By John Starkey
Special to Poultry Times
ATLANTA — Bienvenido! Welkom! Bienvenue! Dobro pozhalovat’! Bem vinda! Huānyíng! Pairi Pauna! Welcome, to the 2020 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE)!
Comprised of three integrated trade shows — International Poultry Expo, International Feed Expo and International Meat Expo — IPPE presents the newest technology, research, processes and products that the global animal food, meat and poultry industries have to offer. This annual event is the flagship of the associations that host it and is the ONLY annual exposition highlighting the best of all three industries. The return on investment of your time not only helps your business, it helps your associations work harder on your behalf.
With more than 550,000 square feet of interactive exhibits representing more than 1,300 exhibitors and 200-plus hours of education sessions stretching across all four halls of the Georgia World Congress Center, the 2020 IPPE will provide you with an opportunity to experience, learn and connect with more than 32,000 animal food, meat and poultry industry professionals at one powerhouse of a trade show. Whether you are interested in animal food and health, processing and packaging, genetics and incubation, or live production, you will find an enormous display of equipment, supplies and services used in the production and processing of meat, poultry, eggs and animal food.
Your IPPE registration unlocks more than 200 hours of educational opportunities focused on animal welfare, operations, food safety, sustainability, increasing efficiency and profitability, and many other topics to enhance your bottom line. Programs and workshops, led by industry experts from all over the world, will be held Monday, Jan. 27, through Friday, Jan. 31, and will focus on addressing the latest insights, industry issues and best practices. Among the programs scheduled during Expo week are the “International Poultry Scientific Forum,” “Worker Safety Conference for the Meat & Poultry Industry,” “Latin American Poultry Summit,” “Pet Food Conference,” “Environmental Conference for the Meat & Poultry Industry,” and the always-anticipated “Poultry Market Intelligence Forum.”
As our industry is always changing, we look for new education sessions to address the most relevant areas and timely issues. As a result, there are many new programs that have been added to the 2020 IPPE, covering topics such as regulatory compliance, food safety, business management, operations, international trade and much more. You will not want to miss these great programs that will provide solutions for your company!
We would like to provide a special thank you to the following sponsors who make it possible for production and processing members of our organizations to register in advance for free. The Members to Atlanta (M2A) program ensure access for our entire industry to take advantage of IPPE. This exclusive, online program is available for member firms of the American Feed Industry Association, North American Meat Institute and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association engaged in the production of poultry, eggs, meat and animal food products. M2A is supported through the sponsorship of these elite exhibiting companies: Aviagen, Ceva Animal Health, CAT2, Cobb-Vantress, Diamond V, Elanco Animal Health, GEA, Georgia Poultry Equipment Co., Heat and Control, Huvepharma, Incubation Systems, Inc., Jamesway Incubator Co., Kemin Industries, Soybean Meal Information Center, WATT Global Media and Zoetis. We sincerely appreciate these companies continued support of the M2A program.
IPPE is about more than the current state of our industries though . . . it is also about the future. Approximately 700 graduating students from 40-plus universities will be participating in the USPOULTRY Foundation’s College Student Career Program, interviewing for employment during the Expo. Industry and allied firms conduct job and internship interviews with the students during the show.
It is both time and cost effective, as the companies can see so many students in one location. Returning in 2020 is the Ph.D. and Vet Student Career Fair that will be held in conjunction with the Poultry Science Association Foundation during the International Poultry Scientific Forum at IPPE. The target participants are Post-Doctoral and early Ph.D. students particularly involving, but not limited to, technology-driven companies such as those in genetics, health, pharmaceuticals and nutrition.
Both programs are part of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s continuing effort to encourage talented young people to become the industry’s leaders of the future. Also sponsored by our Foundation, IPPE is a must-attend event for many members of the Future Farmers of America, who will be dotting the floor with their signature blue jackets. Please welcome these future industry leaders when you see them throughout the week.
In addition, IPPE’s Young Leaders “30 under 30” program will recognize and celebrate 30 young professionals between the ages of 21 and 29 who are starting their careers within the animal agriculture industry by excelling in their current positions.
We aim to provide you with an exceptional IPPE experience that arms you with knowledge and other resources needed to enhance the success of your business. To that end, IPPE will offer a variety of amenities to allow you to maximize your time and experience at the Expo. Interactive product locators will help you find exhibitors, products and services, and free Wi-Fi will be available in the exhibit halls. For the ultimate networking opportunity, make time from 5:30–8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to attend the Welcome Reception at the Georgia Aquarium.
On behalf of our board, the exhibitors, program presenters, volunteers and 32,000 + attendees, thank you for joining us and for supporting our industries by attending the 2020 IPPE. Your participation brings exhibiting companies to the Expo, as they know that industry leaders and purchasing decision makers will be at the show to see the newest technologies and solutions offered.
The process works for everyone while supporting the industry at the same time, and the proceeds generated from the Expo being reinvested back into the industry in the form of research, education, communications and technical services.
For more information, visit www.ippexpo.org.
John Starkey is president of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association with offices in Tucker, Ga.
