Exhibit Design and Sampling Ideas from the Natural Products Expo West Show

If your soda doesn’t pack protein and your gummies, creatine, you need to up your snacking game. Protein-fortified everything, products with fewer ingredients, and women’s health products dominated the aisles at the Natural Products Expo 2026, which brought about 60,000 attendees from health and nutrition communities to the Anaheim Convention Center, March 3-6.

Consumers are in the midst of a cultural reset, and, across income levels, shoppers are looking for foods that support their personal health and well-being goals, according to the Food Institute. The growing interest in GLP-1 drugs is also contributing to the shift in the natural foods space.

Creative sampling, floating product props and stadium-style storytelling were just some of the ways that brands brought the flavors and functionality to life. Small spaces make a big impact. Colors and textures popped. EM was on-site to take on the tasting.

 

Chobani

Celebrating its partnership with U.S. Soccer for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, Chobani tapped into that sports energy with a stadium-style booth centered around a sampling bar, with the brand’s family of products on tap. The bleachers were filled with attendees—and product SKUs—while themed culinary bites, such as the strawberry shortcake, added an extra layer of storytelling and deliciousness. (Partner: Pink Sparrow)

 

Oatly

If you’ve never elbowed your way for a sample or a better shot, you haven’t tried to score a Melon Matcha at the House of Oatly. Baristas were working non-stop to keep those samples going, and the cameras were rolling for that social content that only a conveyor belt of deliciousness can bring. (Partner: Factory 360)

 

Violife

Cravings without compromise was the theme of the Violife Wildly Good City, where the edgy urban vibe met bold dairy-free flavors and edgy, disruptive experiences, like the drum show. The Cravings Cafe dished out caramel apple mocktails and cheesecake, among other treats. The subway car doubled as a meeting space and a content creation hub. (Partner: Steelhead Productions)

 

Kodiak

Everything about this booth encouraged attendees to get outside, right after fueling up with the brand’s protein-packed waffles and dark chocolate power cakes. The exhibit was anchored by the sampling bar, but the action was spilling over into the concert happening in the great outdoors, across the path from the gondola, referencing the U.S. Olympic team sponsorship. 

 

DryWater

Sampling stations with dedicated arches in a tunnel? Yes, please. DryWater enveloped attendees in the brand with a thoughtfully designed retail-grade experience right on the showfloor. (Partner: West Coast Exhibits)

 

Live More

Riding the wave of pastels and glow light, Live More also scored with an oversized product prop and a sample machine. 

 

Oats Overnight 

The energy of the product was all over this highly visible exhibit, featuring the brand’s packaging colors in its architectural elements and sampling zones. (Partner: Highway 85)

 

Cedar’s

A whimsical outdoor feel went perfectly with fresh dips by Cedar’s, with thoughtful lighting and bougainvillea adding splashes of color and dimension. 

 

Grüns

Fresh, bright and vibrant is how you want your greens, especially if they’re in gummies. That was the vibe across Grüns’s multiple locations at the Expo, anchored by a bodega-style market. Custom furniture and flooring added to the splash. (Partner: Yes Creative Co.) 

 

Hint

Floating cans and furniture centered around oversized pieces of fruit brought flavor to this sleek exhibit that felt fresh and fun. (Partner: Good Times Creative)

 

Fage

Arguably, the best part about a Fage yogurt is flipping in the topping, and the brand leaned into that interaction with a floating prop the size of the logo. Impossible to miss, delicious to mix. 

 

Guittard Chocolate

Delicate and elegant was the message of this chocolate brand, with coconuts juxtaposed against the white cutout tree and the manufacturing process outlined on a beautiful, clean backdrop.  

 

The Better Bar

Arches, neons, pastels, a curved sampling bar, all the trending design elements converged to highlight two products in a warm and welcoming way. 

 

Tropicana

From Izze to Naked, Tropicana’s brands came under one roof with this fresh and vibrant exhibit centered around an orange tree. Neon accents and dynamic imagery on suspended elements added to the glow. 

 

O Positiv

If you’d never walked through a giant vagina before, now was your chance. O Positiv made a bold statement about women’s health and brought once-taboo conversations into the limelight with an impossible-to-miss booth featuring gynecological exam chairs to highlight the discomfort of that experience, as well as sampling stations and bathroom vanities for product testing. (Partner: AKJOHNSTON Group)

 

Bloom

Bloom Nutrition’s booth centered around a very busy sampling bar with product stations and a mock fridge display flanking the exhibit and giant cans floating overhead. Creatine Gummies were evaporating out of the sampling bins. (Partner: Good Times Creative)

 

Simply Pop

Taking a step beyond a traditional sampling bar, Simply Pop invited attendees into the Aura Bar, where they could get their “aura reading with a twist,” with each aura color associated with one of the brand’s flavors. 

 

Smash Kitchen

Bright, clean colors and messaging coupled with warm butcher-block countertops made for a modern pantry feel in Smash Kitchen’s booth, showcasing organic pantry staples. (Partner: SKTCH Events)

 

Poppi 

Cans were cracking as attendees stepped into a “poppiverse” portal, a vibrant, bubbly experience just like Poppi’s soda. Hot-pink merch bags attendees received on exit splashed brand love all over the show. 

 

LaCroix

Giant floating cans, colorful backdrops and counters made of packaging boxes all made for a fresh and bright exhibit, perfect for launching the new Sunshine flavor. Just in time for spring!

 

---

For questions or to share an exhibit build credit for inclusion, email Anna Huddleston.