SupplySide West Attracts 5,441 Executives
October 5, 2004
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Jon Benninger, Director of Business Development
Virgo Publishing
(480)990-1101 ext. 1108; jonb@vpico.com
Amy Sharman, Marketing and Communications Manager
Virgo Publishing
(480) 990-1101 ext. 1543; asharman@vpico.com
LAS VEGAS- More than 5,400 industry executives from dietary
supplement, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies gathered Sept. 29 to
Oct. 1 for the 8th Annual SupplySide West International Trade Show and Conference
at the Sands Exposition Center and Venetian Resort Casino. SupplySide West is
the world's largest executive conference on nutritional ingredients; attendance
was up six percent this year to 5,441 attendees, while the exhibit hall included
460 companies occupying more than 670 booths.
"It would be difficult to imagine the show being much better," said Tim Gamble,
vice president of sales and marketing with Nutraceutix. "We were impressed with
the quantity of highly interested individuals visiting our booth and noted that
the majority of conversations we had were with higher-level decision makers
than those we often see at some of the other shows."
"As usual, SupplySide West was a fantastic opportunity addressing several needs,"
said Shane Durkee, director of nutritional science and new business with Bayer
HealthCare. "The show floor was very busy, but not to the point where conversations
were hard to have at each booth. The networking opportunities were abundant
and the receptions were helpful in meeting new ingredient suppliers and catching
up with ingredient suppliers I was already familiar with. In addition, my colleague
and I took the divide and conquer approach to cover as many of the educational
seminars as possible, which were all very helpful and interesting."
SupplySide West started on Wednesday with the 8th Annual Golf Tournament, sponsored
by Pharmachem Laboratories. More than 250 golfers participated in the event,
held on two courses, at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Trophies were awarded
for individual achievement and top scores for each course.
"This was the best SupplySide West ever," Said Dick Beitel, vice president
of sales for Pharmachem Laboratories. "The golf tournament was fantastic with
great course selection and first class food. In addition, the exhibit hall was
great. We sent a record-breaking number of people this year. Our booth exploded
as we could have doubled the size and still an overflow would have existed."
Networking receptions offered attendees additional opportunities to make new
contacts and strengthen existing business connections. More than 500 executives
from around the globe attended the International Welcome Reception, sponsored
by KGK Synergize, OptiPure/Soft Gel Technologies and SourceOne Global Partners.
A "Survivor" theme attracted over 2,500 people to the Opening Reception Thursday
evening; the event was sponsored by ADM, DSM, Natural Health Science and PureWorld
Botanicals. Finally, the closing Appreciation Party, held in the exhibit hall
on Friday afternoon and sponsored by DNP, Fortitech, LeSaffre Group and NSF,
brought industry members a hosted bar, Mexican and Italian food and a chance
to conclude business in a relaxed atmosphere.
For the second year, the Education Program spanned three days, offering scientific
research, marketing strategies and regulatory updates. Sponsored by Cognis Nutrition
& Health, the seminars featured speakers from the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), AOAC, American Herbal Products Association
(AHPA), National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), Tufts University, Natural
Marketing Institute (NMI) and more.
"Once again, this was a fantastic platform for education," said David Eckert,
vice president, North America, Cognis Nutrition & Health. "We are proud
to be working with Virgo in sponsoring an educational platform that promotes
scientific research, fosters product innovation and addresses pressing industry
issues."
Several seminars focused on the increasing focus on scientific substantiation
for nutraceutical ingredients. In-depth examinations of the science on tocotrienols,
French maritime pine bark extract, omega-3 fatty acids and minerals drew interested
product development researchers, while a large crowd attended the featured speaker
presentation by Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., who pulled no punches while discussing
The Lancet's take on antioxidants and cancer nor the industry's continued lack
of product standards and mandatory GMPs (good manufacturing practices). Regulatory
concerns took center stage during several seminars, including the state-of-the-industry
roundtable and a featured speaker presentation by Susan Walker, M.D., from FDA's
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. In particular, Walker noted the
agency is focusing on novel extracts of traditional botanicals, which may be
considered new dietary ingredients under federal regulations.
The keynote presentation was given by accomplished actress, singer and writer
Marilu Henner. Sponsored by Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Henner discussed her commitment
to furthering widespread awareness of the importance of good health by enlisting
the celebrity community to generate support for healthy living and the natural
products industry. Eight days prior to her Sept. 30 appearance at SupplySide
West 2004, the outspoken advocate testified before Congress regarding the importance
of nutrition and dietary supplements.
"SupplySide West continues to set the industry standard as the premier executive
business-to-business event," said Peggy Jackson, director of publishing with
Virgo's Health & Nutrition Division. "In an increasingly challenging regulatory
and business environment, forward-thinking executives are making connections
to support long-term growth in the nutraceutical industry."
For more information on SupplySide East 2005, scheduled for May 4 to 6 in
Baltimore, or SupplySide West 2005, which will take place Nov. 9 to 11 in Las
Vegas, visit www.supplysideshow.com.
The following photos are available upon request: Marilu Henner delivering
keynote, seminar rooms, networking receptions, golf tournament, exhibit hall
and registration area. If you are interested in additional photos, please email
your request to asharman@vpico.com.
Virgo Publishing produces the SupplySide Trade Shows and Conferences,
the Focus on the Future Executive Conference and Retreat, and the online training
Web site nutrilearn.com; and publishes Natural Products Industry INSIDER,
HSR: Health Supplement Retailer and low carb retailer magazines.
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