Private Label Trade Show kicks in today

The 2019 Private Label Trade Show kicks into gear this morning at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

While the show, staged by the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA), officially began Sunday with a slate of seminars and an opening reception, swarms of show goers will take to the exhibit floor today and Tuesday. The PLMA is expecting about 5,000 attendees, including buyers and executives from U.S. supermarkets, mass merchandisers, drug chains, discount, club, convenience and dollar stores, in addition to online and specialty retailers, foodservice distributors and wholesalers.

The trade show will present more than 2,500 exhibit booths from store brands manufacturers of every size and description, crossing thousands of categories in food, beverages and snacks, health and beauty, OTC, household paper and cleaning products, housewares, general merchandise and more. International products will also be in the spotlight with national pavilions from more than 25 countries, presenting exhibitors and products from Europe, South America, and Asia. The show floor is open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Monday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Show goers will also notice an emphasis cannabidiol (CBD) products and plant-based meats on dedicated sections of the show floor. More than a dozen CBD suppliers from across the U.S. and Canada have signed up for the show, including Mile High Labs, Contract Pharmacal, Shikai, Blue Sky Hemp Ventures, Elixinol and others. Several plant-based meat product companies will also exhibit their products, including burgers, sausages, meatballs, meatloaf, breaded and non-breaded chicken-less tenders and other.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who served as the 23rd commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) from 2017-2019, will deliver the keynote for the opening breakfast this morning.

Ali Dibadj, a partner at AllianceBernstein global asset management company, will be the featured speaker for the Retail Trends Breakfast on Tuesday. Dibadj’s speech will focus on “How Retailers Are Building Billion Dollar Brands” and what that means for the retailing and consumer brands strategies.