On March 2 I will board a plane for good ol’ John Wayne airport in Anaheim to hit my ninth Natural Products Expo West. I’m already wondering how the current economy will affect this normally bustling, up-beat, quintessential naturals event.

Will there be less booth babes, samples and a lot more window shopping?

Somehow I don’t think so. So many of our industry members are inexorably linked to the products they make and sell. To be less enthusiastic about their wares or less excited about stocking their stores with the greenest, purest products would require more than a tough economy. It’s what makes our industry unique; it’s not just the products we use, but also how we think and feel. So I envision a show floor packed with earnest sellers and buyers, excited to be among friends.

In addition to scouting for story ideas and meeting with industry members, NFM editors will be producing an electronic show daily. You know those huge cinderblock pillars in the middle of the show floor, our press room is housed in one of those. But we’ll spend most of our time on the show floor reporting. Each day of the show, visit our web site www.nfm-online.com for all the news from the show floor, events and seminars on our website. You might even find yourself or company among the podcasts, video, photos and written word.

As always, feel free to contact me at: [email protected]