On July 23rd, 300 CEOs, company founders, Presidents, EVPs and other industry thought leaders and executives gathered at the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Bay, California for the 2008 NBJ Summit. The largest NBJ Summit ever, this year’s event enjoyed dinners under the stars, a challenging golf tournament, a competitive (and windy) regatta and some of the most intriguing presentations and panelists ever seen in the nutrition industry.

But don’t take my word for it, listen to our attendees. Below are a few video testimonials about the 2008 NBJ Summit.

Tom Aarts, Co-Chair of the NBJ Summit and Founder of the Nutrition Capital Network, talks about some of the speakers and attendees at the NBJ Summit.

Tim Avila, President & CEO of Zsweet, Inc. talks about why he comes to the NBJ Summit every year (I think he’s been to them all!)

Len Monheit, President & Editor of NPICenter.com talks about the community feel of the NBJ Summit and details why he and so many top executives attend the NBJ Summit every year.

Chris Hillseth, President of Chris Hillseth Enterprises talks about the NBJ Summit Regatta, one of the NBJ Summit’s signature events.

And finally, Barry Charnay of Bioneutra talks about what he finds most useful about the NBJ Summit for his business and professional development.

Stay tuned, more videos, pics and commentary from the NBJ Summit to come!

-Patrick

At the NBJ Summit this week, we’ll be hosting a panel on “greening” the nutrition industry. Below are a few articles I found on Brandweek.com that caught my attention. They represent a solid balance of perspectives on this challenging, and very new issue for executives. The jury is still out on the longevity of “greening”, but I hope to have some solid suggestions on what to do and what not to do following the NBJ Summit.

-Patrick

Study: ‘Green’ Products Leave Consumers Puzzled

“The good news is consumers are “going green.” But the bad news is they are still pretty green when it comes to understanding what the term really means.

“Here’s the big ah-ha!,” said Suzanne Shelton, CEO of Shelton Group, a Knoxville, Tenn.-based ad agency that specializes in energy efficiency and sustainability. “If you were an alien and you landed on the planet in April of this year, you would think that the ‘green’ market was pretty mature because you’d be hearing about it everywhere—every newspaper, every TV show you turn on somebody is talking about being green. But this is not a mature market.”

Shelton Group recently conducted a national study, called Eco Pulse, which asked consumers open-ended and multiple-choice questions about green issues. What it found was a whole lot of confusion.”

Do Consumers Care that Sun Chips are Solar Powered? Apparently

“It’s getting harder to find a brand that doesn’t claim to be green. But, do they have a solar power factory? Is the rest of their energy use offset by energy credits? And, are they rebuilding a town that was virtually wiped out by a tornado? Not likely.

Sun Chips is different. The Frito-Lay product has rooted its brand in environmental causes as well as health-forward thinking. This strategy has paid off handsomely as Sun Chip sales are up 17.6%, totaling $201.8 million for the 52 weeks ending June 15, per IRI.

Frito-Lay vp-marketing Gannon Jones talked to Brandweek news editor Kenneth Hein about why really being green is healthy for sales.”

Forget the Environment Say the ‘Never Greens’

“About 10% of the population are Never Greens, according to a survey by Mintel International in Chicago, a research firm.

The Never Greens don’t buy green products, don’t remember green advertising when they see it and are irritated by it even if they do.”

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