Expo East 2008 Buzz

Thought leaders share intelligence on trends

Wondering what the future holds for naturals retailing? The folks at Natural Products Expo East don't have a crystal ball, but they may have the closest thing to it. Nutrition Business Journal's State of the Industry seminar will offer a summary of the intelligence gleaned from NBJ's Newport Summit in July, which attracted more than 250 CEOs from natural products companies, and from the journal's recent Market Overview issue.

"We're trying to bring together some of the top industry thought leaders and observers," said Patrick Rea, publisher and editorial director of NBJ. Rea noted that the observers are often those most aware of emerging trends in the industry, and can provide valuable insight about where to next invest time and money. "We want to provide a real business overview for the industry," he said. "Lots of seminars zoom in on one thing. We want to draw in the CEOs of the companies that are exhibiting, as well as the retailers. Our goal is to cut through the [hype] and distill down what they need to know."

Seminar panelists will include Rea; Bob Burke, principal of Natural Products Consulting Institute; John Grubb, managing partner of the Sterling-Rice Group; and Thomas Aarts, principal of Nutrition Capital Network, managing director of Nutrition Business Advisors and co-founder of NBJ, which is owned by The Natural Foods Merchandiser's corporate parent, Penton Media. The seminar will be held Thursday, Oct. 16, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in room 253.

Retailers can relax, munch and mingle

Don't miss a chance to sit down and have a tête-à-tête with your fellow independent retailers while enjoying a relaxing nosh, instead of soy on a stick, at the Retailer to Retailer lunches. You can hear about the successes they're having as well as the challenges they're facing, and learn from one another's experiences. On Thursday and Friday, light fare will be served at no additional cost, while Natural Products Association East board members Denise de la Montaigne and Sue Bennett moderate guided discussions. On Saturday, enjoy morning tea while dishing with your colleagues and moderator Jay Jacobowitz. Thursday and Friday, lunches are held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Retail Resource Center in the front of Hall A. Saturday's tea is from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the same location.

—L.B.