ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S. — The 2016 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) had 30,277 poultry, meat and feed industry leaders from all over the world in attendance. There were also 1,301 exhibitors, a new record, with more than 464,750 square feet of exhibit space. The Expo is one of the world's largest annual poultry, meat and feed industry event and is one of the 50 largest trade shows in the U.S., IPPE said. IPPE is sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, American Feed Industry Association and North American Meat Institute.
 
There were 7,280 international visitors from 141 countries represented at the Expo, setting another new record for international attendance. The largest group from a single country outside the U.S. was Canada with 1,041 visitors. The largest region represented was Latin America and the Caribbean with 2,805 visitors.

 
“This year’s attendance numbers were on par with last year,” the three organizations said. “The feedback from attendees has been extremely positive regarding the time spent on the trade show floor and in the education programs. We anticipate next year will be even more valuable for attendees and exhibitors alike as we move to the B and C Halls.”      
 
A week-long schedule of education programs, which updated industry professionals on the latest issues and complemented the exhibit floor, helped drive attendance. This year’s educational line-up featured 25 programs, ranging from a conference on challenges and opportunities in meat product traceability, to a program on the Veterinary Feed Directive, to a technical seminar on maximizing the efficiency of the poultry industry conducted entirely in Spanish.

 
Next year’s IPPE will be held Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2017, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Show updates and attendee and exhibitor information will be available atwww.ippexpo.org.