Diversified Communications denied entry to 34% of registered attendees to its Natural & Organic Products Expo (NOPEX) earlier this month in a bid to crack down on ‘unwanted selling’ during the show.
NOPEX took place at ExCeL London from 14-15 April. Following feedback from exhibitors that too many companies were attending to sell to both exhibitors and visitors without paying for a stand, Diversified decided to vet every single registrant for relevancy.
“It was a time-consuming process and resulted in a staggering 34% of our registration being denied entry via an email before the event,” NOPEX marketing director, Jenni Sandells told EN. “We have always had a robust process, but we recognised that further action was needed. We knew we couldn’t carry on letting anyone in based on trust, with both sellers and sample collectors, becoming an increasing problem. So, we took decisive action.”
The robust vetting of registered visitors resulted in a 16% drop in total attendance, with NOPEX recording 6210 attendees across the two days. However, according to Sandells, “the number of legit buyers was up, the quality was better, and our exhibitors had a much better show.”
Exhibitors seemingly welcomed the move. Kriss Glenville, MD of The Natural Health Practice said: “In the show’s 28-year history, the quality of the visitors was the best we have ever seen.”
Organic Food consultant, Simon Wright said: “Well done for NOPEX 2024. It was a brave move to cut down unwanted attendance but my clients who had stands said it paid off, with them seeing fewer but better-quality leads.”
Meanwhile, event director, Annie Lindsell said: “We’re thrilled with the reaction to NOPEX this year, and our crack-down on non-exhibiting companies wishing to come to the show has definitely worked, with many people saying that this was the best show they have had for several years. As one exhibitor said, the quality of the audience is much more important than the quantity.”
Natural & Organic Products Expo (co-located with Natural Food Expo and Natural Beauty Expo) returns to ExCeL London from 11-12 May 2025.
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