Hosted by Informa Markets, the annual SupplySide West trade show and conference is all about the exploration, discovery, innovation and marketing strategy around the development of finished consumer goods that drive the global business economy. This year, SupplySide West 2019 was held on 15–19 October at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Organisers saw 17,000 attendees, and more than 1,300 exhibiting ingredient suppliers, buyers and other industry members, focusing on dietary supplements, food, beverage, personal care, sports nutrition and processing innovation. Furthermore, about 10,000 of the latest and most innovative ingredients and solutions on the market filled the halls at Mandalay Bay.
A first for FiNA
Also of note, this year’s show marked the debut of Food ingredients North America (FiNA), which was be co-located with SupplySide West on 17–18 October, also at Mandalay Bay. The combined trade show brought together two key events serving the global food, beverage and dietary supplement markets. The FiNA events around the world offer food and beverage manufacturers access to a wide range of ingredient suppliers, and FiNA brought this event to the US for the first time.
In addition to attracting visitors from large food and beverage brands, the event also served the fast-growing natural, organic and functional food and beverage companies that are driving significant innovation in the market. Thousands of these brands participate in the Natural Products Expo West/East trade shows to promote and sell their consumer products. With sourcing and supply among the top challenges for many of these fast-growing companies, FiNA and SupplySide West offer access to the ingredients and services they need.
A broad range of events and in-depth education sessions took place during FiNA, including more than 140 combined hours covering a wide variety of topics aimed at the health and nutrition industry, from GMP training courses and information on market trends, to formulation considerations and regulatory changes.
Awarding innovation
SupplySide West also recently announced the finalists for the event’s new awards programme that recognises supplement, food, beverage and branding innovation. The NEXTY Awards at SupplySide West are an evolution of the highly regarded NEXTY Award programme at Natural Products Expo, and are the premiere recognition of excellence in the natural products industry. Winning products represent what is next in wellness trends, solving today’s health and sustainability problems, ingredient innovation, packaging, condition management, supply chain growth and transparency, and health impact.
Entries were judged based on innovation, inspiration and integrity by the SupplySide content team and a panel of experts that offers insights into key aspects of product development.
“We are pleased to honour these stand-out products that help consumers meet health goals, while also sustaining the environment and aiding the communities that help create the products,” said Sandy Almendarez, director, content, Informa Markets. “These brands exemplify the good [that] the health and nutrition industry can do as they modernise traditional categories and satisfy consumer demand for great-tasting, effective products.”
TraceGains: official supply chain automation partner for SupplySide West
Informa Markets endorsed TraceGains, the leader in cloud-based compliance, quality and new product development software for the CPG industry, as the official supply chain automation partner of SupplySide West and Food ingredients North America (FiNA) for 2019.
“TraceGains addresses many of the challenges companies face in managing complex supply chains,” said Jon Benninger, Informa VP and market leader for SupplySide. “Our hope is that we can introduce more companies to these solutions that automate and improve regulatory compliance, supplier management, product quality and time to market.”
Nearly a third of the more than 1,300 suppliers exhibiting at SupplySide West and FiNA are already in TraceGains’ Market Hub sourcing directory, and many of the leading consumer product brands and manufacturers in attendance use TraceGains to manage their supply chains.
“We are proud to work with Informa to promote supply chain trust and transparency at SupplySide West and FiNA,” TraceGains CEO Gary Nowacki said. “North American manufacturers and brands use Market Hub to find qualified suppliers who are prepared to satisfy supply chain safety and transparency requirements. In the months leading up to the show, we will highlight existing suppliers, and encourage new suppliers to sign up.”
Exhibitors who participated in the Market Hub were given the opportunity to enhance their listing to promote their participation in SupplySide West and FiNA. Likewise, exhibitors in the Market Hub were able to display a digital badge in the SupplySide official show directory to promote the fact that their company is already up and running with TraceGains, which simplifies information exchange between supply chain partners.
Source: SupplySide West
