The 33rd World Pork Expo drew in more than 10,000 producers, employees and pork industry professionals for the pork industry’s most anticipated pork-specific trade show June 9-11.
“This year’s Expo attendance was a great success given that it did not include a live swine show as in past years, and international attendees and exhibiting companies were unable to attend this year,” says National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Jen Sorenson, communications director for Iowa Select Farms in West Des Moines, Iowa.
The 2021 trade show featured 700 vendors displaying new and familiar products across more than 300,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibit space.
“When the pandemic struck, limited interaction between producers and stakeholders in the industry really made it feel like progress came to a halt. Now that we’re back together, you can feel synergies being created and ideas being exchanged,” says Nick Berry, CEO of Swine Genetics International.
More than 50 hospitality tents spread along the fairgrounds’ Grand Concourse and Ruan Plaza, providing a welcoming atmosphere for allied industry representatives to meet with customers in a relaxed business setting.
“Expo has evolved into a tremendous networking opportunity where producers meet with others in the industry, and it also provides easy access to compare products and technologies and to collect the latest information from a wide range of seminars,” Sorenson says.
The Big Grill, staffed by Iowa’s Tama County Pork Producers Association, served up 5,000 free pork lunches during the three days of World Pork Expo 2021.
“I’d envisioned in my mind what I thought World Pork Expo would be, but the thing that’s had the biggest impact on me has been the people. I’ve worked for The Maschhoffs for nine years so I have a good understanding of the people in the industry, but it’s almost indescribable to see the camaraderie and knowing we’re all here for the same reason. It’s just very humbling to be part of it,” says Danielle Solis, communications specialist for The Maschhoffs.
World Pork Expo will return to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on June 8-10, 2022.
“We are very pleased with the 2021 Expo, particularly after a two-year hiatus,” says NPPC CEO Neil Dierks. “This year’s show reaffirms the importance of producers, vendors and others coming together at Expo to gather and learn. We look forward to the 2022 World Pork Expo.”
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