Georgia World Congress Center
 
New educational programs on food safety, consumer trends and international trade will be part of the agenda for the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

IPPE organizers said they work to bring the most up-to-date information about key industry topics to attendees. The new educational program is scheduled throughout the event and includes presentations on feed production education, understanding and achieving operational excellence, permit required confined space, preventing and responding to foreign material contamination incidents and more.


The 2017 IPPE attracted more than 8,000 international visitors from over 129 countries. Although Latin American/Caribbean countries represent the largest region of international visitors, there has been continued growth in numbers coming from Europe. Canada represents the largest single country outside the United States with regards to number of attendees.

The event is a collaboration of three shows — International Poultry Expo, International Feed Expo, and International Meat Expo — representing the entire chain of protein production and processing. All segments of the industry will be represented: feed milling, hatchery, live production, processing, further processing, marketing and all support activities.

Attendees will have opportunities to network, learn about the latest technological developments and issues facing the industry.

Along with 31,649 delegates, the 2017 event included 1,273 exhibitors in 533,000 square feet of exhibit space, placing it among the top 50 expos in terms of size in the United States.

This year’s expo will have 514,000-plus square feet of exhibit space. It will be open Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Jan. 31 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 
Educational programming

One of the new sessions, Understanding and Achieving Operational Excellence from 7:30-11:30 a.m. on Jan. 30, will look at the manufacturing strategies being used by leading companies and how these strategies help companies build a framework for systems of operational excellence.

Workshop attendees will learn how workforce management strategies and technology trends can deliver value, cost savings and productivity improvements in their organizations. Cost is $150.
On Jan. 31, a certification-based workshop on permit required confined space will provide safety managers, supervisors, and other professionals with the information and tools they need to develop, implement and maintain an effective permit-required confined space entry program, and the ability to train entrants, attendants, and entry supervisors.

Attendees will analyze and discuss various confined space scenarios and will receive OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 Permit Required Confined Space, Train the Trainer - 16 Hr., from Emergency Response Specialists, Inc. Course curriculum includes: required disciplines, methodology meters, methodology retrieval systems, adult learning, preparation and delivery techniques, evaluation of effective training, identification of permit required/non-permit required spaces, atmospheric hazards and ventilation. Cost is $599.

Also new this year is the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Jan. 30. The summit is free with trade show admission and will include representatives from the beef, dairy, pork and poultry industries. They will share details on the development of industry programs or tools to produce more protein in a sustainable fashion.

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) will host its free Feed Production Education program on Jan. 31 as part of the IPPE.

The AFIA’s production compliance committee is hosting the program. As regulatory requirements for the feed industry continue to expand, this training session will update participants on recent changes from several federal agencies, including the Department of Labor, the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Drug Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Toward the end of the session, delegates will learn more about the AFIA’s new and improved Feed Facility of the Year program and the announcement of the 2017 award winner.

The former Feed Mill of the Year award program was redesigned in 2016 to be more industry-inclusive. Now in its second year, Feed Facility of the Year has been expanded to include non-AFIA members in the benchmarking portion of the program. Non-members will be ineligible for the awards portion of the program, but they will receive all of the benefits of the benchmarking program.

Tech Talks featuring short educational presentations by exhibitors on operations and technical issues are again planned during the expo. They are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 30 and Jan. 31 at booths B8715 and C1007.
IPPE show floor
The 2016 IPPE included 1,301 exhibitors. 
Photo by Dan Flavin.
 

Pet food conference

AFIA’s Pet Food Conference on Tuesday, Jan. 30, covers a variety of topics from regulatory to technical aspects of production to product claims, marketing and nutrition. This annual educational session attracts more than 250 attendees from pet food manufacturing to ingredient suppliers covering all ingredient categories. This year’s program includes breakfast and lunch.
Early bird registration is $75 and $95 onsite. Presentations include:
  • Domestic and global industry trends, Jared Koerten, Euromonitor International
  • Trade policy and outlook, John Stewart and Leah Wilkinson, AFIA
  • Ingredient supply challenges and opportunities, George Collings, Collings Ingredient Solutions, LLC
  • AAFCO pet food label modernization panel, James Barritt, Mars PetCare; Robert King, Hills Pet Nutrition; and Stan Cook/Kristen Green, AAFCO (invited)
  • Evaluating functional foods for improving animal health across the lifespan, Elizabeth P. Ryan, Colorado State University
  • Animal protein/rendering research update, David Meeker, National Renderers Association
  • Nitrogen, Amino Acids, and/or Protein? Anna Kate Shoveller, University of Guelph 

FSPCA training

AFIA also is offering a Food Safety Preventive Control Alliance Preventive Controls for Animal Food training. Attendees will receive a FSPCA PCQI certificate after completion of the course. The training was developed by the FSPCA and is the “standardized curriculum” the Food and Drug Administration recognizes as adequate for PCQI training. Successfully completing this course is one way to meet the requirements for a PCQI.

It will be Jan. 31-Feb. 2 and early bird cost is $550 and $650 onsite.
 
Registration details

IPPE registration is available online at www.ippexpo.org for a discounted price of $50 through Dec. 31. Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, the fee will increase to $100.
As part of the “Members to Atlanta” (M2A) program, registration fees are waived through Dec. 31, for attendees from member firms of all three associations engaged in the production of poultry, eggs and meat for consumption and feed and pet food manufacturers. The program is supported through the sponsorship of elite IPPE exhibitors.

The IPPE website also includes information regarding attendee and exhibitor registration, hotel registration and a schedule of 2018 educational seminars and activities offered during IPPE.
 
2019 event

The 2019 IPPE is scheduled later because the Super Bowl will be in Atlanta during the normal show time. Dates for the show are Feb. 12-14, 2019, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

“We realize the change in dates is unusual,” organizers said. “Many resources are tied up by the NFL in the host city of the Super Bowl, which resulted in the move from our traditional show dates of the fourth week of January. With the Super Bowl scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 3, we worked with the city of Atlanta to find the best possible dates to host the 2019 IPPE without disruption of services.”