Natural & Organic Products Europe reports successful 2012 show

LONDON -- The sixteenth edition of Europe’s leading annual trade show for the natural products, health food and organic sectors has been hailed a huge success, with both exhibitors and visitors reporting a very productive and vibrant event.  Organised by Diversified Business Communications UK, Natural & Organic Products Europe featured 600 exhibitors and attracted a total of 7,352 attendees from 78 countries over 1-2 April at Olympia, London, and was highly praised for the quality of its visitors, its world-class speakers, and the wide choice of exclusive new products on offer.

Simon Barry, event director of Natural & Organic Products Europe, is delighted by the overwhelmingly positive feedback received so far:  “I would like to say a huge thank you to all of our exhibitors, visitors, speakers, and supporters, for making this year’s event the most successful, inspiring and educational event yet!” 

With the show floor buzzing with business throughout the two days, this year saw an increased social media presence, with thousands of Twitter and Facebook followers able to share in the show’s activities via live updates and photos from Natural & Organic Products Europe’s exhibitors and attendees.  Whilst the show’s popular Keynote programme also featured its first-ever Twitter-inspired session – ‘Trending Now’, which saw leading nutritionist Patrick Holford, top food journalist Joanna Blythman, Planet Organic beauty buyer Al Overton, and organic food consultant Simon Wright quizzed on everything from QR codes to punk rock.

Audience participation was also a key feature of one of the show’s biggest draws – the Natural Food Show’s live kitchen demonstrations.  Among this year’s top chefs was Tim Bouget, who gave ethical food fans a taste of what makes his award winning sustainable restaurant ODE so special, while last year’s winner of the Vegetarian Society’s coveted Cordon Vert Chef of the Future award – Jay Pindolia served up a feast of ‘Veggie Delights’.  Medicinal chef Dale Pinnock, local food champion Henrietta Green, and leading organic eco-chef Barny Haughton were also back to wow the crowds for the second year running.

“I really enjoyed the session – it was an amazing platform to showcase our cuisine to like minded businesses and at the same time to learn about, and see, all the new and exciting products in our industry,” says chef Tim Bouget, whose restaurant ODE recently won the SRA’s Sustainable Restaurant of the Year 2012 award (beating Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage).

Keynote Theatre highlights included the show’s opening session – The High Street Fights Back, with Joanna Blythman and campaigner Elisabeth Winkler among the panellists considering some timely questions affecting independents and supermarkets alike; meanwhile ‘Health food retailing – but not as you know it’, brought together leading retailers Jeff Martin (managing director of organic supermarket chain As Nature Intended) and Peter Aldis (managing director of the HollanKD VIII N7 Glowing