Petfood Forum 2015 conference and exhibition, held on April 27-29, 2015, broke all records for attendance. The event was held for the first time in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, at the Kansas City Convention Center, after more than 20 years in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA.
Overall attendance figures saw nearly 2,500 industry professionals from more than 40 countries worldwide, representing a 50% increase from 2014. A sold-out Petfood Innovation Workshop: Next Generation Treats helped contribute to the totals, with its new hands-on pet treat-making format spurring registrations to hit maximum capacity months prior to the event.
Exhibit Hall space mapped out to a total of 103,000 square feet, equaling a 60% increase from 2014, and available exhibit spaces sold out in February. Plans for expansion and reconfiguration of the floor in order to allow more booths are already in the works. Early feedback from exhibitors has indicated that the relocation of Petfood Forum to Kansas City, the heart of the animal health corridor, made it more motivating for attendees to come, and more convenient for exhibitors to have a booth with greater staff presence.
Many new show features also proved to be a popular draw for the industry, including the Student Program which provided more than 50 college students the opportunity to participate and attend Petfood Forum, network with top pet food company decision-makers, and utilize the platform to display their scientific posters. The Student Program will be expanded for 2016.
“Many of the world’s largest pet food companies had a presence at Petfood Forum 2015; and it’s no coincidence that Kansas City is now the new home of Petfood Forum through 2018,” said Debbie Phillips Donaldson, editor-in-chief of Petfood Industry. “Now we’ve set the bar pretty high for ourselves to make the Petfood Forum 2016 event even bigger and better than this year. We’ll be examining all of our feedback for ways to improve, to continue to expand and innovate, and keep Petfood Forum as the leading event for the members of the pet food industry.”
Petfood Forum and Petfood Innovation Workshop provide show visitors with opportunities to network with industry peers, learn from leading pet food experts, consultants and technical experts, visit with suppliers, and of course transact business with one another. This occurs among the pet food industry's largest collection of companies that supply brand and private-label manufacturers with ingredient, additive and formulation solutions, processing and packaging equipment, flexible packaging solutions, co-packing solutions and services, and consulting and additional services, all in one location.
Petfood Forum 2016 is set for April 18-20, 2016. For more information, visit www.PetfoodForumEvents.com.
