IPPE Builds on past expo history

The 2017 International Production & Processing Expo continues a long tradition of showcasing the poultry industry, joined in recent years by the feed and meat industries.

The IPPE is composed of the International Poultry Expo, the International Feed Expo and the International Meat Expo. Sponsors are the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the American Feed Industry Association and the North American Meat Institute.

This combined show has already established a record 510,000 square feet of exhibit space with more than 1,100 exhibitors. The show anticipates more than 30,000 attendees for the 2017 event. The genesis for this now international trade show occurred back in January 1948 when approximately 200 people from around the Southeast met in Atlanta for a “poultry convention” and the Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association was established.

The original states in what was known simply as “Southeastern” were Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. These were later joined by Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas.

In August 1948, a program committee met to plan the first “real” Southeastern Poultry & Egg Convention since the January meeting had largely been organizational in scope.

That first “real” convention was held Jan. 15-17, 1949, in Atlanta. Registration was $2 and more than 600 people attended. However, the first actual exposition didn’t occur until January 1951, when 67 companies exhibited and approximately 2000 people attended.

Since that time the exposition has grown steadily and expanded each year to become today’s annual International Poultry Expo.

The sponsoring association’s name was changed in the 1960s to U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and included membership from states and companies throughout the U.S.

In 2007, the American Feed Industry Association signed an agreement to co-locate its International Feed Expo with the International Poultry Expo, and in 2013, the American Meat Institute, now the North American Meat Institute, added its International Meat Expo.

The event was renamed the International Production & Processing Expo to reflect the integration of the three trade shows. The IPPE has been recognized by Trade Show News Network (TSNN) as being one of the top 25 fastest growing shows in net square footage.

Through the IPPE, the International Poultry Expo continues to display the latest technology, equipment, supplies and services used by poultry and egg companies. With the inclusion of the International Feed Expo and the International Meat Expo, the IPPE has expanded to include related areas of production and processing.