2026 ExpoWest Trends: Innovation, Energy, and Beef Tallow

When are the next season’s trends revealed? Long before the ordering season begins. Trend directions are identified well in advance through in-depth research and trend scouting. They show retailers what will sell in the upcoming season and help outline future product ranges. These insights are then presented as Key Colors and Trend Themes in the TrendBlog, the TrendSet Journal, and across TrendSet’s social media channels. This early trend preview gives exhibitors planning security and helps trade visitors make informed ordering decisions — for a more efficient and inspiring trade fair experience. TrendSet 💙 International Trade Fair for Interiors, Inspiration and Lifestyle | Next TrendSet Fair 📅 11 – 13 July 2026 at Messe München

Stop getting caught up in the hype. It's a bold prediction and controversial, but I see Expo West declining in coming years. All their other shows (Expo East, Newtopia Now) have not done well and this is their last main gem. This year, I heard from MANY who said the expense was NOT worth it. Even attending from out of town is $2K+ for plane tickets, hotel, and travel expenses. I mentioned in a post the other day, I only go there to see friends and do some networking, but I can easily pick up the phone, or meet up in person. Yes, it feels good to see people, but spending 2-3 days walking around and running into people where I can just call them or fly out to meet them seems easier and less expensive. $4,000 badge prices for manufacturers, TOO many booths, TOO many expenses for brands, and other more affordable trade shows and events coming online CPG X (Shannon Peffley) , Startup CPG (Daniel Scharff) and other local networking events. 😲$20k+ spent ALL-IN by brands, only to be in a sea of 3,000 other booths 😱Too much to cover for investors and retailers, too many brands that get lost 🤬Their pricing is out of control, charging people wanting to attend and grow their own brand. 10 years ago, it was around $500, now it's $4,000 But hey I'll look on the bright side, at least I got 3 full totes of samples from brands like Simple Mills, The Only Bean, Mid-Day Squares, Perfect Snacks, Harmless Harvest, Undercover Snacks and many others! My family is happy with that.

As consumer demands around sustainability, innovation, and brand experience evolve, the role of the trade fair is shifting. We sat down with Enrico Fasola, Marketing & Communication Director at honegger group, to discuss how these global trends have shaped the blueprint for the London Home Fragrance Show. ❓Q: Across the different sectors you work in, what shifts are you seeing in how brands use trade shows to respond to new consumer demands around sustainability, innovation and experience – and how does The London Home Fragrance Show reflect those shifts? 💬 Enrico: "We see a clear shift in the way brands approach trade shows across all the sectors we work in. First, trade fairs are no longer just about ‘being present’ with a stand; they are used as strategic touchpoints within a broader, year-round marketing and sales journey. Exhibitors expect the show to help them tell a story – around sustainability, innovation, or brand experience – that continues before and after the event through digital channels. Second, the content dimension has become central. Brands look for formats where conferences, talks and live experiences are curated and relevant, not just an add-on. They want to connect with buyers, but also to position themselves as part of a community that is moving the sector forward. The London Home Fragrance Show has been designed with these dynamics in mind. The focus on a single category allows us to create content and experiences that speak directly to how consumers are changing – from sustainability expectations to the growing role of wellbeing and sensoriality in the home. For Honegger Group, LHFS is also a way to demonstrate how a B2B event can integrate brand storytelling, networking and measurable business outcomes within one coherent format.” Join the conversation in London this July. Link in the comments. #LondonHomeFragranceShow #HoneggerGroup #TradeShow #LeadershipInsight

Observation from walking through exhibitions across different industries. Over the past few weeks I had the chance to walk through several very different trade shows — from industrial exhibitions to Alimentaria in Barcelona. One thing struck me. At some industrial shows, people quickly notice that visitor traffic appears thinner than before. The usual conclusion is that the exhibition itself is weaker. But after walking through many exhibitions over the years, I’m starting to wonder if visitor numbers are no longer the most interesting signal. What seems more revealing today is buyer behaviour and overall industry mood. At several industrial exhibitions recently, many visitors were not necessarily there to place orders. They were there to understand risks, compare suppliers, and observe market direction. The technology on display was still impressive. But the decision cycles appear longer. Part of this may be structural. Pricing stability has become harder to maintain. Energy costs, materials, logistics, and geopolitics have introduced more uncertainty into cost structures. In that environment, even good innovations may not immediately trigger purchasing decisions. What made this observation interesting was the contrast with Alimentaria. The food industry faces many of the same global pressures — inflation, supply chain disruption, and geopolitical uncertainty. Yet the spirit at Alimentaria felt noticeably more optimistic. Companies were still launching products, exploring new markets, and talking about growth. The technology itself was not necessarily more revolutionary. But the industry sentiment felt different. After spending years walking through exhibitions across automation, manufacturing, and food industries, I’ve begun to feel that trade shows reveal something deeper than technology. They reveal how industries think about the future. Sometimes what moves markets forward is not only innovation — but confidence that the future is worth investing in. A question for those who attend exhibitions regularly: Are visitor numbers still the best indicator of market health? Or are buyer behaviour and industry sentiment becoming the more meaningful signals? I’m particularly interested to hear perspectives from exhibitors, buyers, and show organisers. Your observations may help shape a follow-up piece I’m planning — looking at how exhibitors and trade show organisers might better respond to changing industry sentiment. #TradeShows #ManufacturingIndustry #FoodIndustry #IndustrialAutomation #ManufacturingTrends #GlobalSupplyChain #IndustrialInnovation #Alimentaria

Sharing this from our publisher, Kenneth Tan. Are visitor numbers still the best measure of market health, or have buyer behaviour and industry sentiment become more meaningful signals? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Coming back from Expo West can be dangerous. And not just your GI system after all that protein. You leave inspired… but also with more ideas than your innovation pipeline can handle. Protein in everything. Functional ingredients everywhere. New formats around every corner. The question isn’t whether there were good ideas. It’s which ones actually matter for your brand. So here’s something we’re doing for teams that attended Expo West. At Accelebrand, we run quick idea screens using real social ads to see which ideas actually resonate with consumers. Your ideas. Real consumers. Results back two weeks from stim lock. Before you spend months developing something based on a trend deck, you can see how people react in the real world. Here’s the difference. Most idea screens rely on surveys or concept tests. Which means people are forced to read, think about, and give an opinion on something they might never notice in real life. We take a different approach. We put the idea in front of people in their social feeds and watch what they actually do. Do they stop scrolling? Do they click? Do they engage? Behavior, not opinions. If you came back from Expo with a few ideas you’re excited about but want to sanity check before they turn into six-month innovation projects, send me a note and I’ll show you how we pressure-test them in the real world. #ExpoWest #CPGinnovation #ConsumerInsights #MarketResearch

It’s hard to believe, but in just over a month we’ll be walking the floor at #TheNAMAShow. And every year, I’m reminded why this event matters so much to our industry. It’s not just about walking the floor. It’s not just about the equipment, the technology, or the new products. It’s about the conversations. It’s about operators sharing what’s actually working. It’s about suppliers pushing innovation forward. It’s about reconnecting with people who understand the challenges and opportunities in #ConvenienceServices better than anyone else. The education sessions are another big part of it. Real insights from industry leaders who are in the trenches every day, sharing lessons that help all of us improve and grow. As someone who has been involved with the National Automatic Merchandising Association in different capacities over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how much thought and effort goes into making this show better every single year. I’ll also be leading a session designed specifically for first time attendees where we’ll talk about what to expect at the show, how to navigate the expo floor, and how to get the most value out of your time at the event. If you’re an operator, a supplier, or someone thinking about entering this space, this is where you see the future of convenience services and #UnattendedRetail up close. I’ll be there — looking forward to learning, connecting, and bringing new ideas back to our team. Who else is heading to Los Angeles? 📍 Los Angeles Convention Center 📅 April 22–24, 2026 🏢 400+ exhibiting companies, including 120 first time exhibitors 🌐 thenamashow.org #MicroMarkets #Vending #OfficeCoffeeService #SmartCoolers #SmartMarkets

The busiest trade show booths don’t stay inside their booth. They take over the aisle. Within my first hour walking the Expo West floor, the different stood out. Some booths were packed. Others — with very similar products — were nearly empty. Same category. Same price range. Same show. Completely different results. After watching the floor for a few hours, a pattern started to emerge. The busiest brands didn’t stay inside their booth. They took over the aisle. The brands that created crowds did a few things consistently: • Large teams interacting with attendees • Staff wearing highly visible branded outfits • Team members actively handing out samples in the aisle • Energy that extended well beyond the booth footprint One brand had more than a dozen team members in bright matching outfits working the aisle. Nearby booths had two or three people standing behind the table. The difference in traffic was immediate. In other words: They didn’t wait for traffic. They created it. Once a small crowd formed, something interesting happened. More people joined. Then more. Because at trade shows, human psychology kicks in quickly: “If it’s busy, it must be good.” And the crowd feeds itself. After years around packaging and CPG brands, patterns like this tend to repeat themselves. Trade shows are one of the fastest ways to see how brands actually operate. Great brands don’t just build products. They create momentum. And momentum attracts attention. For founders and operators who exhibit at trade shows:: 💬 What’s the most effective tactic you’ve seen a brand use to drive booth traffic? #CPG #BrandBuilding #ExpoWest #ConsumerGoods #Entrepreneurship #Founders #Branding #Marketing #Strategy #BusinessStrategy #RetailStrategy #Packaging #Retail Chomps Natural Products Expo (This is two photos that I spliced together to give the wide view.)

Most visitors walk through an expo looking at products. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀. At 𝗔𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, the entire food ecosystem appeared under one roof, packaged and processed FMCG brands, packaging companies, food machinery manufacturers, hospitality supply chains, utensils, presentation equipment, and display solutions. For businesses in the food and FMCG space, this kind of environment offers a rare on-ground snapshot of how different parts of the industry interact. Given that 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, my first instinct in such environments is to observe shifts in market patterns, what is changing, what is staying relevant, and what signals the industry is quietly sending. After a full day of conversations and roughly 14,000 steps across the halls, a few patterns stood out. 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿. 𝗜𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Whether product quality, consumables, or presentation, almost every player is investing in it. Even smaller brands are improving standards, which means branding alone can no longer compensate for weak fundamentals. 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Products are increasingly competing on how they look and feel alongside their functionality. Whether this shift is driven by consumers or by industry differentiation is still unclear, but the direction is evident. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. Free samples were widely used to attract visitors, but often without clear brand communication. If someone enjoys the product but cannot recall the brand later, the marketing effort loses much of its value. Another pattern was exhibitors focusing on immediate sales to recover exhibition costs. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘀. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. #Aahar2026 #FMCG #FoodIndustry #PackagingIndustry #BusinessStrategy #MarketingStrategy #DurvaaInnovations

Sharing this reflection from our founder after visiting AAHAR 2026 at Pragati Maidan. Industry expos often reveal far more than what is displayed at the booths. They provide a live snapshot of how businesses are thinking about product quality, presentation, branding, and market positioning. A few patterns from the food and FMCG ecosystem stood out clearly, especially the shift in baseline quality expectations, the increasing importance of aesthetics in product presentation, and the execution gaps that often appear between marketing intent and on-ground brand recall. For businesses operating in competitive consumer markets, these signals matter. Markets reward strong products, but sustainable scale comes when marketing, positioning, and execution are supported by clear structure and disciplined thinking. #Aahar2026 #FMCG #FoodIndustry #BusinessStrategy #DurvaaInnovations