The Natural Products Association (NPA) announced that it will be hosting its annual conference, the Big Natural, through an online platform from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1, 2020. The virtual event will bring together leaders in business, politics, and policy, providing attendees with insights into the natural products industry as the world grapples with COVID-19 during an election year.
 
NPA announced that Daniel Cormier, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight champion, will deliver the keynote address during which he will discuss his fighting career and what he’s doing to stay healthy in retirement. Over the next few weeks, NPA will continue announcing a lineup of additional speakers.
 
“This is an event that no one in the industry can afford to miss,” Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of NPA, said. “While we may be doing things a little differently this year, we are moving full speed ahead and addressing the issues that are most impacting our industry. We are tailoring the program this year to make sure that attendees are still engaged and have the same access to the world’s leading experts in the natural products industry. This is also an excellent opportunity for the industry to make a direct investment back into the industry, with 100% of the profit going directly to education and advocacy initiatives.”
 
The two-day program will include industry-driven educational sessions, workshop programming, case studies, and interactive discussions, NPA said, in addition to ample time for networking and benchmarking. The Big Natural will bring together industry leaders, innovators, and government officials who will share insights aiming to drive the industry forward.
 
Industry-specific educational sessions will address business and regulatory concerns, NPA said, such as a discussion on probiotic regulatory hurdles led by Amy Smith from DuPont Nutrition. Regulatory insights, aiming to discuss in depth real-world challenges and issues and offer practical lessons for companies to implement will be held by former government officials, including Rich Cleland of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Robert Durkin, of counsel at AGG LLP and former deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Speakers such as David Thibodeau, senior advisor at Dunn Rush and Company, will provide insights on innovation, finance, investment, and global market opportunities relevant to the natural products space. Following each session, breakout sessions will take place to explore discrete issues faced by more specific business units and department heads.
 
The Big Natural, open to both NPA members and non-members, will attract a diverse cross-section of senior executives spanning the C-suite as well as department leadership within the retail, CPG, natural, health foods, supplements, and investment sectors with budget and/or human capital responsibility in the following areas: strategy and product development; legal, regulatory and compliance; digital initiatives, branding, marketing, and advertising; merchandizing, distribution, and e-commerce; analytics and big data; customer experience and customer service; business development and finance; quality and scientific affairs; probiotics and novel ingredients; medical and functional foods; sports nutrition; and defining “natural.”