Natural Products Expo East

Natural Products Expo East, Informa Markets’ signature event for natural and organic CPG industry, opened its doors for one final time this month in Philadelphia before its successor event – Newtopia Now – takes over in August.

Newtopia Now was designed to facilitate buyer-brand connections and inventive product discovery. Find out more by clicking here.

Beacon Discovery

Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia offered global inspired drinks and dips, gourmet baby food products and alcohol-free spirits as product trends to be showcased during its exhibit hall. New and established companies alike displayed products emphasizing wellness, sustainability and health impact through various innovations on display. The event concluded its run Sept 23 at Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The conference offered presentations and panels covering an array of topics, such as the future of food, natural product marketing and consumer demand. Industry professionals spanning retail buyers and executives as well as food and beverage producers presented at this event.

Additionally to general education sessions, exhibitors could take advantage of the Business School to learn from industry experts on a range of marketing and business development topics. This option costs an extra $195 when added to registration for the conference.

Beacon Discovery, first unveiled by New Hope Network at Natural Products Expo West in March and now made its Philadelphia debut, provided an efficient way for retailers and brands to make meaningful connections and navigate the event floor more efficiently. Buyers and sellers could connect based on values such as store ingredient standards. Furthermore, Beacon Discovery can be downloaded by both retailers and brands alike.

This app, developed as a joint initiative between wellness-oriented data company SPINS and HowGood (the world’s leading food sustainability database), helps retailers go beyond what’s on a label to deliver on customer preferences, while simultaneously helping brands attract buyers year-round through customized discovery profiles that highlight mission, ingredients, product details and sales metrics.

Beacon Discovery currently only accepts food and supplement products; however, New Hope Network plans to expand it’s functionality into beauty, cleaning and pet products in the near future. To find out more and register, visit Beacon Discovery’s website – Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) offers convenient transportation links that lead directly to Jefferson Station; both offer convenient ways of reaching the Convention Center!

Newtopia Now

Natural Expo East has long been an influential event in the organic and natural CPG industry, fulfilling thousands of retailers’ product sourcing needs, catapulting emerging brands onto national stages, and forging partnerships between buyers and brands that empower consumers to make conscious choices. But 2023 will mark Expo East’s final year. Instead, Informa Markets’ New Hope Network plans on hosting Newtopia Now as an event dedicated to increasing brand exposure among retail buyers and investors.

Newtopia Now will take place in Savannah, Georgia from August 6-8th 2024 and showcase the future of natural and organic consumer packaged goods (CPG). Each neighborhood at Newtopia Now will showcase natural and organic CPGs with special emphasis placed on health and wellness; food and beverage products designed to support it; companies promoting diversity within natural and organic spaces; beauty/nonfood items that support it; “Glow” which highlights beauty/nonfood items that promote it; “Represent,” which features companies working towards increased diversity within natural and organic spaces; “Glow,” beauty/nonfood items that support healthy glow; “Represent,” featuring companies that promote diversity within natural and organic spaces; Cultivate”, featuring products grown using sustainable agricultural practices; these neighborhoods will help buyers discover brands while cultivate will feature products grown using sustainable agricultural practices; each will create “experiential/memorable moments,” according to New Hope Network.

Attendees will have the opportunity to attend events and workshops to keep abreast of natural and organic CPG trends, insights, and developments from industry leaders. Newtopia Now also gives attendees an opportunity to interact with its technology by participating in virtual demos, workshops, product samples or product samples offered throughout the event.

At Newtopia Now, exhibitors will have the opportunity to connect with over 400 natural, organic, and clean product buyers from across the U.S. These buyers include regional and independent retailers, distributors, health practitioners, food service professionals, as well as buyers looking for innovative products to stock their shelves or expand for good. Furthermore, exhibitors have an opportunity to share their story through presentations, keynote speeches, networking, keynote addresses or networking sessions – as well as share it through presentations, keynote speeches or networking with attendees at Newtopia Now itself! Additionally, an event specific webinar covering best practices will help exhibitors prepare for this show before arriving.

Exhibitor Resources

As an exhibitor at natural Expo East, there are various resources that can help you plan and optimize your experience. Starting with the Exhibitor Service Kit – available approximately five months before the show through registration portal access – which offers an in-depth overview of everything necessary for an exhibit experience, from setting goals and contacting customers to understanding freight charges and ordering booth furniture/carpet. It also contains best practice downloads/articles such as first-time exhibitor checklists and tips on preparing booth and product for exhibit.

Natural Products Expo East 2024 is America’s premiere event for herbal, natural and healthy merchandise. This exhibition boasts several showing groups such as Acai Roots, Bambo Nature and BIO-CAT; plus it hosts stay demonstrations as well as educational classes. Furthermore, sponsorship and advertising opportunities exist at this show.

As well as trends, the show showcases innovations within the industry. For example, it focuses on the rise in interest for alternative beverages to coffee like yaupon tea from brands like Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. and Catspring Yaupon and yerba mate from Machu Picchu Energy and Guayaki; mauby tea made from Caribbean tree bark is also shown off at this year’s show.

Informa Markets’ New Hope Network hosts Expo East each year. 2023 will mark its last show as Expo East as they introduce Newtopia Now with a smaller format focused on tailored and meaningful buyer/brand interactions as well as connecting consumers with those behind the brands they purchase from.

Harvest Festival provides attendees with an informal atmosphere in which to meet with exhibitors. Not only is this free for all exhibitors, but local restaurants will provide food and beverage.

Attendee Resources

Make the most of your Expo East experience whether in-person or virtual with our numerous resources to make your visit enjoyable and productive – from food trucks to educational sessions, we’re here with everything you need to have an excellent visit!

Center City Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center can easily be reached via car, regional rail at Septa’s Jefferson Station or bus. A comprehensive list of transportation options can be found on our Travel page.

This year at Expo East we’re providing you with an even faster way of conducting business. Digital badges will be sent out prior to the show and allow you to bypass registration lines on site. In addition, you can access your attendee profile and schedule meetings through Beacon Discovery app before even arriving.

At New Hope Network, we are delighted to offer an exhibitor matchmaking program at no cost! We connect exhibitors with buyers from leading retailers, distributors and health practitioners looking for natural and organic products for their shelves. Take advantage of this exclusive opportunity today by registering as an exhibitor!

Join industry leaders for a day of education to discover the latest market trends transforming the marketplace, from sustainable sourcing and supply chain management, social responsibility, inclusion and wellness – this session will cover all of our sector’s latest innovations!

This year, new for Expo Hall attendees is a series of “State of the Industry” keynotes to provide attendees with an in-depth view of current product categories like natural and organic foods, clean beauty, supplements and more. Speakers include Kathryn Peters from SPINS EVP of Strategic Initiatives; Carlotta Mast from New Hope Network SVP Carlotta Mast; Nick McCoy, Whipstitch Capital’s Managing Partner Nick McCoy as well as other industry professionals.

Reach influential buyers at the industry’s premier natural and organic tradeshow. Engage directly with influential changemakers at the Innovation Experience, hear from industry experts in classroom discussions, and build lasting business relationships at an event where doing business comes naturally