Acknowledged as the world's largest trade shows for the poultry, egg and feed sectors of the industry, the IPE/IFE took place from 23-25 January in Atlanta, Georgia. Funds raised at the IPE are distributed back into the industry in the form of research, education, communications, and technical assistance.

The domestic attendance increased to 16,043, which is 559 people more than the previous show. The states with the largest number of attendees, in descending order, were: Georgia, Illinois, Alabama, North Carolina, and Arkansas. The states making substantial increases in the size of their delegations were: Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

There were 3,986 international attendees. In descending order, the countries with the largest delegations were: Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. The countries that added at least 50 delegates to their previous total were: Brazil and India.

"Based on feedback from exhibitors and attendees, we feel this was an excellent show," said John Starkey, president of the US Poultry & Egg Association, which sponsors the International Poultry Expo.

He attributes that success to strong support from the industry and its suppliers, continued participation in the US Department of Commerce's International Buyer Program, educational programs sponsored by USPOULTRY and several trade magazines, and several new projects like the Eco-Innovation Pavilions, the Conference On Pet Food Ingredient Quality, and the Buyer Connection.

"Each year, the IPE provides an excellent venue for our exhibitors to showcase their products and services before key decision makers. This partnership enables USPOULTRY to continue supporting the poultry industry through its educational, research, and technical programs," Mr Starkey said.

Demographics reflect that 99.4 per cent of the production of the major broiler companies, 92.4 per cent of the production of the major commercial egg companies, and 92.3 per cent of the production of the major turkey companies participated in the 2008 show.

The next International Poultry Expo / International Feed Expo will take place 28-30 January 2009, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.