HBA opens doors to biggest ever conference program

This year’s event will kick off with a keynote address given by Horst Rechelbacher, founder of both Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients, who is a leading spokesperson and advocate for the natural and organic personal care category.

Details of the conferencing program are now confirmed and the list of presentations now includes some of the biggest names from both the industry’s leading suppliers as well as finished goods players.

This year represents the 17th conferencing event, with the program divided into the general conference program, including a marketing track and a technical track, together with five clearly themed conferencing programs: private label and co-pack, X-Ceuticals, green cosmetics, technical workshops and a general trends conference.

Green cosmetics program​

Likely to draw some of the biggest crowds is the two day green cosmetics program, simply because this remains one of the most important trends in the industry, as consumers continue to move towards products deemed to be purer and more likely to contribute to an increased sense of well-being.

Highlighting this conference segment will be presentations surrounding the area of best green business practices and strategies, with presentations given by leading companies, including Burt’s Bees, Intelligent Nutrients, Revolution Organics, Firmenich, Weleda, and Yes to Carrots.

Topics for these presentations will include a wide range of issues, from sustainable packaging, technical trends, brand development and sustainable ingredient sourcing.

Confusion over naturals market still exists​

“Consumer demand for natural products and buying from companies that are environmentally conscious is not waning, but there is still market confusion on what is truly organic and natural,”​ said Mike Indursky, chief marketing and strategy officer at Burt’s Bees.

Green conferencing sessions will include guests speakers presenting on a variety of topics, including: ‘Natural, Organic, Green: Understanding the Mystery for Consumers’, ‘Creating a Successful Beauty Brand in the Naturals Market’ and ‘The Green Consumer: Go Green, Make Green’.

Moving on to the trends conference, this will include a global trends insight, given by the NPD Group, a presentation ‘Predicting Consumer Behavior’ – vitally important given the current state of the consumer market - together with a presentation about key color trends for the coming seasons.

Private labels: a winner during the economic downturn​

The private label and co-pack conference should also attract a lot of attention, given the current economic climate, with four presentation segments including ‘Capitalizing on the Influx of Consumer Traffic in the Private Label Segment’ and ‘Increasing Efficiency and Profitability in Contract Manufacturing and Packaging’.

The X-Ceuticals Synergy conference program will take place over two days, Wednesday and Thursday, and will comprise a complete set of presentations covering every aspect of this category, from formulation to product development.

The general conferencing program will take place on the first day of the event, Tuesday 15 September, and will include six presentations segments for both the marketing and the technical tracks.

Highlights of the marketing segment are likely to be presentations on ‘Ethnic Beauty’ and the ‘Prestige Market Under Recession’; while the technical segment is expected to draw significant interest for ‘Cost Reduction Strategies In Product Development’ and ‘Quality Strategies in Packaging Development’.