Informa Health & Nutrition Announces Karl Heitz as Group Event Director for Natural Products Portfolio

Event management veteran with 20+ years of experience joins to lead strategic growth for Natural Products Expo West, Newtopia Now, and Organic Produce Summit

BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Informa Health & Nutrition announced today the appointment of Karl Heitz as Group Event Director for Natural Products Expo West, Newtopia Now, and Organic Produce Summit. In this role, Heitz will lead strategic event planning and execution for the division's portfolio, bringing extensive expertise in large-scale event management and stakeholder engagement.

Heitz joins Informa’s Health & Nutrition group with more than 20 years of experience managing high-visibility events for Fortune 500 and Fortune Global 500 brands and in partnership with leading global agencies. His background spans corporate, agency, and consulting roles, covering large conferences and trade shows as well as executive and customer programs across diverse industries and international markets.

Proven Track Record of Strategic Growth and Operational Excellence

Most recently, Heitz has worked as an independent event consultant, strategist, director, and producer, helping leading global organizations and agencies translate business objectives into successful live experiences. His consulting work has also included stepping into complex programs already in motion, quickly assessing challenges, filling gaps, rebuilding plans, and helping teams move forward successfully under compressed timelines. Previously, Heitz spent eight years at Prologis, where he built and significantly expanded the company's corporate events platform across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. He led event strategy and execution, developed high-performing teams, and oversaw significant event budgets while building strong partnerships with senior leadership, customers, suppliers, and cross-functional teams across the organization.

Building Teams and Scaling Operations

Earlier in his career, Heitz held operational and event leadership roles with Imprint Events Group, AXS Group, and The Arrangers DMC. At AXS Group, he helped lead post-merger integration and national expansion, bringing together operations, production, design, and creative teams while developing scalable processes and a collaborative operating structure to support a growing event portfolio.

End-to-End Event Leadership

Throughout his career, Heitz has demonstrated expertise across the full event lifecycle, bringing together strategy, creativity, financial stewardship, operational execution, and attendee experience. He has led complex event portfolios while building trusted relationships with executives, customers, partners, suppliers, and cross-functional teams. His approach combines operational rigor with a focus on innovation, evolving established programs, developing new experiences, and using technology and data to improve both audience engagement and business outcomes.

Known for his calm leadership, executive presence, and relationship-building approach, Heitz has built a reputation for developing trusted partnerships with executives, clients, colleagues, and suppliers. His ability to navigate competing priorities, bring teams together, and create confidence among stakeholders has been a consistent theme throughout his career.

A Strategic Addition to the Team

"Karl's extensive experience in transforming event operations and driving measurable business impact makes him the ideal leader to guide our natural products portfolio into its next chapter of growth," said Jeff D'Entremont, Senior Vice President, Health & Nutrition by Informa. "His strategic vision, proven ability to scale event programs through complex organizational transitions, and deep operational expertise make him an invaluable addition as we continue to grow and enhance our offerings across Natural Products Expo West, Newtopia Now, and Organic Produce Summit. Karl's track record of building high-performing teams and delivering exceptional results aligns perfectly with our commitment to serving the natural products industry."

“I am incredibly excited to join Informa Health & Nutrition and lead such a dynamic portfolio of events," said Heitz. "What excites me most is the opportunity to build on the incredible history and success of these events while continuing to evolve how we bring the community together. Great events create meaningful connections, spark new ideas, and move industries forward. I am looking forward to working with the team, our partners, and the broader natural products community to build on what has already been created, explore what is possible next, and continue delivering experiences that make a meaningful impact."

To learn more about Informa’s Health & Nutrition events, please visit www.expowest.com, www.newtopianow.com, and www.organicproducesummit.com.

About Natural Products Expo West 

Natural Products Expo West is North America's premier trade show for natural, organic, and healthy products. The annual event unites industry professionals, showcasing the latest in natural and organic across food, beverages, supplements, personal care, home goods, and sustainable packaging solutions. Expo West attracts a diverse audience including retailers, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, media representatives, and health and wellness enthusiasts, providing a platform to discover industry trends, connect with thousands of exhibitors and attendees, learn from experts, source new products, and stay ahead of market demands. For more information, please visit www.expowest.com.  

About Newtopia Now

Newtopia Now is a groundbreaking health and wellness event for the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry, organized by New Hope Network, a division of Informa Markets. This innovative B2B trade show reimagines the traditional exhibition experience by focusing on connection, community, and purpose-driven business. The event brings together brands, retail buyers, and industry professionals to co-create the next era of purpose-led CPG and retail through deeper levels of engagement, with curated meeting opportunities, interactive content, and networking sessions alongside the latest innovations in natural and organic products. To learn more, visit www.newtopianow.com.

About Organic Produce Summit

Organic Produce Summit, founded in 2016, takes place annually in Monterey, California and is the only event dedicated exclusively to bringing together organic fresh produce growers, shippers and processors with retail and buying organizations from across the globe. Organic Produce Summit is part of New Hope Network, the leading natural, organic and conscious products event organizer and industry resource for the natural and healthy lifestyle products industry. For more information visit www.newhope.com. To learn more about Organic Produce Summit, visit www.organicproducesummit.com.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio comprises more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Engineering, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, visit www.informamarkets.com. 

Media Contact

Informa Health & Nutrition PR

Pr@newhope.com

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