The origins of a new-age, alternative-lifestyle, natural-products "Expo," can be traced back to the early 1970s and the days of the Whole Earth Catalog, a widely popular alternative mail order catalog. The Whole Earth Company began the first Whole Earth Expo. By 1975, Whole Earth Expo was an established tradition in the counter culture of the time.

Other shows arose concurrently, with the Whole Earth Expo's success. In 1982, Alan Goldman began producing shows for the National Health Federation in New York. At the same time, Joseph Cotler had founded the Whole Life Times and worked with Alan to produce an Expo in New York for the Whole Life Times - the first Whole Life Expo.

By 1983, Joseph and Alan were doing shows in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Joseph sold the Los Angeles market rights to Paul Andrews in 1986, and the San Francisco market rights to Ken Kaufman in 1986. Both California producers proceeded to expand Whole Life Expos into cities across the country, bringing Expo's new-age ideas to a wider public and helping to establish a nationwide community focused on alternative health and alternative ideas

In 1996, Paul Andrews partnered with the Newfane Group (a division of Prudential Securities) to upgrade the infrastructure and ultimately take the Whole Life Expo public. Unfortunately, the deal turned sour: Paul lost control and Newfane managed the Expos ineffectively. In 1998, Newfane pulled out, leaving the original Los Angeles Whole Life ownership with a bagful of unpaid debt. The San Francisco Whole Life Expos continued to flourish, doing eight shows across the nation that year.

In 1998, Justin Hilton purchased Whole Life Expo's nationwide rights from Ken Kaufman and expanded the Expo to include a series of free community events, which included Youth Challenge and YES (Youth Environmental Services). In 1999, he produced the Los Angeles Whole Life Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center and several others venues around the country. Unfortunately, these Expos continued to flounder under Justin, and at the end of 1999, he sold the entire company to Ayman Sawaf.

Ayman continued to expand the Expo, producing events around the country with a growing number of staff. Instead of alternative non-mainstream modalities in healing, science, psychic phenomena and spirituality, he began to shift to branding more of a mainstream, commercial event. In September 2001, when the world came to an abrupt halt in the midst of the Expo's Fall season, Ayman's Whole Life Expo was forced to shut its doors.

By January 2002, a non-compete agreement between Ken Kaufman and Whole Life had expired. Three months later, Ken along with a small, committed Expo staff, brought back its original mix of cutting-edge exhibitors and world-class speakers˜a Whole Life trademark in its pre-mainstream days˜to create the New Age Expo, April 2002 in San Francisco. Ken and his tight-knit team went on to produce the New Living Expo the following April again in San Francisco.

Today, with two new Expo successes under his belt, Ken and his organization once again are creating a whole new standard. This year, for the first time, the April 2004 New Living Expo will include ALL workshops and lectures in its low general admission price of $30 for the entire weekend. After many hectic years producing events across the country, Ken is now dedicated to a new way of living; he currently produces a fabulous annual San Francisco Expo in April, consults for several others throughout the year and enjoys more quality time with his new wife, Corrina, and his two teenage daughters.

This year you can be part of our event-making history. Come celebrate with us at the 2004 New Living Expo, April 23rd, 24th and 25th at the Concourse, 8th and Brannan, in San Francisco.