You may or may not know that New Hope (NBJ’s parent company) and Supermarket News launched a trade show June 18-19, 2008 called Healthy Foods International Expo.

As part of the education program, Nutrition Business Journal presented on the findings of a series of surveys of consumers, conventional retailers and conventional food manufacturers regarding their beliefs about healthy foods. The presentation was entitled New Insights into the Motivations, Attitudes and Behaviors of U.S. Grocery Consumers.

The presentation drew over 100 attendees and two breakouts on retailers and manufacturers were well attended as well. No matter how much credit we give them, conventional retailers and manufacturers of healthy foods still don’t completely get it. They have alot to learn, which made it all the more important that we were there to impart some of our industry knowledge to them over two days.

The show, though a launch, was perfectly produced and went off without a hitch (at least from my perspective). Attendance was a bit sparse, but understandably so in this economy, setting the stage for growth down the road. Approximately 100 exhibitors presented their latest healthy foods offerings to conventional retailer buyers and executives who pounded the floor.

While in the Dallas Convention Center, I took a few videos to show you what the show really looked like. Please excuse the fogginess of the video - my camera didn’t handle the humid climate so well.

This video is of the rush to get on the show floor when it opened Wednesday at 12 noon so you can get an idea of what the show looked like.

This video is of the crowd gathered to hear Samuel Fromartz, author of Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew, give the keynote address Wednesday evening after the show floor closed

This video is from celebrity& author Devin Alexander

To learn more about NBJ’s research on the healthy foods market, go to NBJ’s Healthy, Lesser-Evil and Functional Foods channel, where all of NBJ’s information on these categories is aggregated.

Enjoy.

-Patrick

Book your room at the St. Regis by calling Travel Planners at 800.221.3531 asap!

With over 175 of the top thought leaders and executives in the nutrition industry already registered for the NBJ Summit, there is no doubt that this year’s event will be the best ever.

If you are considering attending and don’t live within driving distance of the event, I HIGHLY recommend that your register and book your hotel before the end of this week. Last Friday, we sold out our hotel room block, but because of our great relationship with the fabulous St. Regis Resort where we’ve hosted the NBJ Summit for the last 3 years, we were able to expand our ability to have attendees register at the $299/night NBJ Summit rate through Friday, June 27th.

Everything is in place for the most impressive NBJ Summit ever….will you be there?

Register now

Book your hotel room before Friday by calling Travel Planners 800.221.3531

-Patrick

With the help of Marine Nutraceuticals, the NBJ Summit will have a fully formed and organized spouse/guest program.

Highlights include shoping and visiting art galleries in Laguna, guided beach walks, participation in the regatta, cocktail parties and moonlit dinners with the NBJ Summit attendees.

Call 866.458.4935 to add your spouse/guest to your registration if you’ve registered already.

So don’t hesitate, register yourself and your spouse/guest, book your hotel room and enjoy a getaway while attending the leading retreat for executives in the nutrition industry - The NBJ Summit

-Patrick

It’s that time of the year again – time to book that hotel room for The NBJ Summit 2008 at the St. Regis Resort in Dana Point, California. As of June 9th the St. Regis indicates that the NBJ Summit room block has been filled to over 75% capacity, which means that if you haven’t booked your room yet, the preferred room rate of $299 per night will soon be out of your grasp. To reserve rooms, call Travel Planers at 800.221.3531 or go to http://www.nbjsummit.com/services/travel.cfm

The best executive education sessions, networking and events await you at The 2008 NBJ Summit.

Optional golf kicks off the NBJ Summit early Wednesday morning, so make sure to indicate you would like to golf as part of your registration. After morning golf, the sessions begin at 2:30pm with NBJ’s State of the Industry followed by an opening keynote speech from Dr. Taylor Hartman , author of “The Color Code” a personality test that all attendees will take online prior to the event. Wednesday concludes with the a starlit dinner overlooking the ocean on the St. Regis Resort’s Grand Lawn.

Thursday begins early with a 7am breakfast and the second of three keynote speakers, Adam Werbach , the global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S. Following a green business panel and a sales channel lunch breakouts, we depart for the NBJ Summit Regatta at 2pm for some fun and sun on the high seas. At Wednesday’s dinner we award the NBJ Business Achievement Awards to winners in attendance and award the NBJ Summit Regatta Cup. Following dinner, those with energy to burn will adjourn to the Presidential Suite for what we expect to be a contentious Port Quality Assurance Association meeting.

Friday, breakfast is once again served at 7am with the first session of the day on innovation in maturing markets kicking off the last day of the NBJ Summit. Soon after, the third of our three keynote speakers, Walter Robb will close the conference with his reflections on the nutrition industry’s past, present and future.

So, book your hotel rooms and register now for the premier executive conference in the nutrition industry – The NBJ Summit!

-Patrick

I would like to introduce you to the new website for Nutrition Business Journal - www.nutritionbusinessjournal.com.

Alot has changed in the world of web design since we first launched NBJ’s website in 1998, so you will notice MANY changes in the look, feel and efficiency of the new nutritionbusinessjournal.com.

NBJ’s mission has always been to deliver strategic business information, analysis and market data to those in or interested in the nutrition industry to fuel better business decisions and promote healthier lifestyles. The new nutritionbusinessjournal.com is our new way of delivering on this mission.

I welcome your feedback and suggestions, via this blog or via my email prea@nutritionbusiness.com

Enjoy!

-Patrick