ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S. — The 2019 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) set four new records, including attendance with 32,931 poultry, meat and animal food industry leaders, attending the annual event.

There were also 1,426 exhibitors with 600,732 square feet of exhibit space, which were also records. The Expo is the world’s largest annual feed, meat and poultry industry event of its kind and is one of the 30 largest trade shows in the United States. IPPE is sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, American Feed Industry Association and North American Meat Institute.

There were 8,315 international visitors, which was also a record, from 133 countries represented at the Expo. The largest group from a single country outside the United States was Canada with 1,283 visitors. The largest region represented was the Caribbean, Latin America, Mexico and South America with 3,271 visitors.

“We are very pleased and excited with this year’s record-breaking exhibit space floor and attendance numbers. The turnout for the 2019 IPPE was outstanding, and the feedback from attendees has been extremely positive regarding time spent on the trade show floor, education sessions offered and networking opportunities. We expect next year’s IPPE to build on this success to ensure we continue to provide the best possible experience for attendees and exhibitors,” the three organizations said.

A week-long comprehensive schedule of education programs, which updated industry professionals on current issues and complemented the exhibit floor, helped drive attendance. This year’s educational line-up featured more than 200 hours of education sessions, ranging from meat and poultry labelling, to sow nutrition and health interactions, to wastewater treatment challenges for the poultry and egg industry.

Next year’s IPPE will be held Jan. 28 – 30 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.