I'll go ahead and add my two cents as well. As Bob said, we'll both be providing run-and-gun posts on this site throughout Expo East in Boston, letting you know what's new and interesting in the ever-changing world of health and wellness retailing.
It should be a whirlwind couple of days, but I can tell you that we're both excited. What's most interesting for me about shows like this is to see how all the trends I've been reading about hold up. Is Fair Trade becoming the new organic, as some have said? Where do companies stand on the use of high fructose corn syrup? Who's making reusable bags these days? And, perhaps most importantly (but, admittedly, hard to gauge at an upbeat trade show), what sort of impact is the economy having?
These are the kinds of questions that sitting in an office all day long won't answer. We need to be out on the floor talking to company reps, listening in on important educational sessions — and, of course, sampling as many goodies as possible. We're going to do these things and more, and we're going to tell you all about it.
It's a tough job, but we're willing — and hungry enough — to do it.