FitExpo LA 2020 Recap

This weekend we visited FitExpo LA. This location is FitExpo’s biggest show of the year – and the show did not disappoint. We were pleasantly surprised at the turnout of brands. Whether you attended, wished you could have, or if you are a brand thinking about jumping into the expo scene, pay attention to the following three takeaways.

Less Sports Nutrition, More Health and Wellness

Typically at FitExpo, there are only sports nutrition companies and competitions. This year however, there were way more health and wellness brands. We saw companies like Celsius (pictured), Après, PB Fit, and more along with our favorite sports nutrition brands. It allowed more variety into the show that we really enjoyed seeing.

Some of our customers skipped out on the show this year – we did not see ProSupps, Inspired, Cellucor, etc. We think that they are choosing to spend on the bigger shows, like the Arnold and Olympia.

Making a Booth Experience at FitExpo LA

In order to make people remember your booth, you have to figure out a way to make it an experience for attendees. Something that will have people talking – like BSN did this year.

BSN created a VR experience for everyone who walked through their booth. The scene is this: You’re on a beach in Miami, and two of BSN’s professional athletes are doing a workout. Then they hand you a product – while handing it to you in real life. How cool is that? Not only did BSN nail the VR experience, they made it the most memorable booth in our minds.

Brands are trying to figure out retail through experiences. Have you ever considered that Amazon can never have an actual interaction? The ideas of human connection and creating a community don’t apply to e-commerce brands. Yes, there’s social media, but good old fashioned human connection cannot be replicated on the internet.

VR is a sign of things to come, so look for that at Athleticon/the Arnold later this year.

From Dietary Supplements to Functional Health Foods

The health/nutrition industry has started to shift. More and more brands have begun creating functional health foods as opposed to supplements. Health foods that serve multiple purposes have become the “thing” in the nutrition industry. We saw this movement at the show and continue to see more functional products pop up on our social media feeds.

We saw tons of vegan options, functional protein beverages, “healthy” energy drinks, collagen and more.

What did you notice trend-wise at the FitExpo LA?