Last month, the same day the Fancy Food association announced it would cancel its own September trade show, New Hope sent an email promising it would push on with Expo East, confident that there would be no last minute cancellation. That held true for both Expo East 2020 and Expo West 2021, which was first delayed, then cancelled. New Hope, in turn, set up a multi-million dollar fund to help defray costs and promised that all future cancellations would be announced with plenty of time to spare. That late cancellation - no matter how prescient given the rapid spread of the virus that followed - left many brands frustrated, complaining that they would be unable to recoup travel, hotel, setup and shipping costs given many were already on their way to California and booths had already been erected. In 2020, as brands pulled out and safety concerns increased, New Hope finally pulled the plug on the show the night before the first sessions were scheduled to begin. Now, it’s the ability of event planners to build a safe space even as the Delta variant expands and the country’s population has engaged in a mixed response to anti-transmission and vaccination measures. In March of 2020, it was trying to understand the scope of the infectiousness and danger represented by a new coronavirus. Then, as now, concerns around COVID-19 were beginning to snowball.
Meanwhile, New Hope is dealing with a legacy of uncertainty following the rocky road to the last-minute cancellation of New Hope’s 2020 Natural Products Expo West, the company’s flagship event.
However, in conversations with brands and entrepreneurs across CPG, NOSH found lingering questions remain among attendees as to safety protocols, possible financial losses and if there will be enough retailers in attendance to justify their presence. New Hope, a subsidiary of trade show producer Informa, has assured attendees that the climate has since changed and it’s time to gather in-person.
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