ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US — Organizers of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), held Jan. 30-Feb. 1 in Atlanta, announced on Feb. 15 that attendance for this year’s event was 31,353, which approached the record attendance of nearly 33,000 attendees in 2019.

The IPPE, which is the world’s largest annual feed, meat, and poultry and egg industry event of its kind and one of the 25 largest trade shows in the United States, set records at its 2024 event for exhibitors (1,432) and square feet of exhibition space (620,850 square feet).

This year’s IPPE, sponsored by the US Poultry & Egg Association, the American Feed Industry Association and the Meat Institute, included a record 9,063 international visitors from 133 countries. IPPE organizers said the largest group from a single country outside the United States was Canada, with 14.9% of registered attendees. As in previous years, Latin America had the strongest international presence, representing 45% of international visitors.

“We are very pleased and excited about our strong attendance numbers and this year’s record-breaking trade show floor,” the three organizations said. “The turnout for the 2024 IPPE was outstanding, and the feedback from attendees has been extremely positive regarding time spent on the trade show floor, education sessions offered and opportunities to connect with colleagues and vendors. 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.”

This year’s attendance figure was the largest since 2020 when 31,534 delegates attended the event. IPPE was canceled the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show returned in 2022 with 22,000 delegates and increased to 27,000 in 2023.

A week-long comprehensive schedule of education programs, which updated industry professionals on current issues and complemented the exhibit halls, helped drive attendance. This year’s educational line-up featured more than 80 hours of education sessions, ranging from food safety design principles to worker safety to sustainability initiatives for the meat, animal food, and poultry and egg industries, and more.