The 2008 International Poultry Exposition will have a new environmentally friendly addition.

Self-sustainability and green products have begun to affect almost every aspect of American business, and the poultry industry is no exception. When the 2008 International Poultry Expo and the International Feed Expo take place, they will feature a new ECO-Innovation program.

The International Poultry Expo, taking place from January 23-25, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, regularly draws more than 20,000 industry professionals from around the world. Representing every aspect of the industry, from feed mills and live production to processing, further processing, packaging and marketing, this year’s show will bring in more than 900 exhibitors, showcasing the latest products, equipment and services for the industry. This will be the second year that the IPE has co-located with the IFE.

Both B and C Halls of the World Congress Center will showcase exhibitors who specialize in improving efficiency and utilizing natural resources. The ECO-Innovation pavilions will be open to any exhibitor that has a product addressing those issues. Issues covering the use of poultry litter for fertilizer or fuel, poultry fat as bio-fuel, fluorescent lighting, wastewater recycling and high-efficiency motors and equipment will be featured. Additionally, education displays will provide information on current and future conservation technologies.

“People come to our show looking for answers and solutions to the issues that confront them in their daily operations,” said Dr. Charlie Olentine, executive vice president of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), which sponsors the IPE. “This program will enable our attendees to understand new eco-friendly technology that will ultimately save them money and make them good environmental stewards.”

As the largest trade show dedicated to the poultry and feed industry, IPE and IFE have long been a gathering place for industry leaders. Professionals from more than 90 countries gather in Atlanta to tour the booths as well as to take advantage of the networking and educational opportunities. At last year’s show, attendees included representatives from 33 or the top 38 U.S. broiler companies and 22 of the top 26 turkey companies.

The exhibit space itself will occupy more than 300,000 square feet of the World Congress Center, making it the world’s largest display of technology, equipment, supplies and services used in the production and processing of poultry and eggs. For attendees who want to learn about the latest in products and services without walking up and down all the aisles, there will be two InfoMart Theaters — one for processing and packaging, and one for feed and production — located on the show floor. Suppliers will give brief presentations of their latest innovations inside these theaters throughout the show.

Almost 4,000 visitors from foreign countries came to the 2007 IPE/IFE Show, which was the first time the U.S. Commercial Service’s International Buyer Program participated in the show. The program allows the department’s U.S. Commercial Service to recruit foreign-buyer delegations from U.S. embassies abroad and brings them to trade shows in the United States to facilitate matchmaking programs with American businesses exhibiting at the show. International delegations from China, Venezuela, Egypt and the Dominican Republic were welcomed last year to further the poultry industry in their home countries.

For those attendees wishing to learn the latest news and developments in the poultry industry, there will be two days of educational sessions on January 23 and 24, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., before the show floor opens. This represents a departure from previous years, where all the sessions were held in one day.

“This move is designed to give attendees more time on the show floor,” Olentine explained, adding that the show has grown too large to be seen in one day.

Topics that will be covered in the sessions include, “Strategic Outlook: Global Market Supply and Demand,” “Poultry Production Costs: Feed and Fuel Forecast,” “Immigration Impact on Labor Availability,” and “Risk-Based Inspection and Food Safety Regulations.” Speakers for the latter topic will address the subject from the perspective of both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the poultry industry. Admission to the educational sessions is free for all IPE and IFE attendees.

People who come to Atlanta a day or two before the official start of the show will get the opportunity to participate in several other conferences. All attendees will receive free admission to a Conference on Pet Food Ingredient Quality, a new topic for the show that will be on January 22. It is sponsored by the Poultry Protein & Fat Council and the American Feed Industry Association and will focus on the nutritional evaluation of pet food ingredients and the quality control that is associated with their procurement, storage and usage.

From January 21-22, the International Poultry Scientific Forum will take place. Sponsored by the Southern Poultry Science Society, the Southern Conference on Avian Diseases and USPOULTRY, the forum will present the latest information on topics including avian diseases, environmental management, nutrition, pathology, physiology, processing and products. The fee (separate from IPE/IFE fees) is $25 for pre-registration or $40 for on-site registration.

Pre-registration costs for the IPE and IFE Shows are $30 online or $40 by fax or mail. The on-site registration fee will be $50. Funds earned at the International Poultry Expo are funneled directly back into the industry in the form of research grants, educational programs, communications and technical assistance. For more information, go to www.ipe08.org or e-mail: expogeneralinfo@poultryegg.org .

January 23-25, 2008
Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta Ga.

Show hours:
January 23 and 24: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
January 25: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
www.ipe08.org