Making the Most of Expo West

For five days in the middle of March, CPG brands of every size come together under the same roof on the same mission: to share their newest innovations with the industry. With so many brands occupying the same space, each must learn to stand out amongst the noise. We spoke to Expo regulars Seth Goldman (Co-Founder and Chief

Change Officer of Eat the Change) Pierre Jamet (Chief Sales Officer of Petit Pot) and Kim Biddle (Senior Manager of Digital Sales at Sow Good), as well as our partners at NielsenIQ Byzzer, to gather their best tips for making the most of Expo West:

UTILIZE THE ONLINE PORTAL

Last year, we talked a lot about the NPEV, or Natural Products Expo Virtual, the online experience from New Hope that replaced the 2021 show. Tis year, brands who physically exhibit will again have access to it, and Jamet encourages leveraging it. Because the online portal opens earlier than the show, Jamet suggetss that you use it to set your game plan. If your buyer confrms attendance on the portal, you can reach out to them in advance to confrm a meeting with them. You also should be able to see a press list – use this as an opportunity to get on reporters’ radar or invite them to meet your team. Tis gives you a great touchpoint with important contacts, and helps you fll your schedule. Be a lot more diligent in doing it in advance – you will be busy at the show, so come with your pre-work done.

PREP YOUR PITCH

This one may sound like a no-brainer, but ofen falls to the wayside as you focus on other elements of your Expo preparation. When you spend so much time in the weeds of day-to-day business, it can be easy to lose sight of your communicable value. Prior to attending the conference, take the time to sit down with someone from outside of your team and practice your pitches – keeping them to under 30 seconds.

FOR BUYER PITCHES:

Goldman suggests you should be able to communicate in four words how your product is diferent. Buyers are interacting with so many diferent products on each Expo day that it can be difcult to remember the intricacies of each brand. Instead, have a simple, digestible takeaway for them to chew on (literally and fguratively). He uses “vegetable-based kid’s snack” as an example – a simple description that instantly communicates the product’s diferentiation and target audience. Tink critically about your four words. It’s now almost expected that brands are already meeting certain dietary standards. How does yours go above and beyond to diferentiate within its category?

To support your four words, have a few key pieces of data under your belt. Beyond the basics (your competitors, unit volume, price points), NielsenIQ notes that the category buyer is risk averse – so it is your job to show them that your product is a safe bet. When it comes to telling that story, consider sharing:

Your product’s growth compared to the overall category

Velocity – particularly velocity growth. “Small brands tend to have a lower velocity than their category, especially when they are new to the marketplace,” the NielsenIQ team notes. “Fortunately, there’s a simple workaround: The Petit Pot team focus on growth. If your velocity is growing faster than the category’s velocity, citing this data can be a powerful way to strengthen your case for getting your product on a retailer’s shelf.”

Your unique niche. Who are the profitable new customers that your product will attract to the buyer’s store?

You can fnd all of this data on your Byzzer portal, a free resource to Startup CPG brands thanks to our partnership with NielsenIQ.

FOR INVESTOR PITCHES:

For Jamet, Expo East was also a great opportunity to meet investors. Make sure your investor pitch is ready to go – what you will want to share with an investor will be slightly diferent than a buyer. A few things Jamet suggests you think about beyond your standard investor pitch:

Is your brand ready to overcome supply chain challenges? What successes can you share?

It’s been potentially two years since you were last showing – have a succinct few sentences that share what you’ve been up to. Make sure you’re covering the most important parts of your story, and talk to what’s coming up next.

MAKE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

While buyer relations are key, Jamet further emphasizes the importance of striking casual conversations with other brands to gather critical learnings. How are those in similar roles meeting the challenges you face? What can you learn from them that you can apply to your business? You certainly know your competitors, but you can take valuable learnings from out-of-category brands, too. Goldman believes that you should treat every visitor like your most important buyer – partly because they may be. Many badges do not actually communicate someone’s role, and ofentimes, important investors or buyers will actually have badges from another entity entirely. He suggests that you always have two people at your booth dedicated to selling, and that they are outgoing enough to step out into the aisle to engage with passersby. “Tis is the most efective demo you’ll ever do, so treat everybody like they count.” Goldman also reminds us that even if someone isn’t a buyer, anyone could be your consumer at a conference dedicated to natural foods. If you’re a brand launching at natural food stores, the seemingly insignifcant interactions you have at Expo could bring a new loyal consumer.

BE A SPONGE

Tis show is nothing if not a crash course in the industry. While you may be tempted to stay in your section and simply scout out your own competition, Goldman suggests that you take the time to roam the show purely as a sponge for innovation. “Even though you may not be in personal care, for example, walk that section to get a sense of new ingredients people are using, new aromas or favors, or even innovative packaging.” Encourage your team to do the same, and keep notes on trends you spot. When you return from Expo, use your notes to inform a team brainstorming session.

SAMPLE, SAMPLE, SAMPLE

Sampling is a critical part of your booth experience; Goldman reminds us “one of the keys really is making sure people are able to taste your product.” While it may appear that some attendees are just there to grab a free snack, that in itself will beneft your brand. “You don’t go to this show with all these samples to bring them home; you’re there to promote the brand and in any form,” he says.

Jamet notes that you may fnd some resistance to actually taking a sample of your product. Tis is where your brand’s expertise in press packages should come in handy afer the show. Make sure you note which of your new contacts did not get a chance to try the product at the show, and prepare a press package to send them afer the show concludes. Include a handwritten note that alludes to something you talked about.

HAVE A CONTACT-KEEPING SYSTEM

Before considering how you will manage your contacts for the show, make sure that you cleaned up your CRMs from previous years or other shows. Kim Biddle, Senior Manager of Digital Sales at Sow Good, notes that people move around a lot in this industry, so it is important to scrub your CRM to keep it fresh, especially prior to an infux of new contacts.

All of our interviewees recommended that you opt in for the badge scanner to best manage your contacts. Rather than having to deal with a furry of notes or sort through hundreds of pictures of business cards, the scanner will share badge data right to your email so you can import it later. But just keeping names is not enough to support a meaningful connection afer the show. Goldman suggests that you come up with a coding strategy before the show, so you can quickly group new contacts afer you scan them in (for example, A = buyer ready to purchase, B = needs samples, and so on). This will help you stay organized and manage your follow ups afer the show.

NAIL THE FOLLOW-UP

While you may be eager to send your follow up immediately afer meeting that important buyer or investor, Biddle suggests that you give people a week or so to recover from Expo prior to outreach. The show is exhausting – give people space to get caught up as needed. “The talking points in your follow up should thoughtfully refect your discussion, share collateral on your product, and answer any outstanding questions.” If the contact did not have a chance to try your product on the spot, ofer to send them a sample.

Biddle also emphasizes that you should be providing value to the relationship, beyond trying to sell your product or service. You can start by keeping these new contacts in the loop, sharing any PR wins, data you’ve been collecting on your category, or marketing activations you may be doing. “I would also share anything with them from a networking standpoint that could be benefcial. Look to build a solid relationship, fnd some common ground. Network, connect and be a helper,” Biddle suggests.

STICK OUT AMONGST THE CROWD

It may seem impossible to stick out amongst the thousands of booths at the show. But Goldman reminds us that there are always innovative ways to activate your brand if you’re willing to put forth the extra efort. At a past Expo, Goldman’s team at Honest Tea stood outside the show in the heat with cold bottles of product. As cabs passed stopped at a trafc light, they would ofer the passengers and drivers samples to cool down. “We even asked the drivers if we could put an Honest Tea sticker on the back of their cars, so a bunch of cabs in Anaheim were driving around with our stickers.” Tis low-cost activation achieved greater brand awareness beyond the Convention Center bubble, and also gave Expo attendees a second touchpoint with the brand.

Expo West 2022 is much more than just another trade show – it symbolizes an industry comeback. Whether this is your frst Expo, or your 22nd (like Seth Goldman), we hope you come away from the show with formative connections, powerful new insights, and tummies full of the best new products.