ATLANTA — Attendees from throughout the U.S. and across the world descended on the Georgia World Congress Center this week to take part in the 2017 International Production & Processing Expo.
Organizers of the expo expect 30,000 people to take part in the trade show seen as the “annual flagship of the associations” sponsoring the event.
The expo was composed of the International Poultry Expo sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the International Feed Expo sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association and the International Meat Expo sponsored by the North American Meat Association.
More than 1,270 exhibitors and 80 hours of educational programs provided attendees with numerous opportunities throughout the three-day show to see and learn about the latest technology and materials used in the production and processing of poultry, meat, egg and feed products.
All segments of the poultry, feed and meat industries were represented, including feed milling, hatchery, egg production, live production, processing, further processing and rendering.
Educational programs examined a variety of topics, including the environment, worker safety, disease prevention and control, business strategies, regulatory issues and compliance.
A special program was the College Student Career Program that connects college students seeking professions in the poultry industry with human resources managers and recruiters. The program provides employers with an opportunity to meet, interact with and interview qualified college students for positions with their companies.
Ruth Kimmelshue, corporate senior vice president for business operations and supply chain for Cargill, was the keynote speaker for this year’s program and spoke on “Navigating My Career in a Rapidly Changing Workplace.”
Industry associations also took advantage of the expo, which brought many of their members to Atlanta, and scheduled association programs.
The National Chicken Council and United Egg Producers each planned board meetings while attending the Expo, and the North American Meat Association held a Meat Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The National Poultry & Food Distributors Association also held its annual convention in Atlanta in conjunction with the expo.