Network with peers, meet with expert advisors, and discover new solution providers in the Marketplace. Use the event app to connect and schedule meetings.

 Join Rashid Ali, co-founder of the fastest-growing U.S. natural meat snack brand Chomps, as he shares the story behind the brand's remarkable rise to success in the meat snack market. Discover how Chomps, a once-emerging brand, transformed into a powerhouse recognized for its innovative approach to healthy snacking.

During this session, Ali will delve into the origins of Chomps, highlighting the initial inspiration and the challenges faced while building the brand. He will unveil the strategic decisions and key milestones that propelled Chomps into the limelight, captivating the taste buds and loyalty of consumers nationwide.

Learn valuable insights into the unique marketing strategies, product innovation, and branding techniques that helped Chomps differentiate itself in the market. Prepare to gain invaluable lessons learned, as Rashid shares the highs and lows encountered on the road to success, along with the key takeaways that shaped Chomps' growth trajectory.

This fireside chat promises to be an enlightening and inspiring session. Don't miss the opportunity to learn from the co-founder of Chomps as he unravels the secrets behind the brand’s success over the last 9 years.

As the retail industry continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly challenging for emerging brands to carve their space and thrive. Join Leon Nicholas, a leading expert in retail strategy and innovation from WestRock, for an insightful exploration into the critical success criteria necessary for emerging brands to scale in the retail landscape.
 
In this session, we will delve into three core vectors of retail alignment, as well as review case studies of success at scale. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the retail landscape and the critical elements required to elevate your brand to new heights of success.
 
Key takeaways:

• An understanding of the drivers of emerging brands’ success in the US over the past five years
• Three criteria that will determine success in mass market retail—why innovation is not enough
• Learnings from other emerging brands that have thrived at retail and how they applied the success criteria to drive their growth

Network with peers, meet with expert advisors, and discover new solution providers in the Marketplace. Use the event app to connect and schedule meetings.

What's the next big thing? What's our secret sauce? How do we create & launch category-disrupting innovation? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? This talk will address strategies to help you create the future of food, drawing on decades of innovation experience, expertise, and examples that Pete and the Mattson team have used in partnering with some of the biggest and most exciting emerging brands.

You'll leave this session with tips to support your work in: 

• Developing new product pipeline plans
• Positioning your innovation to win 
• Producing real solutions for real consumer problems
• Creating strategic operating plans to enable scale 

Join us for an engaging panel discussion, where industry experts in co-manufacturing and co-packaging will share valuable insights on successfully navigating different key growth stages. As emerging brands embark on their journey to establish and expand their market presence, understanding the considerations at each stage becomes crucial for sustained growth and operational excellence.

During this panel discussion, our speakers will delve into the intricacies and challenges of various growth stages. They will shed light on critical considerations that impact product development, manufacturing, packaging, and supply chain strategies.

Key topics to be explored include:

1. Launch Phase: Understanding the need for the completion of product and process development before using a CoMan. Learn how to find the right co-manufacturers and co-packagers aligned with your product and ultimately the brand’s vision.
2. Scaling Up: Discover strategies to follow allowing smoother transition from small-scale production to larger volumes while maintaining product consistency, quality, and cost-efficiency.
3. Expanding Distribution: Explore the challenges and opportunities of widening your distribution channels. Gain expert advice on selecting the right partner to prepare for multiple channels of product distribution with varied market requirements and regulatory compliance.

Our panelists will draw from their diverse experiences across different industries. They will share practical insights, success stories, and lessons learned, providing you with actionable strategies to successfully navigate each growth stage.

Join us for this dynamic discussion and gain a deeper understanding of the considerations crucial for emerging brands at different key growth stages. Whether you are a brand founder, executive, or industry professional, this session promises to equip you with the knowledge and inspiration to unlock the full potential of your brand.

Network with peers, meet with expert advisors, and discover new solution providers in the Marketplace. Use the event app to connect and schedule meetings.

Different financing options become available to your company as you grow, depending on stage and channel mix (i.e. wholesale and direct to consumer). 
 
Whether you are seeking money for equipment, working capital, inventory, real estate, or other uses, this session will help you to understand the range of financing options available to you at your particular stage now - and in the future as you continue to grow.
 
You will learn how to qualify, and how to best use these options to support your company's strategic objectives. With this knowledge, you'll be able to lay out your optimal long-term plan and achieve the lowest overall cost of financing.

At a certain point in a brand’s growth, incorporating some form of automation into operations will become a necessity in order to efficiently scale production. There are also benefits related to quality, operational costs, and company culture. 

Topics of discussion for this panel include:

• Where to start: From assembly to inspection to material handling, it’s important to identify which manual processes will benefit the most from automation to improve output.
• The robotic workforce: How to leverage collaborative robots to work side-by-side with operators.
• Tools to boost productivity and quality: From analytics to predictive maintenance, the ability to collect and contextualize data is an important aspect of automation.
• Machine-as-a-Service: New service models take on the responsibility of onsite equipment.
• Sustainability: Automation allows manufacturers to better manage resources to eliminate waste and increase energy efficiency.

Network with peers, meet with expert advisors, and discover new solution providers in the Marketplace. Use the event app to connect and schedule meetings.

In this session, presented by the OpX Leadership Network, we will explore the concept of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and how it truly impacts your bottom line. While purchase price is one element when making a decision for a capital project, there are other aspects related to operating and maintenance costs that will impact the total cost. We'll look beyond the price tag to these ongoing costs that factor into the true cost of running machinery, from design and application through maintenance and environmental concerns. 

Throughout the session, real-world examples of how brands have successfully implemented TCO methodology to understand bottom-line costs will be shared. You will leave this session with the tools to identify and quantify the costs that will impact your business far beyond the day the equipment begins producing for your business.

Think you want to partner with a large company - or perhaps license or sell your proposition to one? This talk will focus on things that large companies are looking for as they evaluate new propositions to bring into their portfolios. From business model fit to consumer acceptance to fit with strategy, Ken will cover a number of critical topics large companies use when making portfolio decisions. He will use concrete examples from projects he was worked on in the past to bring these concepts to life. His 28 years at Procter & Gamble were focused on bringing new ideas to life for consumers in brand portfolios that were either already existing or entirely new to the company, and these insights should help you better form your pitch for a higher success rate in transferring big ideas to the marketplace.

Join us for an insightful panel discussion with CPG founders and c-suite representatives as they share their growth journey. In this session you’ll gain valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities involved in scaling manufacturing operations from real-life scenarios.
 
Our CPG panelists will discuss the lessons they have learned along the way, including best practices for managing supply chain logistics, optimizing production processes, and building strategic partnerships with suppliers and manufacturers. They will also share their insights on how to balance quality and scalability, how to maintain brand integrity, and how to navigate the complexities of regulatory compliance.
 
Panelists include 2022 EBA grant winners Sara Delaney, Founder of Sarilla, and Clarice Owens, Co-Founder of Pescavore, as well as Alexia Lundberg, CPO of Will Perform.

Our grant winner will be announced during this special networking reception.

Network with peers, meet with expert advisors, and discover new solution providers in the Marketplace. Use the event app to connect and schedule meetings.

NOTE: This event is now SOLD OUT

As Emerging Brands Summit comes to end, we invite you to jump start your PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2023 show experience with an aquatic and acrobatic extravaganza supporting the future workforce.   Gather with colleagues and customers and enjoy a private performance of "O™" by Cirque du Soleil®. 

All brand owners and end user attendees of Emerging Brands Summit are eligible to receive complimentary tickets to this special event, including general admission seating and drinks/snacks at the theater. (offer not valid for sponsors/suppliers)

Complimentary shuttle transportation to the Bellagio will be available immediately following our networking reception.