Expo West Rebounds from 2001's External Challenges

Expo West Rebounds from 2001's External Challenges

ANAHEIM, Calif.--After facing an economic recession, declining consumer confidence in dietary supplements, a sometimes hostile media and the fall terrorist attacks, the natural products industry appeared to be rebounding during Natural Products Expo West. Show organizer New Hope Natural Media estimated total attendance at 25,000, down from 28,000 at the 2001 Expo West, with booths also down slightly to 2,200 from 2,400 in 2001.

Industry members appeared ready to get back to business after a shaky Expo East in Washington, D.C., which happened only a month after the September attacks in New York and D.C. The majority of Expo West's exhibitors were finished product companies selling dietary supplements, packaged foods and natural beauty items. New Hope's reorganization of the show floor into specific, color-coded areas for these and other product categories allowed retailers to target their shopping. It also resulted in the busiest aisles in Hall D, as attendees tasted their way through new organic and specialty food introductions. The organic category saw a number of small purveyors selling products, possibly positioning to take advantage of this fall's implementation of the National Organic Program. The number of raw material/ingredient suppliers at Expo West was down, possibly due to the continued growth of supplier-focused trade shows without retail buyers (such as New Hope's Nutracon, which immediately followed Expo West). Those who were in attendance, such as Kemin Foods, did report good business, as they took time to talk with other exhibitors and to promote their trademarked ingredients to retailers.

New product introductions were still slow, particularly on the dietary supplement side, as companies put their marketing dollars into promoting existing lines and building sales slowly in a recovering economic market. Most obvious among the products on the floor were the myriad energy bars, whether for women or men, or to target mental well-being, sports performance or simple meal replacement. Low-carb was still a major marketing point for many bars, as well as for protein and energy drinks. The energy/functional drink category was booming as well. Many companies introduced functional beverages, either with unique nutritional formulations or offering "natural" alternatives to mainstream energy drink products.

The educational seminars were well attended, even with many company-sponsored events occurring during show floor hours. For example, Matthias Rath held a seminar and media briefing about its research on how a combination of vitamin C and lysine can help prevent metastasis to control the growth of cancer; the presentations included a discussion of a USA Today ad the company placed about its cancer research. Business meetings also drew a lot of interest. The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) held its annual meeting, which included a detailed review of the translated German adverse event reports linking kava intake with liver toxicity.

Another important event at the show was a satellite media tour (SMT), organized by the Dietary Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA), an industry-wide public relations effort. DSEA organized the SMT with David Heber, M.D., director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. Heber's interview covered subjects such as nutritional support for women's health and emerging trends in supplementation. He mentioned more than 18 products, including glucosamine, chondroitin, phytosterols and dong quai, and several industry products were shown during the broadcast. "Millions of Americans are seeing a positive message about dietary supplements on their televisions as a result of our successful effort," said DSEA President ElliottBalbert.