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Newtopia Now 2025 will feature carefully curated events, education, and networking opportunities. These experiences are designed to foster meaningful connections between industry leaders, innovative brands, and purpose-driven buyers in the natural products space, delivering valuable learning experiences both on and off the show floor.
Click here for the full agenda.
Community Experiences
Newtopia Now community experiences are unique offsite gatherings aimed to foster networking, community engagement, and exploration beyond the event venue.
Stay tuned for the full 2025 agenda!
We Don't Waste, Pack & Give Back Convention Center:
Wednesday, August 20 | Colorado Convention Center 10:00am - 11:30am
Join fellow industry leaders in giving back to the community by assembling grocery bags filled with non-perishable food and essential household items for families in need. In partnership with We Don’t Waste, this hands-on experience offers a meaningful way to connect with peers while making a tangible impact. Light snacks and beverages will be available, offering time to network and discuss shared commitments to sustainability and food access.
In Partnership with:
Plants with Purpose
Wednesday, August 20 | Denver Botanic Gardens
10:00am - 2:00pm
Immerse yourself in the beauty and wisdom of the Denver Botanic Gardens, where nature, wellness, and herbal traditions come together. In partnership with the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), this experience offers multiple ways to explore:
- Guided Tours with Herbalist Leaders – Join expert herbalists for an in-depth exploration of the gardens, learning about the medicinal, nutritional, and cultural significance of key plant species.
- Self-Guided Tours – Wander at your own pace with informational materials to deepen your understanding of the gardens’ diverse plant life.
Following your garden adventure, a private reception space will offer a relaxed setting to connect with fellow attendees with curated food and beverages. Whether you’re engaging in insightful discussions, discovering new plant knowledge, or enjoying the scenic surroundings, this experience is designed to inspire and connect. Rideshare is encouraged for attendees. Please note: Transportation is not provided.
In Partnership With:
We Don't Waste, Pack & Give Back Warehouse:
Wednesday, August 20 | We Don't Waste Facility
1:00 - 3:00pm
Step inside the heart of We Don’t Waste at their Denver warehouse for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their food recovery efforts. Attendees will tour the facility, meet the WDW team, and assist in sorting rescued food for distribution to local communities. This immersive experience offers the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals while directly contributing to reducing food waste and hunger. Please note: Transportation is provided for the attendees of this Community Experience.
In Partnership with:
Women in CPG Luncheon and Keynote
Wednesday, August 20 | Ophelia's Electric Soapbox
11:00am - 3:00pm
Back for its second year, the Women in CPG Luncheon is a powerful gathering designed to celebrate and uplift female leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers in the consumer-packaged goods industry. This event provides a dynamic space for mentorship, inspiration, and connection, fostering a strong community of women and allies shaping the future of CPG.
Enjoy a curated lunch and beverages in a welcoming roundtable format, designed to spark engaging conversations and forge meaningful relationships. A live DJ will set the vibe, creating an atmosphere that balances energy and connection. Whether you're a seasoned executive, an emerging founder, or an industry ally, this luncheon offers a space to share insights, explore opportunities, and champion the advancement of women in CPG.
Please note: Transportation is not provided.
To elevate this experience, we're excited to present an inspiring keynote from mental health advocate Jenn DeWall, whose message resonates deeply with women navigating leadership in the CPG landscape:
Jenn DeWall
Mental Health Speaker
Connection Over Perfection: The New Rules of Rising Strong
In a world that often rewards polished perfection over honest presence, showing up as your authentic self can feel risky—or even impossible. But here’s the truth: real resilience, confidence, and success are built on authenticity and connection, not hustle and hiding. In this engaging, funny, and relatable keynote, Jenn DeWall explores what gets in the way of authenticity—like fear of judgment, burnout culture, comparison traps, and the unspoken pressure to “have it all together.” She’ll guide attendees through the mental trip hazards that keep us performing instead of connecting, and reveal how embracing vulnerability and imperfection is actually the key to thriving. Most importantly, we’ll dive into how to build a strong support network—because rising alone is hard, but together we thrive.
Neighborhood Experiences
Conscious Beauty & Wellness Pitch Event
Thursday, August 21 | 3:00 - 5:00pm | Thrive Stage
Join us for a high-energy celebration of the industry's most innovative beauty, wellness and supplement brands—representing some of the fastest growing and most exciting categories in today's CPG landscape. Witness fast-paced pitches of next-gen products and compelling stories aimed to impress an elite panel of industry leaders—influential investors, key retailers and CPG pros—who can transform their trajectory and accelerate their growth. Don't miss this chance to experience tomorrow's beauty and wellness innovations today at Newtopia Now.
Sponsored by:
Thrive Café | Thrive Neighborhood
The Thrive café provided a unique experience that seamlessly transitioned from a coffee bar in the morning to a mindful beverage bar in the afternoon. Attendees discovered the latest beverage innovations from brands offering a variety of coffee, milk, and non-alcoholic beverages with the added touch of skilled bartenders crafting custom mocktails.
Sponsored by
Glow Salon | Glow Neighborhood
The Glow Salon is the new destination for conscious beauty and wellness. Glow revealed the future of conscious beauty with products that make us feel great inside and out. The salon is where attendees were able to try many of these products for themselves – from icons of clean beauty to the best new finds in people – and planet-friendly skincare, makeup, hair care, fragrance and so much more!
Sponsored by
CPG Unwrapped: Product Spotlight Event | Thrive Stage
Ten brands. Five minutes each. They showed us everything they got. The thrive neighborhood’s product spotlight event helped attendees find their next best-selling CPG innovation.
See which brands participated here.
Keynotes
Michael Costello
CEO, GNC
What GNC’s CEO Wants Emerging Brands to Know
Friday, August 22 | Thrive Stage | 11:30am - 12:15pm
Retail success doesn’t happen by accident—and at GNC, one of the most iconic names in health and wellness retail, the bar has never been higher. In this rare, unfiltered conversation, GNC CEO Michael Costello shares exactly what it takes for emerging brands to move from pitch to shelf in today’s fast-changing market.
With a focus on practical brand education, Michael will address the most common mistakes he sees from early-stage companies and offer clear, actionable guidance on how to build meaningful, long-term retail relationships. From understanding how GNC defines need-states vs. traditional categories to the role of science and consumer demand in shaping decisions, this session is all about helping brands get smarter, faster. You won’t hear buzzwords or blanket encouragement here—just real talk from a retail executive who believes in helping founders get to “yes” or “no” with clarity and purpose.
Special Events
Neighborhood Networking Night
Wednesday, August 20 | 5:00 - 7:30pm
Neighborhood Networking Night at Newtopia Now connects attendees over food, beverages, and live music. Stay tuned for more details about this exciting evening!
Mile High Morning Yoga
Thursday, August 21 and Friday, August 22 | 7:30 - 8:30am | Bluebird Terrace
Start your day rejuvenated with a guided yoga session against the backdrop of Denver's beautiful skyline! This energizing experience provides the perfect opportunity to center yourself before the Expo Hall opens.
Sponsored by:
Neighborhood Happy Hours
Thrive Neighborhood | Thursday, August 21 | 3:30 - 5:00pm
Regenerate Neighborhood | Thursday, August 21 | 3:30 - 5:00pm
Glow Neighborhood | Friday, August 22 | 3:30 - 5:00pm
Join your industry peers for an evening of networking, drinks, and fun in each of Newtopia's neighborhoods.
The next era of networking has arrived at Newtopia Now, where buyers and investors reach a deeper level of engagement with natural, organic and purpose-led brands. Here, you’ll not only gain access to changemakers across the conscious CPG marketplace but you’ll also zero in on the right brands for your business through Conscious Connections — a custom matchmaking platform powered by Beacon Discovery.
Using more than 100 filters, buyer profiles and product data based on each brand’s ingredient standards, Beacon Discovery intelligently matches you with companies to fast-track collaboration. The platform even helps you book meeting times and locations in the Connections Lounge after your match is mutually approved. Prefer to DIY your connections? Use Beacon Discovery's advanced search tools to facilitate your self-curated exploration and arrange conversations with potential partners.
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