This year's IPE programme offers a particularly good range of satellite meetings both to interest visitors and give them a chance to rest their weary feet.

The International Poultry Scientific Forum (IPSF) was held on the two days prior to the show and we have reported on that already in ThePoultrySite to give a flavour of the presentations made there.

There has also been a very well-attended Hatchery-Breeder Clinic over two days, with a programme of a dozen presentations on breeder and hatchery management from equipment and health to trailer management and interpreting break-out results.

The two-day Salmonella and Campylobacter Reduction Conference, which started yesterday (26 January) aimed to bring together researchers and industry experts in a forum designed to provide attendees with practical guidance and advice on how best to address the new regulatory food safety policies required to control Salmonella and Campylobacter in the primary and further processing operations. Among the presentations was an update on FSIS policy in this area, current industry standards, antimicrobial intervention validation, HACCP and a range of food safety issues in poultry products. The speakers were selected from industry organisations and the leading US poultry companies.

Another hot topic in all industries and across the world is that of sustainability and the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit was organised to meet those interests, following the success of similar events at IPE in previous years. This year's theme was 'The Triple Bottom Line – People, Planet and Profit' and each of these was addressed by presenters, again from US universities and from industry. We have already reported yesterday (26 January) on the elements of a sustainability programme, and there was a good attendance at the final presentation in which the president and CEO of Tyson Food's, Donnie Tyson, offered his perspective as a senior executive on sustainability.

In addition to a two-day meeting on the petfood industry, a series of presentations are on offer daily at two Tech Xchange theatres within the congress centre, with representatives from exhibitors offering their expertise to attendees.

And to round off a hectic day at IPE, the organisers held a very successful and most enjoyable International Reception at the Georgia Aquarium, offering attendees the chance to unwind with friends and colleagues while enjoying the fascinating underwater exhibits representing the range of aquatic life in the world's rivers, lakes and oceans.