Attending any exhibition such as The Natural & Organic Products Show, as an exhibitor, can be expensive and for a new small company, such expenses need to be taken into consideration in the scheme of things.
However, I decided that it was a priority to attend the trade exhibition, The Natural & Organic Products Europe that was held at Excel on the 2nd and 3rd April. It’s the biggest show of its kind attracting thousands of visitors from health stores, as well as practitioners in natural health. All the big brands are represented at the show and it is the place to be if you want to showcase your products. It was the ideal event to launch my new For Women live bacteria capsules that I developed to help women that suffer with urinary tract infections and thrush.
I love attending exhibitions, either as a visitor or exhibitor. I always thoroughly enjoyed organising and attending exhibitions when I was the Vice-Chair of The Association of Registered Colon Hydrotherapists (ARCH). The Chair of ARCH, Gill Edwards and me would set up the stand, with the help of our husbands, and we would absolutely love talking to people about how modern colon hydrotherapy can help improve common digestive and gut problems, like constipation, bloating and irritable bowel syndrome. There is such a buzz around these events and I think one of the reasons is because the venue is full of like-minded people, interested in natural health and wellbeing.
I had a small stand at the end of one of the rows, not too far from the Health Theatre stage where there were many interesting lectures, from Deliciously Ella, Robert Verkerk, Patrick Holford, Madeleine Shaw and Sebastian Pole (off Pukka Teas) to mention just a few.
We had a great two days. Many times during the show my Just For Tummies stand was mobbed, with the vitamin, mineral, supplement buyers from a range of health shops including Planet Organic, Wholefoods Markets and J.C. Bell & Croyden (pharmacists to the Queen and Royal Household) loving the range and taking away samples.
I couldn’t have done it without the help of my husband Kevin, who was the fetcher and carrier, helping to build the stand and ensuring there were plenty of drinks. At these events, it can be difficult to leave your stand especially at the busy times.
Extra special thanks to Louise Righton and the fabulously talented medical herbalist Katherine Bellchambers for helping me out, answering the many questions that were raised. We left the show absolutely exhausted, but also elated at having made some great contacts and doing what I love, talking to people that have digestive and gut problems, and finding a solution to help them.
