2023 IPPE Starting the Year off BIG

The annual return of IPPE continues for another year with overwhelming numbers for guests and exhibitors. The incredibly successful show ran for a three-day period from the 24 – 26 January this year at the Georgia World Congress Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Currently as of writing this, the approximation of attendees is at 28,000 people with over 1,180-plus exhibitors in a 533,000 square footage area of exhibit space. They plan to release the accurate number of attendees soon, but with this approximation of attendees we can already see an increase in visitors by over 6000 people in comparison to last year. The exhibition also spanned across two exhibition halls with one being themed towards feed and ingredients and the other for machinery in processing and packaging.

There were also 80 hours’ worth of engaging and educational conferences throughout the B2B event, one of which we got to attend- AFIA’s annual Petfood Conference. Other conferences were Feed Mill of the Future, Animal Agriculture Summit, and Women in the Meat Industry Panel Discussion.

These Sessions covered everything from industry management and the current industry issues to animal agriculture, animal welfare, and sustainability, providing something for every sector, with more than 80 hours of education sessions.

The American Feed industry association (AFIA) held an educational program, in which they maintained the vital importance of biosecurity plans in feed facilities.

With recent pandemic years impacting the access and opportunities for companies to interact in person, the industry has undoubtedly benefitted from the world’s largest poultry, egg, and animal food industry event, which thrived this year. Events like these provide an invaluable opportunity to showcase products from production and processing to packaging and nutrition, among many more.

AFIA Petfood Conference

A range of topics were covered in the conference hosted by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) that focused on a range of issues in the current industry regarding the health of our pets and how to help keep them both healthy and satisfied.

Featured in the conference were a mix of both experienced professionals and recent graduates who all presented their research and findings in the various subjects that they focused in and to name a few there were; Dr Nancy Rawson presenting ‘The Flavour World of Companion Animals’, Scott Hawks presenting ‘Approaches to Aflatoxin Sampling’, and Vanessa de la GuaridaHidrogo presenting ‘The role of dried brewer’s yeast in gastrointestinal health and immune function of dogs’.

The conference also showcased the Friend of Petfood Award, which is used to recognise the individuals who have made significant contributions to support the growth of the pet food industry. This year’s winner is Steve Thomas, the former vice president of Darling Ingredients.

“It’s a testament to a man who has dedicated more than 40 years to this industry” says Michael Mann, the Vice President of Protein Sales for Darling Industries. Presenting the award was Eric Altom, technical nutritionist for Balchem Animal Nutrition and Health.

A Successful Show

With its increase of 6000 estimated registered attendees this year, the exhibition proved to be fruitful, gathering many people together within these connecting industries and helping to grow the connections between both the companies and the customers. It helped to build and create or reinforce the bonds between everyone, giving the ability to share ongoing developments and progress in the feed and food sectors.

As part of the show’s success, IPPE raised US$30,000 for the Atlanta Community Food Bank through it’s ‘Giving Back to Atlanta’ campaign, in partnership with Hawkins Inc., WATT Global Media, EXPO Auctions, and individual contributions.

Milling and Grain magazine had the pleasure of visiting many companies, seeing familiar faces, and making new connections. Among them were companies such as AGI, Alltech, ADM, Lallemand, ICC, Adare Biome, and many others. The event provided many networking opportunities, with companies hosting their own social events, of which Milling and Grain magazine attended.

We also had the pleasure of filming several interviews, including one with Glycon Santos, CEO of ICC, who told us all about the benefits of yeast additives. We visited the booth of AGI, and spoke with Giuseppe Bigliani, International Account Executive at AGI, who discussed the opportunity to attend the Online Milling School. Also at AGI, was Noam Silberstein, Senior Vice President of Global Feed also at AGI, who told us all about AGI’s developments in the feed sector.

We also spoke to Aidan Connolly, President of Agritech Capital, who discussed the sectors prospects, speaking about his new book, ‘The Future of Agriculture’, and Emilie Fontaine, Vice President of Brand & Products at JEFO, reported on JEFO’s exciting new developments.

All these interviews will be available to see on our MAGTV YouTube channel, across our socials, and featured on our website.

Until next time…

IPPE 2024 have set their dates for January 30 –February 1, 2024, with the event taking place in its usual location- Georgia World Congress Centre, Atlanta, USA.

Milling and Grain magazine plan to attend next year so we hope to see you all there!