Start Expo by checking out what your competition is doing, with the Retail Store Tour, Thursday, March 11, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is provided but grocery buyers should save room to taste the goodies in the Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace in the Anaheim Marriott parking lot from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Head back to the convention center for the Natural Products Expo West Welcome Reception at 6 p.m. with dancers, food and beverages from New Zealand. Check out “Getting around Anaheim” on page 44 for late-night hotspots to hit after the reception ends.

On Friday, head to A Better Breakfast, sponsored by Cascadian Farm, Horizon, Muir Glen and Silk, for a nourishing meal at 7:30 a.m.; then check out New York Times writer Jane Brody’s session on Living with the End in Mind in room 204AB at 8:30 a.m. After a lunch break, head to room 207B for the educational session From Gluten to Casein to Nuts: Helping Consumers Avoid Common Food Allergens. To learn more about another growing trend, attend the 4:30 p.m. session Reaching Latino Populations in room 207A. Grab some grub at The Organic Center’s 7th Annual VIP Dinner at 6:30 p.m., which benefits organic agriculture research. Friday night, bust a move to Julian Marley at the Live Music Party at 9 p.m.

Start Saturday with Bill McKibben’s keynote session on Food, Economy and 350 in room 204AB at 9 a.m. Then hit the show floor until 3 p.m., when you can attend the Retailer Tool Box in room 204AB and learn the seven traits that make for a perfect natural foods store. After so much education and conversation, wind down at the 7th Annual Organic Wine & Beer Festival at 6 p.m. 

–Morgan Bast