IPPE Marketplace 2021
By David B. Strickland
Poultry Times editor
dstrickland@poultrytimes.com
ATLANTA — It was busy week of educational sessions, student interviews, technical talk presentations, new products and innovations, and company interactions all in a new, online non-in person event with the IPPE Marketplace 2021, Jan. 25-29.
This year marked the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s 73rd annual International Poultry Expo; and it was also the ninth annual event where the American Feed Industry Association’s International Feed Expo; and the North American Meat Institute’s International Meat Expo, all joined together to form the International Production & Processing Expo.
But this year, stemming from safety measures from the coronavirus pandemic, the format was an all-new venture which provided this premier gathering a great opportunity to connect and share its newest offerings.
The format of the 2021 IPPE Marketplace might have been a lot different, but the connection opportunities for the meat, feed, poultry, and egg industries remained.
“For many decades, our industries have engaged in an in-person event to serve and connect leaders in networking, learning opportunities and experiencing new technology,” IPPE show managers said in a statement. “However, we concluded that due to the challenges of the pandemic and safety concerns, we could not offer the type of experience the industries have come to expect by bringing key decision-makers from across the globe to Atlanta.”
The IPPE show management added that they are “replicating the elements that can deliver the most value in a digital environment. While we know we cannot simply transfer the live, in-person experience of IPPE to an online offering, we will provide buyer engagement through an exhibitor marketplace showcase with direct communication options with industry suppliers in addition to online educational opportunities.
“Even though we cannot offer an in-person event in 2021, we look forward to the global poultry, egg, meat and animal food industries returning to Atlanta for what is expected to be a much-anticipated IPPE, scheduled for Jan. 25-27, 2022.”
The IPPE, one of the 30 largest trade shows in the United States, is the largest event of its kind dedicated to the poultry, meat and feed industries.
The 2020 show attracted more than 31,500 attendees, 1,377 exhibitors, and featured more than 573,000 square feet of exhibit space in the Georgia World Congress Center. Of these attendees, 8,063 were international visitors from 129 countries.
Show organizers noted that, “while we are disappointed that we will not be hosting an in-person event in 2021, we heard very clearly from our IPPE community of attendees and exhibitors that they still want to connect.”
There were a multitude of educational sessions, some paid, some free and some on-demand, as well as the annual opportunity for college students to interview with prospective companies.
The annual International Poultry Scientific Forum, sponsored by the Southern Poultry Science Society, the Southern Conference on Avian Diseases, and USPOULTRY, presented many new research findings. Among the showcased research was new information on nutrition, physiology, pathology, environmental management and avian diseases.
More information about the International Poultry Scientific Forum can be obtained at https://www.ippexpo.org/ipsf/.
Another feature of the show again this year was the International Rendering Symposium, hosted by the North American Renderers Association, in partnership with USPOULTRY. This forum addressed sustainability and challenges faced by the rendering industry, as well as advancing international markets for rendered products.
For more information on rendering, the NARA can be reached at https://nara.org/.
As part of the annual Poultry Market Intelligence Forum, Dr. Paul Aho, Poultry Perspective; and Will Sawyer, CoBank, presented their observations on factors that will affect global markets and the poultry industry in 2021.
For the latest in new technologies, more than 135 TECHTalk presentations were given during Marketplace Week. Topics ranged from welfare and safety to sustainability. Personal guides are needed to navigate these educational sessions, which was free with show registration. To see the full range of these presentations, visit https://www.ippexpo.org/marketplace/TECHtalks/docs/2021-TECHTalks.pdf.
Also, more than 70 new products and services were presented through the Innovation Station / New Product Showcase. This offering was also free to attendees. The listing of products can be obtained at https://www.ippexpo.org/marketplace/innovation-station/.
More than 1,000 exhibitors were able to connect with the Expo’s audience of 30,000-plus invited participants during IPPE Marketplace Week.
Looking ahead to 2022?
The 2022 IPPE is already scheduled for Jan. 25-27, 2022, hopefully returning to an in-person event in Atlanta, Ga. More information about any aspect of the show can be obtained at https://ippexpo.org/.
