Event in Cancun, Mexico attracts 50 international decision-makers for unique “case study” discussion format; Tokyo next site for global Nutrition Business Conference Series

CANCUN, Mexico and PROVIDENCE, RI (March 1, 2004) – Health Strategy Consulting (HSC), a research, strategic development/implementation and reporting firm for nutrition, food and pharmaceutical companies, recently held its second annual Health Strategy Network North American Executive Conference in Cancun, Mexico on February 20 - 21, 2004.  Fifty strategic decision makers representing nutrition industry businesses from around the world attended the event that featured robust content discussions of real business issues, industry networking and unequalled knowledge-sharing through an innovative format using detailed business case studies. 

Health Strategy Consulting established the Health Strategy Network in late 2003 to create a global conference series for executives of businesses related to the nutrition industry.  The purpose of the series is for executives to learn from real life business cases and to offer attendees great networking opportunities.  The recent two-day event, second in a series of three, featured case discussions on Dr. Soy, Ocean Nutrition Canada, White Wave and Metagenics.

“This was a very exciting conference – great case studies, robust and interactive discussions, and strong executive participation,” said Tom Clough, managing director of HSC.  “Each conference that we hold continues to prove that our format is unique and refreshing for these executives. While other conferences may share data on what happened in the marketplace, our events focus on what a company should do going forward in a specific business situation.  The real value of this conference series is for the executives to hear one another detail what they would each do in a specific business situation – the level of learning from listening to different perspectives is tremendous.” 

Attendees Enthusiastic About The Value Offered by HSC’s Unique Format
Comments by attendees reflected the overall enthusiasm about HSC’s unique conference format:

• “My high expectations were met by the quality of the learning experience and the potential to spend some in-depth discussion time with participants.”
  - Chuck Slotkin of Nature’s Equity LLC based in Chatham, New Jersey, USA
• “HSC did it again.  It’s a great format and well executed.  This conference provides a combination of learning and getting to know people in the industry in a different way.”
  - Rob Minnee, business development manager at DSM Food Specialties based in Delft, The Netherlands
• “The cases were very thought provoking and I liked that we looked at both ingredient and consumer products.”  - Loretta Zapp, CEO of Applied Food Science based in Austin, Texas, USA
• “This was my first experience with HSC’s case study format and I would like to do it again.  It offers good networking, and a great selection of retail, manufacturing and ingredient studies.” 
  - Dan Murray, associate director technical development of Lonza based in Woodstock, Georgia, USA
• “The conference met my high expectations which was based on past experiences.  I love the format, exploring issues with bright, experienced, like-minded people.” 
  - Jan Mills, president of Artemis International Inc. based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA

In addition to the feedback from the attendees, the companies that submitted case studies also found great value in the conference. 

• “The case study of my company was very enlightening and confirmed that we are on the right track.”
  – Dr. Ari Babaknia, founder & chairman of DrSoy Nutrition based in Irvine, California, USA
• “The conference was excellent in terms of size and unique in the level of interactivity that was created.  I was pleasantly surprised by the format, which allowed me to hear participants ideas and to see how other CEOs think about problems.”
  – Robert Orr, president of Ocean Nutrition Canada Ltd. based in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada

Clough added that HSC is committed to this conference series. “From the beginning our intent has been to create a global conference series, and we will continue our expansion with our next event in Tokyo, Japan on May 20-22, 2004,” Clough said  “We will create an environment that addresses the issues of doing business in Japan.  We have a great list of case studies and our attendee list is very strong – both from within Japan and outside of the country.  Having worked in Japan for the past five years, we will design this event to ensure a level of learning and networking that cannot be found at any other event.”

Health Strategy Consulting has strategically identified a need to have Executive Conferences each year that circle the globe.  The next conference will take place in Tokyo on May 20-22, 2004, followed by our Pan-Pacific event in Sydney, Australia on November 11-13, 2004. 

For more information about the Health Strategy Network Executive Conference series, including registration details, please visit  http://www.health-strategy.com/confseries.html. 

ABOUT HEALTH STRATEGY CONSULTING (HSC)
HSC is comprised of a group of professionals with expertise in research, development and implementation of health-based strategies for nutrition, food and pharmaceutical companies.  With global knowledge ranging from technology development and ingredient manufacturing to licensing and retailing, the firm provides customized consulting services including strategic development and implementation, market overviews and research, partnering, and specialized industry reporting and workshops.  For more information including sample projects and our global experience, visit www.health-strategy.com.

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