Reflections at Expo West ’19

3 min read

This past week, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA. If your job involves anything retail, CPG, and food, this is THE show to be at. Filling in every nook and cranny of the massive Anaheim Convention center, this year’s Expo had 86,000+ people registered and 3600+ exhibits showcased. It certainly explains why my legs are still sore from all the walking!

For the most part, the focus of my site is Career. But I wanted to reflect on this unique experience since the CPG/food space is of interest to a lot of people I work with. For those already in the industry, a convention like Expo West is a great chance to survey your competitors, especially the budding young ones who aren’t yet on your radar. It also forces you to objectively self-reflect on whether your proposition is as unique as you once thought. For those aspiring to join this exciting space, it serves as a training ground for the fundamental P’s like product design, packaging, and pitching. “Learning through osmosis” as they say.

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