With a goal of a healthier world by shifting towards a more plant-based lifestyle, the Plant Based World Conference & Expo (PBW) is slated for June 7-8, 2019. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City will welcome this rapidly evolving community.
The event will focus on establishing a home for the rapidly evolving community of human beings by making the shift towards a more plant-based lifestyle. PBW will feature an exhibit floor ripe with innovative plant based foods, beverages, products, services and brands as well as an educational conference with separate tracks for healthcare professionals, businesses and consumers.
What led to the decision to create the Plant Based World Conference & Expo? Who is the team of entrepreneurs behind the JD Events?
JD Events is a boutique trade show management company that established a reputation over the past 17 years launching, running and growing professional events across a diverse range of industries. In the winter of 2017 Joel Davis, Founder and President of JDE, was looking into emerging markets that could potentially be served by a trade event, and also help serve to create a better world. Around this time Ben Davis, Joel’s son, who was passionate about the plant-based movement after personally shifting to a vegan lifestyle, recognized the growth of the plant-based market and the lack of any dedicated event serving it. Ben developed a business plan for the first and only 100% plant-based trade event, presented it to the team at JDE and Plant Based World was born.
What is the niche that the JD Events saw for this show?
Plant-based products can be found at all sorts of events throughout the world. On one side you have consumer facing vegetarian food festivals. These events are 100% plant-based but do not offer brands any real networking, education or buying opportunities. On the other hand there are major food trade shows which offer all of those opportunities but plant-based is just one small, but growing category amongst many others. JDE saw the need for an event that could bridge the gap and be entirely plant-based focused to tap into the passion behind the movement, but also professional and trade focused in a way that can add value to exhibitors and attendees in a way that no other event can offer.
Who’s the target show EXHIBITOR?
The target exhibitor for PBW is any company selling a product that is designed to be an alternative to a product that is traditionally made from animal ingredients. Examples would be plant-based burgers and meat replacements, cheeses, milks, yogurts, ice creams, etc. These are the categories that are seeing the most growth in the market. That being said, any company seeking to market itself towards health and sustainability conscious customers is welcome to exhibit, provided that their products are 100% cruelty free (no animals in ingredients or production process).
How would you outline their needs?
Our exhibitors’ needs are incredibly diverse. Some are early stage and looking for investment. Others are further along and are seeking large retail or food service contracts. Some are looking to be recognized by the medical community as healthy options to recommend to patients, while others are more interested in marketing directly to consumers.
How will the new show fill that need?
PBW will fill these needs by bringing together a diverse audience that no other event can offer. Major investment groups are involved ranging from mission driven firms like StrayDog and New Crop Capital to mainstream players like Tyson Ventures. An Industry Buyer Council has been developed which includes leaders from top distributers and retailers such as UNFI, DPI, KeHe, Sprouts, Dot Foods and more and all will be walking the show floor with teams of buyers. The 2-day Food Solutions for Human Health Summit at PBW is offering CE credited education for a diverse range of healthcare professionals. And Saturday, June 8, is Community Day and open to the general public, giving exhibitors a chance to demonstrate their products directly to the consumer audience.
Who’s the target show ATTENDEE?
The target attendees for PBW are mainstream food professionals interested in learning about and experiencing the shift in consumer demand for plant-based foods and products.
How would you outline their needs?
Modern day restaurants, food service providers and retailers need to offer plant-based options if they want to grow and ultimately stay in business. This can be harder than it sounds as there are a variety of different products on the market and ways to incorporate them on to menus. Professionals need access to the latest products and education on how to properly incorporate them into their business.
How will the new show fill that need?
PBW will feature an expo floor with over 100 leading plant-based brands. Attendees will be able to sample and purchase plant-based products that can open up their business to a whole new customer base. The expo floor is complimentary to any qualified trade professional.
PBW also offers the Eat For The Future Business Forum, with 2 days of world-class education diving into the unique challenges that businesses face when transitioning into the plant-based market. Sessions will feature diverse panels with content for food service providers, retailers and brand developers.
We’re sure you’re encountering, “Oh, another show”. Let’s dig deeper and talk about what is going to make this different?
The explosion of the plant-based market in 2019 cannot be ignored. PBW is the only event giving this market the credit it deserves with a dedicated focus on the hottest trend in all of food. Placed in the middle of the media capital of the world in NYC, PBW is the only event that will both celebrate the passion and community behind the plant-based movement while also bringing it to a mainstream audience of individuals and businesses curious about learning more about what plant-based has to offer.
Let’s back up for a second and talk about the deeper meaning of a restaurant/chef making a commitment to a plant-based menu?
This is a great question for Brad Barnes, Director of Consulting for The Culinary Institute of America. Brad is presenting a workshop in the Eat For The Future Business Forum titled “The Philosophical Shift Towards a Plant-Based Kitchen”. He describes it as a complete overhaul of everything a chef or restaurant owner has known, taking apart all the pieces of the engine and putting it back together. While this seems daunting, it gives those who are up for the challenge an opportunity to establish themselves as a business ready to be successful in a new and evolving food industry. PBW is the place for food service professionals to find the resources they need to keep their business up with the changing times.
Talk about the EAT-Lancet Commission’s report on Food, Plant and Health.
It’s no secret, and the science is indisputable: our food system needs to change for the sake of both human health and the sustainability of the planet. Animal-based and processed foods are the leading cause of many of the top chronic diseases and the agriculture needed to produce those foods is the leading cause of environmental destruction. Putting more wholesome plant-based foods on the plate is one thing that all humans have within their power to positively impact both personal health and the health of our world.
Why should a restaurant be concerned with feeding the 10 billion people that will be on the earth in 2050?
The real question here is why should a restaurant be concerned about staying in business, and the answer to that is obvious. There is no changing the fact that more and more consumers each year will be seeking out healthier, more sustainable food options. If a restaurant wants to continue to exist in the future it will seek to educate itself on this shift and create menu items that will excite this next generation of customers.
At the center of this report was that in 1900, two thirds of our protein came from plant foods. Somehow in 1985, two-thirds were coming from cattle. Your thoughts?
The meat and dairy industries are powerful. Their lobbying efforts and marketing have convinced the world that we need these foods in order to be healthy and strong when that is simply not the case. In 2019, people everywhere are waking up to the notion that they can fight back against these political juggernauts simply by making different choices at mealtime.
Talk about the impact that the Greenhouse gasses and the saturated fats from that switch has had on our lives?
Don’t forget the destruction of rainforests… 70% of which is burned down for animal agriculture, destroying the “lungs of our planet” aka the Amazon while making our friends and families sick with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. If we keep thinking electric cars are going to save our environment, or heart disease drugs are going to cure our illnesses, we are never going to make any progress. There is a root cause of all of these issues and it has to do with what we eat and how we produce it. If we address that root cause, we have the ability to create real change.
Let’s assume, a chef or restaurant owner “gets it”. Does that mean that a vegan diet is the only solution?
Certainly not… if every restaurant goer was able to order even one more plant-based option a week, think of how much of an impact that would make. The goal – and the mission behind Plant Based World Conference & Expo – is not to make everyone vegan… rather it is to give people the knowledge and power they need to add more plant-based products to their lives in whatever way makes the most sense for them.
There are plant-based burgers out there that are indistinguishable from beef, plant-based milks and cheeses indistinguishable from dairy… Some people may choose to go fully vegan and that’s great, but if others simply switch out a traditional animal product for a plant-based alternative once in a while, that’s great too!
The future holds both an opportunity for new all plant-based restaurant concepts, but at the same time there is opportunity for burger and steak joints that offer one or two truly appetizing plant-based options. Where a restaurant falls on that scale is up to their business strategy, mission and customer base. The key is to not lose out on the “veto vote” where one person in a large party can’t eat a single thing on the menu so the whole group chooses to eat at a different establishment.
How does a visit to the show provide the beginning of a strategy that makes “sense and cents”?
It makes sense because attendees will leave with a better understanding of the shift that is taking place within the food industry and awareness of products and strategies available to take advantage of that shift. It will make cents once those strategies are implemented in a way that works for the business and begins to increase sales with both new and existing customer bases.
Can this mission be phased in?
Absolutely. One example is a family friend of the Davis’s, Bourassa Catering that operates B Muse Cafe in Wallingford CT. After much urging from the plant-based Davis family, the Bourassas added a plant-based protein bowl to their prepared food shelf in the cafe. The bowl sold out the first day and has gotten them excited to try more creative options to tap in to the clientele interested in these options. It can be as simple as adding one new menu item, figuring out the best way to position and market it, seeing how customers respond and going from there.
How will the show provide a “lifeline” for support after the show to be able to implement these changes?
The networking that will take place at the event itself will provide the lifeline for businesses after the event. Attendees will leave with new connections with colleagues in the food space, leaders in the plant-based movement, product manufacturers, health professionals and consumers who could be potential customers. These connections will be an invaluable resource for businesses moving forward in this space.
What’s the next step for a potential exhibitor or attendee to get more info?
Visit www.plantbasedworldexpo.com and be sure to check out the Keynote Presentations and Eat For The Future Business Forum under the education tab. Visit the PBW official news website for news from around the plant-based foods industry and be sure to join the mailing list for both news and event updates. Interested exhibitors contact Michelle Bonina at 203-416-1924 or michelle@theplantbasedworld.com, or contact Ben Davis at 203-416-1923 or ben@theplantbasedworld.com with any questions.
