Having attended Camexpo in my capacity as Vice Chair for ARCH (The Association of Registered Colonic Hydrotherapists), I know what a key event this is for making the most of your business whatever the size or speciality of your practice. It is the UK’s biggest event for complementary, natural and integrative health.
Specialists from every imaginable complementary healthcare practice – ranging from acupuncture to aromatherapy to herbal remedies to nutritional therapy, along with wholesalers, sports and fitness experts, and business advisors – come together under one roof to share their expertise, give demonstrations and hands-on workshops, and deliver seminars.
Knowing that it would be taking place at the end of September at London’s Olympia, I knew that Camexpo would be the perfect arena for the official debut of my Just For Tummies range.
My range has been over two years in the making so it’s little wonder that I was both nervous and excited to bring my Tummies products to a wider audience at the exhibition. It was Just For Tummies’ first road trip – and what I hoped would be a fantastic platform to spread our wings and showcase my range of digestive health supplements and Tummy Tea.
Since this was my first visit as an exhibitor, I was able to have a stand in the ‘Innovation Zone’. This is an area of 16 smaller stands, dedicated to businesses that have never exhibited before, which makes it a popular area for people looking for something new and a bit different.
My bijou but beautiful stand. We received many compliments on how fabulous it looked – and I have to agree!
I really had no idea how the range would be received at the exhibition, but ever the optimist, I went in feeling hopeful and confident, mainly because I believe so passionately in the positive effects these supplements can bring to all those people struggling with digestive health issues. Well, nothing prepared me for the reception that the Tummies range got. Therapists, members of the public and several journalists from publications such as Woman and Home, and The Mail of Sunday’s ‘YOU’ magazine visited the stand – and every single person loved what they saw. At times, the Tummies stand was three deep in people wanting to look at the products and obtain information. We were buzzing!
I met so many lovely and committed therapists who want to collaborate with Just For Tummies to promote good gut health to their own clients. They all understand that good health begins in the gut – our root system, and until you fix and heal the gut, it’s pointless doing anything else. It’s always extremely gratifying to meet so many like-minded people and know that we share a common vision.
To top off a fantastic two days, my Tummy Tea and my Live Bacteria multi-strain probiotic came in the top 5 in the ‘New Products’ competition. We were overjoyed. With over 200 brands exhibiting, many of them much larger and more established than my own, this was quite an achievement – even if I do say so myself. It just goes to show that the hard work pays off and when you believe in something enough, that message will find its way to the right people at the right time.
My prize-winning products, Tummy Tea and Live Bacteria
What was just a dream two years ago is now well and truly on the road to realisation. The brand has been unveiled to a large number of my contemporaries and my head is buzzing with all the plans we have to keep growing the business, developing the range, and most importantly, reaching out to the many millions of people who need help.
I couldn’t have wished for a better start. I may have returned home with blisters on my feet and a croaky voice, but I was on too much of a high to notice. I couldn’t have done any of this without Kevin, my husband, who did a lot of the donkey work, packing products, assembling the stand, taking photos and making sure I was fed and watered! To celebrate the success of our trip, we went to a wonderful Turkish restaurant in West Kensington and treated ourselves to sumptuous plates of lamb, chicken, delicious salads, halloumi and rice, all washed down with some very drinkable Turkish lager. Even digestive health experts need to splurge from time to time!
