CHFA NOW Toronto 2026 is just weeks away! This exciting and inspiring event brings together the best brands, brokers, distributors, and retailers in the natural, organic, and wellness (NOW) industry. It is also a busy and lively occasion, so you may want to have clear goals and a plan of action so that you don’t miss out on key opportunities. Here are 10 tips from industry experts for a successful tradeshow experience:

There is something electric in the moment you open your store in the morning. Those familiar faces waiting at the door are often your best customers. You may know their names, families, and health goals, but these relationships go deeper than a typical transaction and can have a lasting impact on your business.

In my last article, I looked at how businesses can consciously build their communities by keeping their goals and values central throughout the hiring, training, rewarding, and modelling processes.

 Now, I ask: how can retailers extend that same sense of community to the brands on their shelves and the brokers and suppliers who help put them there?

Everywhere I looked, there were smiling faces, excited conversations, and the easy embraces of old friends. It could’ve been a scene out of a wedding or a family reunion—instead it was one from the opening of Community Natural Foods’ new Seton, Calgary store.

I think I’ve told this story a hundred times now. Maybe a thousand.