Exciting! CHALLENGING! Entertaining! Cutting edge! These are words you might use to describe a trip to Las Vegas—typically not the education program of a conference. That’s about to change. This year’s Natural MarketPlace show, which will take place June 10 to 12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will have a new “Interactive Track” of conference sessions that provide opportunities for hands-on participation while learning about topics like natural product regulations, social media marketing tools and preventive medicine through herbs. Here are some of the featured sessions at NMP 2010.

The Claim Game—Vegas Edition. Don’t play regulatory roulette with health and safety claims. Come to this interactive session to learn the ins and outs of making compliant claims for your dietary supplement, food and cosmetic products. You’ll also be able to match wits with officials from the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.

Duke and the Doctor—Live from the Strip. Be part of this live radio broadcast, which airs in more than 150 markets nationwide. Ask Jan McBaron, MD, this year’s Natural Products Association Clinician Award winner, about her practice in weight loss and preventive medicine. Or throw out a question to her husband, Duke Liberatore, owner of Peachtree Natural Foods in Columbus, Ga. See why they’ve been ranked as the “Top 100 Most Important Radio Hosts in America” by Talkers Magazine.

Natural Tweets—Lessons from Vegas in Social Networking. See how Las Vegas natural retailers deliver personalized, relevant offers to their customers and open new revenue channels by using social media. With the guidance of Heather Smith, a chief strategist in social media, public relations, branding and product development, gain tips and ideas for using interactive media.
For more information on education at Natural MarketPlace, visit natural
marketplaceshow.com/education.

Anneli Spielman is a conference manager at New Hope Natural Media.