This year’s SupplySide West, held Oct. 5 to 9 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, set the bar as the industry’s gathering point where science and strategy intersect as nearly 14,000 people were in attendance on for this year’s event. Attendees included those from the dietary supplement, food, beverage, animal nutrition, personal care, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, packaging and sports nutrition marketplaces.

The show hit some record highlights including:

C-level executives, procurement buyers and other professionals from the following companies were in attendance: Abbott Nutrition, AdvoCare, Arbonne International, Aveda, Barilla, Bausch & Lomb, Inc., Bil Jac Foods, Chobani, Church & Dwight, Diamond Crystal, Diamond Foods, Inc., Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Garden of Life, GNC, GlaxoSmithKline, Mars Petcare USA, Mead Johnson Nutrition, MediFast Inc, NBTY, Nestlé Purina, Niagara Bottling, PepsiCo, Perrigo, Procter & Gamble, Quest Nutrition, Reckitt Benckiser, Red Bull GmbH, StarKist Co., The Clorox Company, White Wave Foods and more.

“It is always fantastic to set new records of audience and show floor expansion at SupplySide West," said John Siefert, president of the Global Health and Nutrition Network at Informa Exhibitions, “However, this year was extra special as we ushered in a new global era alongside our colleagues at Vitafoods—and we are just getting started."

SupplySide West attendees boasted the value of the show, as well. “SupplySide West is the event where I come to meet new companies, find the latest ingredients and learn new things. By attending, this helps provide us a sense of where the industry is going and this will guide our company in 2016," said Abdoulay Dieng, Ph.D., senior scientist, Life Extension Foundation.

SupplySide West’s education programming was sponsored by BASF and included 16 short sessions and eight in-depth panel discussions. Aligned with Natural Products INSIDER—the global media brand for SupplySide West—speakers addressed important issues including sports nutrition ingredients, laboratory and analytical testing, healthy weight management, meeting the 2015 dietary guidelines, clean label, sweetener solutions and more.

“The Education Program once again lived up to its reputation as the go-to gathering point where science and strategy intersect," said Anne van Gastel, business director, BASF Human Nutrition, North America. “It is a privilege to support Informa in presenting these dynamic sessions. Attendees continue to tell us how the content helps them drive product development and market opportunities throughout the supply chain to the store shelf. Now, the challenge is to leverage this valuable information as we all strive to create quality products that resonate with consumers."

Attendees also sought learning and networking opportunities in the expo hall at the SupplySide Central. Offering a variety of interactive, quick-paced programming designed to delve into some of the hot topics facing the industry, SupplySide Central featured topics from the Ingredient Launchpad, where exhibitors highlighted their new products, to the 4th Annual CPG Editor’s Choice Awards, where SupplySide West recognized the most innovative product launches in supplements, and food and beverage. The list of winners is available here.

“Our team is dedicated to providing great information that drives product ideation and market launch," said Heather Granato, vice president of Content, Informa Health & Nutrition Network. “From short, dynamic programming at SupplySide Central, through the Education Day and our variety of long-form workshops and summits, attendees and exhibitors connected with content and industry experts that will support their own business development."

SupplySide West and Informa Exhibitions capped off its successful show with a US$17,028 donation to Vitamin Angels. This year’s “SupplySide Cares" program donated $3 from every paid registration to support this impactful nonprofit that is dedicated to bringing vitamin supplementation to at-risk populations in need—specifically pregnant women, new mothers and children under 5.

Hosted by Informa Exhibitions, SupplySide West is an annual tradeshow and educational forum that is the finished product manufacturer’s gathering place for top performers, trends, scientific advances and networking. SupplySide West is all about the exploration, discovery, innovation and marketing strategy around the development of finished consumer goods that drive the global business economy. In its 20th year, the SupplySide West 2016 show will be held Oct. 4 to 8 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.