The 2018 edition of Petfood Innovation Workshop will break down the process that a business experiences during new product development with an emphasis on the stages of innovation. This hands-on pet food workshop will take place on April 23, 2018 at Kansas State University in Olathe, Kansas, USA, the day prior to the commencement of Petfood Forum.
New product development is the lifeblood for most companies, especially in the dynamic pet food industry. Successful practitioners have mastered the path from idea through concept definition to launch. This path has many steps, and each is important to execute properly. Finding the right partners and applying the right technology along this path are essential elements to the commercial enterprise and ultimate success.
Register for Petfood Forum 2018
This year’s Petfood Innovation Workshop will provide participants with those essential elements – tricks, tips and traps to avoid during the product development cycle – for the successful launch of new products. Suppliers of ingredients, equipment and technologies, along with their expertise, can provide a needed boost to speed to market. These supplier-sponsors will provide interactive technical and creative thoughts on how to best deal with some of the key challenges in getting the product from the drawing board to store shelves and into pets’ homes.
Petfood Innovation Workshop schedule
The journey will begin with an update of market trends and data in pet food new product development and an overview of the journey and all the various paths one can take. Then we will take a short trip to Kansas State University-Olathe to work through a series of engaging exercises and hands-on experiences to describe and resolve challenges in the new product process.
Sponsors’ stations will provide guidance on:
- Selection of ingredients for functionality, claims and nutrition impact.
- Processing and equipment to convert these ingredients into world-class products, shapes, textures and other beneficial formats.
- Flavor systems to bring out the best in the pet and acceptance by the pet owner.
- Preservatives and packaging systems to support in-store presence of products, retention of nutrition and aroma properties and visual appeal.
- Novel approaches to managing the process with time and cost benchmarks.
- Communication with customers, services to manage problem solving and methods to support launch and repeat purchase.
The day will be filled with next-generation ideas, experiences and concepts. Participants will have many opportunities to network with sponsors and other pet food professionals. All in all, Petfood Innovation Workshop provides a chance to see inside the trade and experience a fun, stress-free environment learning about the competitive edge of new product development in the pet food industry.
