by Josh Long
Thirteen years ago, after being hired as a reporter for Natural Products Insider following career snafus, I flew into Sin City to attend my first SupplySide West — a goliath of a dietary supplement ingredients trade show, whose new moniker (SupplySide Global) better suits its worldwide influence and attendees.
One of my first tasks at SupplySide West was to introduce Anthony (“Tony”) Young, an influential and now retired industry lawyer in Washington, D.C., during an education panel about FDA enforcement trends. I recall reading housekeeping items from a piece of paper. “Coffee is in the back. Don’t forget to attend such and such a party. Please turn your phones off. Mr. Young is a partner with ….”
Quite frankly, the administrative duties stung, reminding me of how far I had fallen from my career aspirations as a prosecutor, lawyer specializing in American Indian law, or attorney in the state AG’s office. Nevertheless, during Mr. Young’s presentation of enforcement trends and pithy analysis, I began to take earnest intellectual interest in the peculiar world of dietary supplement regulations and enforcement.
That curiosity culminated in well over a decade of reporting on FDA regulations for Natural Products Insider, which has been rebranded as SupplySide Supplement Journal.
My interest in dietary supplement regulations hasn’t waned in 13 years. Next week, for the first time, I will appear at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas as a representative of the 89-year-old Natural Products Association, which is based in Washington, D.C., and reputed for its prowess in regulations and government affairs. (For the record, NPA is a trade association and was never affiliated with Natural Products Insider, a B2B pub and part of the SupplySide family).
Now that I’m an NPA employee, I’ve highlighted below what I’ll miss most about being a SupplySider, what I definitely won’t miss, and what I’m most looking forward to next week.
What I’ll miss the most
This is an easy call. I’ll miss my duties as a moderator during educational panels at Informa’s SupplySide, especially ones focused on dietary supplement regulations, FDA enforcement and legal issues ripe for conflict.
I appreciate a vigorous intellectual debate and have always been far less concerned with who “wins” or “loses” during these educational sessions than offering a forum for different — and sometimes competing — perspectives.
I leave for another day whether there are too many industry trade associations and too much bickering among them. But let’s remember that competing views over substantive issues like what regulations should be added or eliminated, and the most effective vehicles to achieve those objectives — when debated with respect — contribute to fostering better ideas and, ideally, better outcomes.
What I won’t miss
Year after bloody year, and decade after bloody decade, we reporters and editors would receive requests (almost always at the request of a public relations professional) to meet with ingredient suppliers on the frenzied trade show floor about a press release or other “newsworthy” event.
More often than not, I’d show up at the company’s booth at the designated time, and the contact either wouldn’t be available or wouldn’t have the slightest clue why I was burning their clock when they could be meeting with a prospect, business partner or friend. I don’t blame them.
My two cents after these exasperating encounters: People are very busy at SupplySide, respect their time, and only schedule meetings when both parties have a genuine interest — and compelling reason — to connect.
What I’m most looking forward to
This is my wish list: Randomly bumping into somebody I haven’t seen in a while, meeting someone for the first time, and having an affable, genuine conversation (about business or life) that doesn’t occur over a computer screen or mobile phone, and seeing my actual friends, including a number of current and former SupplySide employees.
Serendipity is what I’m most excited about — and the cigars and whiskey.
Josh Long is VP of communications and regulatory affairs with the Natural Products Association. You can reach him at jlong@npanational.org.