This year’s Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim, California was one for the books. It was clear that, three years after the start of the pandemic, things are now really, REALLY, back to normal (finally).
Attendance felt higher than ever, with actual turnout surpassing the expected 60,000-65,000. When you’re finding yourself shoulder-to-shoulder squeezing through very large hallways and corridors, it’s kind of a comforting (yet slightly nerve-wracking) feeling given all we’ve been through since 2020.
As the largest trade show in our industry, Expo West is THE best opportunity each year to get face time with our clients and partners, discover new and growing brands, and of course…SAMPLE, SAMPLE, SAMPLE away! And sample we certainly did…but more on that later.
Read on to see the top 5 moments for the Promomash team at Expo West 2023...but first, here's a short recap video.
1. Face time with amazing clients 💜
Whether it was through brief booth meetings, take-out at an Airbnb, or over fabulous authentic Mexican food, our clients continued to show us just how awesome they are in our limited time together. Shout-outs to the teams at Clearly Canadian, Marukan, Manzana and Savorly for the extra special attention and time given, and so many others we got to visit – too numerous to call out by name (or show in the video)!
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2. Crisp and CPGenius ⚛️
After months of meetings, collaboration, and launching a new partnership together, it was so great to meet our friends at Crisp in person for the first time and unite around our new CPGenius (Crisp + Promomash = Genius) campaign. The CPGenius idea certainly resonated with brands and was a hit - we had people stopping us at the show asking about it and how to get a t-shirt or cap of their own. We only had a limited supply on hand reserved for clients, but don’t worry – we’re working through some logistics to make more available to select clients and fans. 😉
3. Co-sponsoring new brands at the Startup CPG Alley Rally 🎳
If you know anything about Promomash, you know that this company was born out of the struggles of being an emerging CPG brand trying to make it in retail. So naturally, when we had the opportunity to co-sponsor with Crisp new, up-and-coming emerging brands in the space as “Backpack Brands” featured prominently at the Alley Rally hosted by Startup CPG, we were “bowled over” and had to “strike” at the opportunity! We had a great time getting to know some of these young founders and sampling their products (Funky Mello, delish! Tend Prenatal, what an innovation for a category of supplements that has remained so stale for so long!). Based on an attendee vote, one of the brands, Nowhere Bakery, even won a paid booth spot at next year’s Expo West. Congratulations to all the Backpack Brands - we look forward to seeing you at Expo West ‘24!
Shout-out to the Backpack Brands:
Popadelics | Kekoa Foods | Resist Nutrition | Funky Mello | Katrina Brewing Co | Tend Prenatal | FORIJ | Rif Care - Regenerative International Female | Modica | SAYSO | RioGood | Kula Ice Cream | Nowhere Bakery 
4. Inspiring innovation and creativity 💡
The NOSH industry thrives on creativity and innovation, and there’s never any shortage of it at Expo West. This year didn’t disappoint, as plenty of brands seeking more doors creatively “left it all onstage” at what’s probably their biggest marketing event of the year. A few of those brands worthy of mention are Goodles, with their in-your-face marketing and in-booth conveyor belt of protein-packed macaroni and cheese samples, De La Calle foods, with their colorful, Mexican street food-inspired booth, and Belgian Boys, who had “Pancake Dealers” handing out samples of their new Pancake Cereal. Perhaps the most striking example of creativity, though, came from Doughp cookie dough, with their minimalistic, cause-focused theme. The picture says it all.
5. Sampling as a team sport 😎
When it comes to sampling at Expo West, the Promomash team means business. After all, we did build a business that started with demos and sampling. How else are we going to be able to identify great potential clients? It all starts with the product. And so, when it was time to capitalize on the sampling opportunity, the team was ready. We came prepared with empty suitcases to fill for our trips back home (well, maybe just one of us did). We collected and filled untold numbers of branded canvas bags. And we returned from the show with our bags like it was Halloween to see what we had collected. Here’s just one example of those collections.
And that's a wrap! Now that you know our top moments of Expo West, what were yours? Feel free to leave a comment with your experience. And we hope to see you at the next one! Until then, if you want to learn more about how the Promomash platform and our team of rock stars can help your brand, feel free to contact us.
