The Natural Products Expo West is the world’s largest exhibition of natural and organic products. Expo West is held in Anaheim, California, and I made the cross-country flight to attend as a visitor.

Expo West is overwhelming. The Anaheim Convention Center is immense; every space has vendor booths. Over 60,000 attendees and 3,000 exhibitors are organized in six cavernous convention spaces. North Hall opens on the first day of the conference, exclusively for new and emerging brands. Main exhibit halls A-E open for the next three days. Each hall is organized in long aisles with booths flanking both sides. You walk down the aisle, head scanning in both directions, taking in the sights of each brand, stopping at ones of interest, including those sampling tasty food or drink. It feels impossible to see everything, like a visit to the Smithsonian or Louvre Art Museum.

I left Expo West with an impression of how many new brands and businesses are launched. Nearly 30% of the exhibitors were at the show for the first time. Almost all brands hope for a new retail partner or press publication to offset the cost of attending. As an attendee, deciding which booths to stop and engage with is overwhelming. It is even more challenging as a regular consumer to learn and try these brands in the everyday world. How do you know which new brands with which to try and engage?

At Peregrune®, we believe in the magic of the running community. We celebrate the running class, those runners balancing work, career, family, and life while chasing running goals. Some of our runners win races, but most of us are chasing our own goals of winning. Our products, articles, and content are only made for runners. Peregrune® is for you. In a large and complex world, finding a place you belong can seem difficult. But this complexity can make it easier. You can find your unique community and be pleasantly surprised to find thousands of others like you. That is our mission at Peregrune®. To celebrate and empower you as a part of the community of runners. We are a big and growing community. And we are never overwhelming to meet for the first time.

Best wishes on chasing your running goals!