Suppliers’ Day 2011 was exceptionally well attended by cosmetic chemists, product developers, contract manufacturers, retailers and distributors alike. It is the only event on the West Coast truly dedicated to ingredients and raw materials as represented by the supplying companies. They boast the advantage of having only ingredient suppliers with no educational classes, allowing every supplier to bring out their scientific teams to the showroom floor. Here, in depth formulation questions can be answered directly by the research and development scientific teams without the usual “let me get back to you with that information” delays. This is remarkably different than most other industry shows as business is facilitated, in the moment, on the floor.
Also, formulators can speak with the ingredient suppliers and have samples sent right from the showroom floor. This is analogous to having a meeting with every supplier at the same time, reading like a chapter out of time management 101. The show organizers aided in this process by grouping supplier pavilions together whereby similar technologies were represented.
Ross Organics marketed all their raw ingredients in a user friendly environment with intimate conference tables set up for each product. While conversing with the suppliers attendees could enjoy a complementary tea and espresso bar. There was the original Jungle Safari row, hosted by DDChemco, a string of booths featuring jungle themed ingredients. Every single booth in this whole area offered truly unique, exotic, tropically influenced ingredients.
The Product Developers flocked to the new booths in anticipation of being inspired to create the next hottest offering. This could be anything from a new biotech or life science ingredient that has shown successful clinical trials, natural and sustainable actives, or a replacement for an endangered or controversial ingredient. No matter what the focus, the scientific teams were able to answer all the questions in detail.
The free event offered a lunch both days for attendees and exhibitors alike, allowing more time for social networking and business development. The next West Coast event will be held two years from now in 2013.
urrency translations for the coming quarter to be neutral against increased net sales in the region of 3 to 5 percent, a figure that should be driven by rising consumer prices and productivity, but counterbalanced by higher commodity costs.