Welcome to the New Year - if you haven't decided yet, you need to gauge your (B2B) industry presence at live events. There are many considerations in choosing the what and where of natural product shows, but expos are an essential part of seeking and finding new opportunities for growth. Here are some top questions to ask as an ingredient supplier to the industry:
1. What are the target industry categories that best fit your ingredients? Dietary supplements, food and or beverage, sports or pet nutrition? There are many events to choose from - some are more general to cover multiple niches, and some are more targeted. Seek out more general events like #SupplySide West or #Engredea (supplier event with NPEW) or category specific such as #PetFood2.0 or #IFT within the US.
2. Where are your ingredients active and relevant? Many companies want to be "global", but it takes a vast team to really be everywhere. You can choose to market yourself nationally, regionally, or selective globally...and there are events for all the above. Outside of the US, more general coverage can be displayed with events such as #Vitafoods, #HealthIngredients (Hi) or #FoodIngredients (Fi) - all of which have events in Europe, Asia, Russia, and more for larger geographic coverage. Within each country, there are always smaller events to participate with as well - look to industry publications to learn more about what is happening in each region.
3. What level of involvement should we have at the event? There are many ways to engage with the industry at each event, and all are set-up uniquely to have a variety of interaction levels. While this consideration comes with its own set of questions, start with these basics. Do we exhibit with a stand? Do we sponsor something? Should we have a speaker talk about our company or products? Shall we just attend to gauge a potential new market?
Depending on the size of your team to support these events, and usually more so budget - most companies have to be selective with how many events they can participate in and to what level of involvement. I hope these questions can help you start to make and prioritize your plans to get involved with the industry and engage directly with more customers.
1. What are the target industry categories that best fit your ingredients? Dietary supplements, food and or beverage, sports or pet nutrition? There are many events to choose from - some are more general to cover multiple niches, and some are more targeted. Seek out more general events like #SupplySide West or #Engredea (supplier event with NPEW) or category specific such as #PetFood2.0 or #IFT within the US.
2. Where are your ingredients active and relevant? Many companies want to be "global", but it takes a vast team to really be everywhere. You can choose to market yourself nationally, regionally, or selective globally...and there are events for all the above. Outside of the US, more general coverage can be displayed with events such as #Vitafoods, #HealthIngredients (Hi) or #FoodIngredients (Fi) - all of which have events in Europe, Asia, Russia, and more for larger geographic coverage. Within each country, there are always smaller events to participate with as well - look to industry publications to learn more about what is happening in each region.
3. What level of involvement should we have at the event? There are many ways to engage with the industry at each event, and all are set-up uniquely to have a variety of interaction levels. While this consideration comes with its own set of questions, start with these basics. Do we exhibit with a stand? Do we sponsor something? Should we have a speaker talk about our company or products? Shall we just attend to gauge a potential new market?
Depending on the size of your team to support these events, and usually more so budget - most companies have to be selective with how many events they can participate in and to what level of involvement. I hope these questions can help you start to make and prioritize your plans to get involved with the industry and engage directly with more customers.