winning Out West

Experiencing Expo West for the first time is something like a mix of student orientation week at a massive college, walking a marathon, and eating and drinking your way through the world’s biggest sampling station. In other words, it’s kind of a lot.

That only emphasizes the importance of planning and time management for first-time attendees and exhibitors, according to those we surveyed. At a sprawling venue like the Anaheim Convention Center, logistics matter. “Leave AT LEAST [a] 45 min buffer to park and walk from your car to the Expo hall – any less and you’ll be late,” warned 16-show veteran Amelia Winslow, VP of Marketing at coffee brand Pop & Bottle. Hertel advised first time attendees to “plan your strategy by priority order for what you’re looking for” and create a corresponding hall-by-hall walking map.

Rampolla preaches the importance of acting with intention, advising attendees to set goals, write them down and share them with their teams. With those ideas clearly established, try to “be present” and ask “What and who is catching your attention and why? Is that what YOU want or what they want?”

Part of the experience is learning to accept a bit (or a lot, maybe) of FOMO. “Prioritize what you can say yes to, while saying no where you have to,” said Hertel. “There is no way to be everywhere all at once, so schedule your time deliberately and resist the temptation to try doing it all.”

Amidst the frenzy of activity on the show floor, things aren’t always what they seem, noted Scott

Scott Frohman, CEO and Founder of functional mushroom drink maker Odyssey Wellness: “A lot of people fly stealth and you never really know who you might be talking to or how deep their connections are or if they might be an interested investor trying to gain as much information as they can. Even your competition is gathering intel.” That environment also increases the importance of following up. “It can be overwhelming and you get inundated with cards, names [and] phone numbers,” he said. “Take notes and make sure you follow up to continue conversations that can lead to conversions.”

Anker told brands to keep things simple: “Be scrappy and get out in front of your booth. Don’t be shy. We are all in this together.” And also: “Saying hi to everyone no matter what their badge color is.”

However, the event doesn’t end at the close of each day. Expo West packs a full slate of after-show meetups and cocktail hours, offering further (and considerably more casual) opportunities to continue networking. Pace yourself to ensure that you make it that far, respondents told us. “Try to save your voice as long as you can, and count your steps,” said Hertel. “And get away from the cheesy Disney vibes to the surrounding areas with some actual culture.”

Or, don’t. “While it’s tempting to stay out super late with old pals, prioritize some quiet and rest time outside of Expo hours or you may tucker out before Saturday,” said Winslow.