Expo West is the largest trade show we attend. While other shows may cover more real estate, it is hard to describe 50,000 people in one venue but that is exactly what happened this March in Anaheim.
You may not be in the natural products business but your business is affected by it. It is everywhere: food, beverages, housewares, giftware, apparel, cosmetics and skin care, vitamins and supplements, pet products, building products and packaging to name a few.
Natural Products are a large and growing market.
Expo West is a phenomenon. I always come back to watch the disbelief on the faces of my colleagues when I try to describe that there are 50,000 retailers attending trade shows, and particularly when all of them are in one building. I was there back in March 2009 and wrote the blog Natural Products Remain Hot Despite Cool Economy.
Once you get a grip on the products being represented you can start to make sense out of the crowds. The Natural Products market is huge because it encompasses a wide gamut of products. In the food and beverage sectors alone, there are an incredible number of products represented and sought after by merchants of all shapes and sizes. These products are everywhere too and are not just relegated to our local grocery stores.
Because of the scale and level of interest in Natural products it should be a clarion call to retailers of all sizes and market segments because the consumer is becoming much more eco-conscious and the trend is increasing. Our society as a whole:
- Is concerned about long-term effects of synthetic consumables;
- Believes the planet has provision to meet our needs; and
- Thinks Natural solutions are beneficial, sustainable and profitable.
Forget the old prejudices and just show me the truth.
I stood in our booth and told hundreds of Natural Product buyers, suppliers and industry spokespeople the benefits of a closed-loop, low-energy system for producing retail bags. “Bags from Trash,” I said. “Forget the old prejudices and just let me show you the truth, then you decide.”
Man on a mission.
I didn’t know if I was going to be tossed out, mugged, or listened to. It turned out that 99.9% of those I talked to were really interested about turning old plastic into new. Of course it helps that our bags are beautiful, I admit, but that too is what we do at Nashville Wraps.
Most people didn’t realize that really nice packaging can be made from recycled plastics. But it is impressive when you take a great-looking product and then explain to someone that it was made from trash. It also tells me that old prejudices are being replaced by people who are interested in real solutions that make sense and only a few people are making all the negative noise concerning plastic bags. See the 2-minute video I shot on how bags are actually made from trash:
Nashville Wraps featured a simple display consisting of our Green Way® “Packaging with Purpose” line of recycled plastic and paper bags showcasing our Painted Daisies design theme.
Robby Meadows
Director of Marketing
NashvilleWraps.com
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