Natural Products Expo West 2016 Breaks Attendance Record

The 36th-annual Natural Products Expo West & Engredea experienced another record-setting year with 6.9 percent growth, playing host to more than 77,000 attendees. 

The event brought together a community of natural, organic and healthy products industry members and more than 3,000 exhibiting companies, including more than 600 first-time exhibitors. The show, which was held March 9-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., is produced by the recently re-branded New Hope Network.

For the second year in a row, New Hope Network expanded the event’s exhibit space to encompass the entire Anaheim Convention Center campus. In addition to traditional exhibit halls, new exhibitors showcased hot products at the Hilton Hotel Anaheim. 

The content and research team at New Hope Network tracked the following macro forces and consumer trends this year, which include Ancient Wisdom, Transcendent Transparency, Snackification, Feed Me!, The Rehabilitation of Science and The Value(s) Shopper.

“Natural Products Expo West serves as a launching pad for innovation from entrepreneurial brands to more established companies looking to keep up with shifts in consumer demand,” says Carlotta Mast, executive director of content and insights at New Hope Network. “Evolving shopper tastes and values have positioned the natural products industry as a major force in what products end up on shelves from natural stores to more conventional supermarkets.”

The education program offered a full docket of topics as well as keynote presentations from Sam Kass, former White House Personal Chef; Erik Weihenmayer, author, adventurer and activist; and Marth Rogers, acclaimed author and business strategist.

The official Natural Products Expo West “Best of West: Press Award” went to Suja Organic Crushed Raspberry Probiotic Water. Runners-up include Vega Sport Performance Protein Chocolate and Justin’s Maple Almond Butter with Pretzels Pack. The winner of the NEXT Accelerator Natural Products Business School Pitch Slam was Veggie Fries.

The Natural Products Expo's East Coast event will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center, September 21-24 in Baltimore. Natural Products Expo West 2017 will take place March 8-12 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.