With more than 3,000 exhibitor booths, 510,000 square feet of show floor and tens of thousands of attendees, it takes a dedicated team of professionals with diverse skills to ensure that Natural Products Expo West is an all-around success. Representing education to operations, client services, sales, marketing, design, standards, content and more, these and other New Hopers work behind-the-scenes—for months and sometimes even years in advance of a show—to make sure each expo runs smoothly, and to support New Hope’s mission statement to cultivate a prosperous, high-integrity CPG and retail ecosystem that creates health, joy and justice for all people while regenerating the planet.

This Expo West Show Scoop series highlights some of the many people at New Hope Network who make it all possible.

Here, Katie McCoy, senior sponsorship manager, shares what she loves about Expo West and her secrets to a successful show. 

In one sentence, tell me about your job at New Hope? I oversee the sponsorship programs for all of New Hope’s events and manage the team that does everything from developing the sponsorships to final execution. 

How long have you been doing this? I’ve been managing the team for about a year now but have been on sponsorship for 4.5 years. 

What do you love about your job? I love that no two days are the same, and no two events are the same. There’s always room for innovation and improvement! 

What do you wish people knew about sponsorship? I wish people know (or hope they know) how satisfying it is to hear from a client that they had a great experience! Such a small comment after a long show or tricky event makes my day. People are quick to tell you what went wrong but hearing what went right makes you feel so powerful.  

What’s your favorite thing about Expo West? I love the Friday night concert at Expo West. It’s typically that concert that you see the most New Hopers and it’s so great to hug your colleagues and celebrate a show-well-done (or almost done!) 

What’s your least favorite thing about Expo West? My least favorite think is that Expo West usually falls on daylight savings! I’m always worried that the time change is going to cause me to wake up late, miss an event or miss my flight home!

What’s the one thing you cannot live without at EW? Band aides and melatonin gummies! Happy heels and a good night’s sleep is critical. 

Favorite Expo shoes? Allbirds! I have made it a tradition to buy myself a new pair of Allbirds for every Expo West so my collection is very healthy now!

Favorite restaurant in Anaheim? Slice in the Marriott. We wind up eating a lot of pizza in the Marriott staff office between running from event to event. 

What are you most proud of about the work you do on EW? I’m so proud that we get to help the brands that come to our show get to the next level. I LOVE seeing a brand that I had never heard about before Expo West on my local store’s shelf after the show. I think it’s a really unique perk we get to experience working in the CPG industry. 

What does the natural products industry mean to you? The natural products industry is uniquely passionate about creating a better world for everyone, and I think that’s what it’s really about. More health, more wellness, more planet-forward thinking, more community, more good.