The 2011 International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo drew over 20,000 poultry and feed industry leaders from all over the world. In addition, the show had over 900 exhibitors, almost a 12 per cent increase from last year. Sponsored by US Poultry & Egg Association and the American Feed Industry Association, the annual Expo is the world's largest poultry and feed industry event of its kind.

"We were excited about the number of exhibitors and attendees on the exhibit floor," said 2011 USPoultry chairman, Gary Cooper of Cooper Farms, Oakwood, Ohio. "We were up in numbers in both areas from last year. We are very pleased with the great turn-out for this year, and the excitement on the floor has been tangible."

The large exhibit floor was the central attraction. Exhibitors presented the most current innovations in equipment, supplies and services utilized by industry firms in the production and processing of poultry, eggs, and feed products. Many companies use the annual event to introduce their new products. All phases of the poultry and feed industry were represented, from live production and processing to further processing and packaging.

Complementing the exhibits, a variety of education sessions kept industry management informed on current issues. Renewed from 2011, the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit examined the challenges and solutions of environmental stewardship. Industry keynote speaker Donnie Smith, CEO and president of Tyson Foods, shared his firm's sustainability philosophy and described the four 'Ps' of sustainability for Tyson as people, planet, products and profits.

New for this year, the Hatchery-Breeder Clinic discussed rising hatching costs, along with a variety of other time-sensitive topics. Also new for this year, the Salmonella and Campylobacter Reduction Conference drew a large crowd and reviewed changes in industry practices and shared updates on research and policy initiatives.

Another popular programme from 2011, the Market Intelligence Forum, was also renewed this year. Mike Donohue, Agri-Stats, Dr Paul Aho, Poultry Perspective, and Jim Sumner, USAPEEC, reviewed what is ahead in 2011 for the poultry industry.

The College Student Career Program attracted 285 students from 23 universities throughout the United States. The graduating students interview for jobs and internships with industry and allied firms. And they visit the exhibit floor to see the real-time technology used in today's poultry industry.

New product launches, organisation meetings, TechXChange, publisher-sponsored programmes, the Pet Food Conference, technical sessions on a variety of industry-specific topics, and once-a-year networking opportunities made the International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo the place to be.

US Poultry & Egg Association is an all-feather organization representing the complete spectrum of today's poultry industry, with a focus on serving member companies through research funding, education, communication, and technical assistance. Founded in 1947, US Poultry & Egg Association is based in Tucker, Georgia.