PROCESS EXPO has been named second in the Top 25 Fast-Growth Shows (based on the 2013 event’s attendance figures and exhibit space) by EXPO, a publication covering the professional trade show and conference industry. The 2011 event also was ranked to the list.
Making connections
Andy Drennan, senior vice president of event organizer the Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA), told FoodProductionDaily PROCESS EXPO benefits food processing professionals by enabling them to connect with technology suppliers, and their peers.
“Cross-pollination helps them to be first to market with a new product or application that gives them a competitive advantage,” he said.
Additionally, Drennan told FPD the success PROCESS EXPO has enjoyed in recent years indicates similar success in the processing equipment industry.
“This growth means tremendous business opportunities for our members by drawing a whole new variety of exhibitors and attendees,” he said. “One of the common comments from exhibitors at the show was that they experienced solid sales leads from industry segments that they had never sold to before.”
By the numbers
PROCESS EXPO 2013 had 19,155 attendees, 50% more than the 2011 event. Additionally, the number of exhibits increased to 829 from 514 (a 61% increase), and exhibit space in 2013 was 314,600 (36% more than in 2011).
Drennan credited PROCESS EXPO’s growth to the addition of industry programing and special show features.
“This growth has everything to do with the fact that this show is evolving into a much bigger event than just a trade show,” he said. “In 2013 we brought in the Dairy Show and the North American Meat Association's Outlook Conference. On top of that, we created PROCESS EXPO UNIVERSITY.”
The next PROCESS EXPO is scheduled September 15-18 2015 in Chicago. The event will bring back the Dairy Show and co-locate with beverage industry event InterBev.
“We are very optimistic we will see similar benefits with this group as we did with Dairy, providing depth and breadth from the beverage sector that we could not hope to reach on our own,” he said. “It's still too early to project how big we will be for 2015 but we are very optimistic that this growth will continue.”