IFE offers an unprecedented opportunity to access a dynamic purchasing audience. Feed manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, equipment manufacturers and industry service providers find Expo the place to reach key decision makers and prospective customers from all segments of the industry.
Begun in 1949, AFIA’s Feed Expo has grown into the largest animal feed and ingredient show in the world. Co-located with the International Poultry Expo, IFE is looking to build upon the success of last year’s event.
Representatives from around the world will be on the AFIA floor as well. As was the case in last year’s inaugural joint-Expo the IFE/IPE is expected to bring more than 900 exhibitors, 20,000 people from 90 countries to the Georgia World Congress Center.
Educational opportunities abound
AFIA is world-renowned for its feed industry educational forums. It will lend this expertise to helping 2008 show attendees improve their feed manufacturing operations and bring them up-to-date with news on the latest industry developments and new feed technology.
The Feed Manufacturing Educational Program will occur on Jan. 23 and 24 from 8-10 a.m. Admission to these seminars are free with your trade show attendee badge. There are three dynamic topics lined up that will impact your business: Product recall, employee hiring and firing, and arc electrical transmission.
William Pfister will be addressing “Electrical Work Practices 70E / Understanding the Real World of OSHA.” Mr. Pfister was employed with the Indiana Department of Labor for 18 years, serving five years as an Indiana OSHA inspector. For the past 13 years, he has been a safety training consultant and performed more than 1,300 consultations and inspections for private industry.
AFIA vice president for feed regulation and nutrition Richard Sellers will speak on product recalls — your rights and responsibilities. Mr. Sellers’ responsibilities include interacting with FDA, state feed control agencies and legislative bodies and providing comments to those agencies and information about those agencies to the AFIA membership.
“The Hazardous Waters of Staff Selection” is the title of the Thursday morning presentation by keynote speaker Dr. Robert Shoop of Kansas State University. Dr. Shoop is a nationally recognized expert in the area of legal issues, with a focus on sexual harassment and abuse prevention, employment law and risk management.
FEED & GRAIN visited with AFIA Executive Director Rex Runyon, to discuss what attendees can look forward to for the 2008 Expo.
F&G: Rex, how do you decide on what kind of programming to offer at IFE?
Runyon: The 2008 International Feed Expo in Atlanta zeros in on myriad issues of importance to the feed industry. Co-located with the International Poultry Expo in 2008, both AFIA and U.S. Poultry and Egg Association have worked hard to put together programs that address topics that are timely, informative and well-targeted at our respective industries. I can say with confidence the upcoming Expos will be well worth the minimal cost of admission.
F&G: Is there a “must see” session at this year’s Expo?
Runyon: As you know, AFIA is well-renowned for its excellent feed industry educational forums. Along those lines, two gems await Expo registrants. The Conference on Pet Food Ingredient Quality on Jan. 22-23, preceding the Expo, focuses on some of the hottest topics that segment of the feed industry has seen in years. These include melamine, global trade, ingredient quality, consumer marketing, traceability and the list goes on. AFIA worked with the Poultry Protein and Fat Council to put together one dynamite program. And, that is exactly what they’ve accomplished. This is a must event for anyone involved in pet food manufacturing, ingredients, etc.
A second educational bonus is AFIA’s Feed Manufacturing Educational Program on Jan. 23-24. This will feature hard-hitting sessions on production topics, OSHA, product recalls and liabilities, etc. In addition to feed-related issues, two sessions are scheduled on human resources that every company faces. On Jan. 23. USPEA will feature a program on Immigration Impact on Labor Availability and on Jan. 24, AFIA will offer one on The Hazardous Waters of Staff Selection.
F&G: Talk about the impact of the international community at the Expo.
Runyon: IFE/IPE has partnered with the US Department of Commerce in its International Buyer Program. This provides unparalleled match-making opportunities for U.S.-based manufacturers to network with international visitors. The U.S. embassies are also promoting the events through their international network. They even invite and bring over delegations from their respective countries. One example from last year’s show alone — the delegation from Egypt bought over $1 million worth of equipment on the show floor.
F&G: The Pet Food Conference is a new offering at this year’s Expo: Why was it added?
Runyon: AFIA has a long history of working with companies involved in the pet food industry. The recent melamine controversy clearly illustrated the need for an enhanced awareness for quality control of ingredients, especially since more and more products are coming from outside the United States. On the poultry side, the Poultry Protein & Fat Council sees a lot of its product going into the pet food sector and, in the spirit of combining forces with the co-location of the two Expos, it was a natural to address the common issue. Initial response to the event has been outstanding. We anticipate more than 200 attendees from nearly every sector of the industry.
F&G: What are the key takeaways attendees can glean from this year’s Expos?
Runyon: There are numerous “takeaways” from IFE/IPE 2008. The Expo theme is “You Can’t See It All in One Day.” That is a good way to summarize what the Expos offer. I can only say that if you are in the feed and poultry industries and you aren’t there, then you are going to miss the biggest and potentially most rewarding activity of the year for your company.
