Such was the success of what was the first event of its kind in the region that Aviagen intends to repeat the summit, potentially making it an annual meeting of minds.

The meeting enabled Arbor Acres Grand Parent (GP) customers in Asia to spend time with fellow distributors and Aviagen experts in order to discuss how to tackle some of the key issues facing the Asian poultry industry.

Attendees from Australia, China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand and Viet Nam contributed to the two-day event that covered key aspects of the Asian market, from the prevailing global financial conditions to genetic developments, nutrition and biosecurity challenges.

Neal Scanlon, Vice President Asia, Aviagen, commented: "It is incredibly important for us to meet our Asian AA distributors and customers regularly to get to know each other well, to learn from each others’ strengths and experiences and thus to utilise our united expertise.

"We are delighted that we were able to draw so many people together and it was very rewarding to see all our Arbor Acres GP distributors and customers in Asia share ideas in this way."

The event had two guest speakers: the international poultry economist, Dr Paul Aho and Dr Greg Underwood from Broiler Breeders Australia Pty, the Australian distributor for Arbor Acres. Dr Aho addressed attendees on the topic of economic trends in animal production while Dr Underwood presented details of the performance of Arbor Acres products in Australia and Asia.

Mr Scanlon added: "Sales of our Arbor Acres Plus birds have increased dramatically across Asia and we are delighted our customers are responding to the quality and consistent performance of the product. Arbor Acres Plus is bred to produce excellent broiler performance with good processing yield and this clearly meets the needs of the Asian market."

Attendees were treated in the evening to a startling performance of 'The House of the Dancing Water' in its opening week. The HK$2 billion production is Asia's latest and most spectacular extravaganza and the show was a huge hit with Aviagen's guests.

Kim Kangh-Heung, Marketing Manager of Korean Grandparent Breeders, who attended the event, said: "The event had a good mix of business and social. The summit gave us a unique opportunity to meet fellow AA distributors and customers in the region as well as senior Aviagen personnel and it was very beneficial to share our experiences. We are delighted with the product performance from our AA stock and look forward to being a vital part in the continuing growth of the brand in the region. The social programme provided was excellent, with the 'House of the Dancing Water' show particularly unforgettable."

Participants of the 1st Arbor Acres Asia Association