Buyer-focused hours
In 2026 the show held buyer-only time before the floor opened each day. Your best reps should be on the floor for it.
Sampling hosts, demo hosts, booth reps and brand ambassadors for Natural Products Expo West. A Southern California crew briefed on your ingredients, allergens and sell sheet. $85 an hour per person, no travel line on the bill.
Sources: New Hope Network’s 2026 figures via our Expo West guide; Anaheim Convention Center data from our venue guide.
At Expo West a grocery buyer decides in the time it takes to taste. Purple Exhibits staffs Natural Products Expo West exhibitors with local sampling hosts, demo hosts, booth reps and brand ambassadors at $85 an hour for each person; everyone on the crew lives in Southern California, so there is nothing to pay for travel. Expo West 2027 runs March 2–5 at the Anaheim Convention Center, with the exhibit halls open March 3–5. We staff the buyer-focused hours with reps who can talk margin and the open floor with samplers who keep the line moving, and we brief everyone on your ingredients and claims. Book six weeks ahead; rush bookings need 72 hours.
| Show dates | March 2–5, 2027 · exhibit halls March 3–5 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Anaheim Convention Center |
| Last edition | 66,000 registered attendees and 3,200+ brands (2026) |
| Audience | Trade only: grocery, natural and specialty buyers, distributors and investors |
| Rate | $85 per hour, per person, every role |
| Book ahead | 6 weeks · rush 72 hrs |
Expo West days have a rhythm: buyers first, then the crowd. Set your sampling stations and reps to see the crew for each part of the day.
Brands that have booked Purple
From our Expo West 2027 exhibitor guide. Programs can change each year, so confirm them in your exhibitor manual.
In 2026 the show held buyer-only time before the floor opened each day. Your best reps should be on the floor for it.
The Launch Pad gathered new brands in the Arena. Small stands need one or two sharp people.
An outdoor market for certified-organic brands, held before the main floor opens. Sun plans and early call times.
NEXTY Awards finalists are showcased on site. A host keeps the extra traffic moving.
Halls A–E, ACC North, the Arena and the outdoor plaza. Tap an area for staffing notes.
Schematic, not to scale. Hall figures from our Anaheim Convention Center guide; Expo West’s floor plan changes each year.
Hall A has the lowest ceiling of Halls A–D at its low point. Booth staff are unaffected, but tall sampling signage may not fit; ask before you print.
Halls A, B and C share long aisles. A sampling station near an aisle corner needs two people at peak times.
Busy central aisles. Put your sharpest rep here during buyer-focused hours.
The largest single hall. Big booths here need a rep for buyers and separate samplers for the crowd.
A big floor with a low ceiling. Booths rely on people and tasting counters to stand out more than tall signs.
Opened in 2017 with two 100,000 sq ft levels. Tell staff which level your booth is on; crews load in off Hotel Way.
In 2026 the Launch Pad for emerging brands was in the Arena. Small stands need one or two people who can pitch in 30 seconds.
The outdoor organic marketplace runs before the main floor opens. Early call times, sun plans and water for every sampler.
Four big hotels next door hold more than 3,700 rooms. Buyer and investor meetings in suites need a meeting host.
Fast samplers and reps who talk margin. These are the five roles we send to Expo West.
Samplers who keep the line moving and know every allergen.
Reps who walk grocery buyers through pricing and margin.
Ambassadors who serve bites and tell your brand story fast.
Hosts for blender, kitchen and prep demos at your counter.
Hosts for the outdoor organic marketplace, with early call times.
Send your sell sheetPricing, margin and promotions.
Allergen card in writingFor every sampler.
Buyer hours coveredYour best reps on the floor early.
The people who make a tasting booth work, how many you need and when to book.
| Role | What they do at Expo West | How many | Book by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sampling host | Serves pre-portioned samples fast and knows every ingredient and allergen | Two per station at peak | 6 weeks out |
| Booth rep | Walks grocery buyers through pricing, margin and promotions | One per buyer table | 6 weeks out |
| Demo host | Runs blender, kitchen or prep demos at your counter | One per demo station | 6 weeks out |
| Brand ambassador | Tells your brand story fast and trades a taste for a badge scan | One or two | 4 weeks out |
| Outdoor market host | Samples at the outdoor organic marketplace with early call times | One or two | 4 weeks out |
| Meeting host | Seats buyers and investors on time in suites and lounges | One | 4 weeks out |
Sessions; final booth prep and staff briefing
Buyer-focused hours, then the busiest open floor
Full sampling crews and buyer meetings
Follow-ups, last samples and pack-out
From the booth approval form to the last sample. Ticks save in this browser.
Typical crews by booth size at $85 an hour per person.
| Booth | Typical crew per shift | People | Per day | Whole show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10×10 | A sampling host and a booth rep | 2 | $1,360 | $4,080 |
| 10×20 | 2 sampling hosts and a booth rep | 3 | $2,040 | $6,120 |
| 20×20 | 3 sampling hosts, a booth rep and a brand ambassador | 5 | $3,400 | $10,200 |
| 20×40 | 5 sampling hosts, 2 booth reps and a demo host | 8 | $5,440 | $16,320 |
| Emerging-brands table | One sharp booth rep | 1 | $680 | $2,040 |
8-hour days × 3 show days × $85 per person per hour. No travel, hotel or agency markup.
A booth with two sampling stations needs five people at peak: four samplers and a rep for buyers. Here is the local cost of those five, set against flying the same crew to Anaheim.
| Expo West booth, three hall days | Cost |
|---|---|
| Purple local staff | |
| Travel, hotel, per-diem | $0 |
| Your Anaheim total |
| Typical fly-in agency, same team | Cost |
|---|---|
| Staff hours at $85 | |
| Round-trip flights ~$360 each | |
| Hotel Anaheim, Expo West week · ~$310/night | |
| Per-diem ~$84/day | |
| Fly-in total |
Compared on what actually changes your results and your invoice in Natural Products Expo West.
| Purple local crew | Fly-in staffing agency | General temp agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay per hour | One flat $85, models to reps | Day rate plus travel costs | Cheap, but not booth-trained |
| Travel and hotel | $0. The team lives in Anaheim | About $360 flight plus $310/night per person | $0 |
| Local knowledge | Halls, transit and shortcuts | Arrives with a map | Depends on the person |
| The Anaheim edge | For every sampler. | Not local | Not specialised |
| Trained on your product | Briefing call and cheat sheet | Sometimes, for a fee | No |
| Lead capture | Qualifies and tags every scan | Varies | Not part of the job |
Fly-in costs use the same typical Anaheim rates as the budget above. Other agencies’ pricing varies.
About three minutes. No deposit.
We’ll email your quote within 24 hours, usually much sooner. Need it now? Call (800) 994-8030.
Buyers want pricing and promotions. Pair every sampling station with a rep.
Expo West crowds are huge. Plan samples per hour and restock on a schedule.
The first hours of each day are for buyers. Put your sharpest reps on the floor early.
Every sampler must know your ingredients and allergens. We brief it in writing.
Southern California crews fill early for Expo West. Reserve six weeks out.
Call (800) 994-8030 and ask for the Expo West desk.
$85 an hour per person with a four-hour minimum. Sampling hosts, demo hosts, booth reps and brand ambassadors share one rate, and as Southern California locals they need no flights or hotel rooms.
March 2–5, 2027, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Education starts March 2 and the exhibit halls are open March 3–5.
Plan at least two people per sampling station at peak times, plus a rep for buyers. Use the day-part planner on this page for your booth.
Yes. We brief reps on your sell sheet, margins and promotion plans, and they hand serious buyers to your team.
Yes. We brief every sampler in writing on ingredients, allergens and the claims you approve.
Many do. If your samples need staff with a California food handler card, tell us when you book and we will staff accordingly.
Yes. We send sampling hosts with early call times and sun plans for the outdoor market.
Yes. One or two sharp reps who can pitch in 30 seconds and capture every buyer.
Yes. Hostesses, door hosts and brand ambassadors for events across Anaheim.
Our Southern California coordinator sends a briefed replacement within two hours, or that shift is free.
No. Food and beverage brands at Expo West book us on their own; we operate independently. We are not affiliated with New Hope Network or Informa Markets.
Yes. We design booths around a tasting counter and handle the booth approval form, and we staff them under one plan.
Expo West week spreads across Anaheim: hotels, dinners and outdoor events. We staff all of it.
Certified-organic brands before the floor opens.
We send: Sampling hostsSmall stands for new brands.
We send: Booth repsInvestor and buyer meetings away from the floor.
We send: Meeting hostsVIP arrival, seating and tasting menus.
We send: HostessesGuest lists, door and tastings.
We send: Brand ambassadors, door hostsStaffing by show
Anaheim and this show
Purple Exhibits is an independent exhibit and staffing company. We staff exhibitors at Natural Products Expo West; we are not affiliated with New Hope Network or Informa Markets. Show names belong to their owners.
Send your product and dates. An Expo West price within 24 hours.
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