This year’s virtual event is structured in four online segments, starting in late January. This will allow attendees to easily fit the event in their schedules and will give time to digest and reflect on the content. All of the events are scheduled to start at 11 AM Central time and run for about two hours.
Changes in retail
Building on NutraIngredients-USA’s category-leading 2020 in-person event that took place in San Diego in January, the 2021 version will kick off on Jan. 28, 2021 with an event titled The changing retail landscape for Sports Nutrition.
This segment, which will be hosted by NutraIngredients-USA Senior Correspondent Danielle Masterson, begins with a fireside chat with noted consultant Joshua Schall, principal of J. Schall Consulting. Schall, who was director of business strategy with sports nutrition marketer MusclePharm during that brand’s heyday, has built a reputation as an insightful commentator on go-to-market strategies for sports brands.
Schall has been deeply engaged in the rapid changes in the market brought about by the pandemic, and has seen first hand how this unprecedented event has accelerated underlying trends. This year has seen online sales grow even more rapidly than they had in years prior. And product categories have shifted rapidly, too, with SKUs aimed at healthy lifestyle customers gaining ground while products aimed at dedicated gym rats have lost momentum.
Joining Schall and Masterson for a panel discussion will be Mike Archbold, CEO at the Council for Inclusive Capitalism and former CEO of GNC, and Marc Brush, principal in the consulting firm Bend LLC and former editor of Nutrition Business Journal. As with all of the panel discussions during this year’s virtual event, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions in real time.
Microbiome opportunities
The second event, titled The Opportunity of the Microbiome, is set for Feb. 4, 2021. The event, which will be hosted by NIU Deputy Editor Hank Schultz, will feature a keynote talk by Prof. Chad Kerksick, PhD, of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. Prof. Kerksick has participated in some of the recent cutting edge research in this area that investigates the impact of acute and chronic exercise and nutritional interventions on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses that impact muscle function, hypertrophy and atrophy in athletes, aging, and other clinical populations.
A live panel discussion moderated by Schultz following the keynote talk will feature Dr. Ralf Jäger, PhD, of the scientific consulting firm Increnovo, as well as Nathan Price, PhD, co-CEO of Onegevity Health and Paul Schulick, CEO of For the Biome and co-founder of legacy supplement brand New Chapter. Also joining the live panel will be Paul Cotter, PhD, Senior Principle Research Officer, Teagasc Food Research Centre in Cork, Ireland.
Recovery formulation challenges
The third session of the event, titled Recovery, is set for Feb. 18, 2021. The keynote slot will filled by a fireside chat between Schultz and Hillary Allen, an elite class ultra distance athlete with a personal story on recovery. Allen suffered career and even mobility threatening injuries as a result of a long fall during a mountain running race in Norway. Allen defied expectations to compete again. Then, when recovering from yet another serious leg injury, Allen took up cycling as a restorative activity and in two months went from never having competed in the sport to finishing the Dirty Kanza 200, one of the most grueling gravel road cycling races in North America. Allen will give attendees an insight into the process of working with a sports nutritionist to refine her supplementation strategies and will lay out what athletes need and expect in partnerships with sports brands.
A live panel for this portion of the event will also feature Abigail O’Connor, head of nutrition for the University of Michigan and Kris Gethin, CEO of sports nutrition brand Kaged Muscle as well as Richard Schell of Rousselot and Jeremy Appleton of PLT Health Solutions.
Female Athletes, Esports
The final session of this year’s event, titled White spaces in Sports & Active Nutrition from the Female Athlete to E-Sports, will take place on Feb. 25, 2021. It will feature Dr. Susan Kleiner, PhD as the keynote speaker. Dr Kleiner is principal of the nutrition consulting firm High Performance Nutrition and adviser to several professional sports teams. Her talk will feature first hand accounts from several female athletes about their experiences in refining their approach to nutrition to achieve best performance.
A live panel discussion moderated by Masterson will feature Fabian Broich, head of performance for Excell Esports, which competes in the top League of Legends European Championship. Also on the panel will be Elyse Lovett of Nutrition 21 and Steve Fink of PLT Health Solutions.