Gage shares his best practices for attending Natural Products Expo West – the biggest trade show in the United States for the better-for-the-world product industry! Tune in to hear 10 tips for making the most of the show, based on Gage’s ~15 years of experience attending Expo West as a brand, packaging, booth, and campaign designer who’s helped some of the industry most beloved brands stand out at the show. Tune into the episode or read below for his top tips! You can also download a copy here for easy reference later. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eBpd7dVhxB-30-yPrvQ8Mn8nAar5oYOUx6fX1B3Wevc/edit?usp=sharing. See you at Expo West! 1. Define Your Target ROI Have a clear goal and outcomes in mind because the event is what you make it.Rightsize your investment. There’s no shame in starting small, like a shared booth, table at StartUp CPG, sampling out of a backpack, etc. Even big brands need to be cautious of their spending because it adds up fast. But if you want to make a big splash, be willing to spend the money on the right opportunity.Aim to have your agenda 60% planned, but 40% flexible, because you never know who might pop up with some exciting and unexpected. 2. Plan Ahead Book your accommodations early, because everything near the Convention Center fills up quickly and gets very expensive.Find the sessions you want to attend, people you want to meet, and booths you want to visit through the app and social media posts, but also decide what’s non-negotiable and what’s optional for you, because you will get exhausted/overwhelmed.Make dinner reservations, book event venues, and meeting rooms in advance because there are a ton of competing groups looking for limited time slots.Order all your materials, swag, outfits, etc., well ahead of time because shipping delays happen, and you don’t want to be caught empty-handed or paying the steep price to rush reprint in Anaheim. 3. Be Clear & Compelling Have your 5-second pitch and main talking points ready, because there are way too many people and not enough time to stumble or be vague.Bring the energy, passion, and vibes because that attracts people to your booth, lifts everyone’s spirits, and makes you memorable.Ask lots of questions to get to know people and how you can help each other. It can reveal incredibly powerful information for you both. 4. Crush Your Booth Make sure it’s clear what you’re selling and what makes it special, otherwise your booth is likely to be missed (unless you’re drawing attention, see below).Be unique but authentic, have a compelling story or theme for the show, and be engaging and fun as people walk up.Have events or activities at your booth that attract a crowd, and bring enough samples/goodies to go around. Tip: people are drawn to anything that’s more than a tiny bite on a toothpick or a generic tote bag.Have a method for politely exiting conversations, like handing them off to an associate or introducing them to another guest, so you can be available when that critical retailer, investor, broker, or press badge arrives. 5. Draw Attention Apply for a Nexty, participate in the Pitch Slam, or partner on an innovation with another popular brand. Do things that will make you more visible.Send out press releases, make announcements on social media, and offer the press a unique and exciting story to draw them to your booth.Invite an industry rockstar or celebrity to your booth for a meet and greet.Host a happy hour with a prominent group, like B Corp. 6. Connect With Your Community Attend events hosted by your membership communities (B Corp, 1% for the Planet, Regenerative Organic, Upcycled, Non-GMO, Fair Trade, Climate Neutral, Climate Collaborative, Naturally Network, Purpose Pledge, Startup CPG, Project Potluck, :INCLUDED, etc.)Post updates in your preferred social channel (pictures, top finds, great insights, events, selfies, etc), tag people, and comment on others’ posts! Wear your affiliations (shirts, hats, pins, stickers, lanyards, badges, etc). 7. Take Care of Yourself Hydrate and eat real food, or at least snack your way to well-balanced meals or your stomach and energy levels will regret it later.Dress comfortably and in layers. You’ll be walking a lot, in and out of buildings, and the weather can change quickly. Bonus: dress memorably.Rest your feet and your back whenever you can. They will be sore.Get full nights of sleep when you can, and take some downtime in between things to recharge your batteries and brain. 8. Be Brave, Be Active Meet people! That’s why you’re going. Don’t just hide in your hotel, your booth, or in your co-worker/friend group. Get out there.Attend happy hours, events, and dinners even if you worked the booth all day, because that’s the time to make real human connections.Go talk to that hero, buyer, investor, press, celebrity, etc because that's why they’re here, and why you’re here. 9. Don’t Try to Do it All The show is way too big to see every booth. Decide what’s most important. It can help to pick a theme to focus, like a category, certification, stage of business, etc.There are too many sessions, events, and happy hours. Pick a focus and try to limit your FOMO. Divide and conquer with your team if you can.If you’ve been going as long as I have, you’ll wish you could spend time with all your friends, collaborators, clients, podcast guests, and more… but it’s best to be at peace with what you can do instead of worrying about what you can’t. 10. Follow Through Take notes on business cards, in an app, or wherever works for you because you won’t remember every conversation, idea, or to-do item.Digest what you learned, who you met, and how you want to follow up each evening before that information gets too foggy.Make social posts each day, because you’ll be too burned out and busy to catch up on social media after the show.Follow up with people during and after the show to solidify that new connection. Links: Natural Products Expo West: https://www.expowest.com/en/home.html 10 Tips to Crush Expo West Download: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eBpd7dVhxB-30-yPrvQ8Mn8nAar5oYOUx6fX1B3Wevc/edit?usp=sharing. See you at Expo West! … Brands for a Better World Episode Archive - http://brandsforabetterworld.com/ Brands for a Better World on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brand-for-a-better-world/ Modern Species - https://modernspecies.com/ Modern Species on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/modern-species/ Gage Mitchell on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagemitchell/ … Print Magazine Design Podcasts - https://www.printmag.com/categories/printcast/ … Heritage Radio Network - https://heritageradionetwork.org/ Heritage Radio Network on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-radio-network/posts/ Heritage Radio Network on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeritageRadioNetwork Heritage Radio Network on X - https://x.com/Heritage_Radio Heritage Radio Network on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/heritage_radio/ Heritage Radio Network on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@heritage_radio Chapters: 03:00 Introduction to Expo West Best Practices 05:23 Defining Goals and ROI for the Show 08:21 Planning Ahead: Accommodations and Sessions 10:42 Crafting a Clear and Compelling Message 13:05 Maximizing Your Booth's Impact 15:59 Drawing Attention and Engaging the Audience 16:19 Connecting with Your Community 20:40 Self-Care During the Event 22:08 Being Brave and Active 23:06 Managing Expectations and FOMO 25:28 Following Through After the Show See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
