ROCKWALL, Tex. — April 17-19, members of the natural products industry — including independent retailers that sell dietary supplements, beauty products, clothing and organic products — came together at the Hilton Dallas/Rockwall Lakefront for SOHO Healthfest 2026.
During the event, which is produced by SENPA, attendees were presented with a full day of top-notch education programming to keep them abreast of new developments in the ever-changing industry.
Every SOHO Healthfest includes discussions centered around emerging industry trends and the latest health research. This year, sessions tackled topics such as mushroom supplement quality, gut integrity essentials, uric acid and immune support from zinc. Also, presentations addressed practices to help natural products retailers build their businesses, such as how to leverage skin science to boost sales.
According to SENPA Executive Director Debra Short, education is the main attraction at SOHO Healthfest because of the high-quality presenters that are scheduled every year.
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“Our education is what attendees come for,” Short said. “They definitely get deals when they go on the show floor, but they come for the education because we bring top-notch educators. We don’t bring somebody who doesn’t have good quality information to share with our group. It’s real education and people love it.”
Making Quality Connections
Attendees also love the quality of the networking the show offers. SENPA is dedicated to creating a space where professionals can make real connections with their peers, in part because SOHO Healthfest is a smaller regional event.
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“We pride ourselves in bringing networking opportunities. Retailers are able to talk one-on-one, exchange business practices and just have time to communicate with each other. They have time to talk to their local salespeople in more depth because they’re not at a huge show,” Short said. “This industry is a very passionate industry, so being able to communicate with your peers is probably right up there with the education.”
Encouraging the Next Generation of Professionals
The younger professionals in the natural products field are especially encouraged to participate in SOHO Healthfest to ensure that businesses in this space continue to thrive. In fact, SENPA has a group within its organization — Emerging Leaders in Natural — specifically designed to keep the next generation of professionals excited and engaged.
“There’s a lot of people out there recognizing that we’re aging out as far as the mom-and-pop shops are concerned, and there are new, vibrant youth coming in wanting to take up the reins on that,” Short explained. “We’re constantly trying to promote these new young leaders that are coming into the industry.”
SENPA also organizes two other events for its natural products stakeholders. The SOHO EXPO will be at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando Sept. 10–13, and Oct. 7, the organization’s SOHO Northeast event will be held at the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott.
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