ProFood Tech, the biennial trade show that showcases new technologies and innovative solutions in the food and beverage processing sector, will take place on March 26-28, 2019, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Powered by the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI), Koelnmesse GmbH and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the three-day event will feature 400 exhibitors in an over 150,000-square-foot exhibition space.
The trade show’s exhibits will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. over all three days. According to the show’s organizers, in addition to the expansive number of exhibitions, the trade show will feature abundant educational opportunities for processing professionals who want to expand their knowledge and supplier options. Sessions will cover regulations and food safety, consumer trends and marketing, food processing advances and technology, and business and leadership development.
Dairy focus
ProFood Tech, which replaced IDFA’s International Dairy Show, will also have a significant focus on the dairy industry. IDFA will host a 50,000-square-foot Dairy Pavilion featuring the latest in processing products, solutions and services from more than 75 top dairy industry suppliers.
“Attendees will gain new supplier contacts, inventive ideas and powerful business solutions they can use to meet their needs and goals,” said Neil Moran, IDFA’s senior vice president of finance, administration and trade show.
He added that IDFA will offer expanded learning sessions to provide an overview of the latest trends and advancements in food processing throughout the food and beverage industry. This will be done in part through the free Knowledge Hub program, which will take place in three separate locations on the show floor: the Impact Zone, the Innovation Zone and the Disruption Zone.
The Impact Zone will encourage interactive discussions and offer opportunities to learn from the experiences and successes of industry colleagues. The Innovation Zone will feature breakthrough technologies, ideas and formulations designed to spark creativity and help brainstorm solutions. The Disruption Zone will deliver a lineup of sessions for professionals to learn more about implementing disruptive technologies to meet consumer demands.
“Drop in for free sessions; learn firsthand about trends and innovations affecting your business; and join in conversations to exchange information and viewpoints,” Moran said. “Each day’s schedule will be packed with informative and enlightening sessions designed to increase understanding of timely issues and provide information to increase you and your company’s effectiveness and profitability.”
Building on success
This year’s ProFood Tech trade show will build on the success of the inaugural event in 2017. About 6,500 people attended ProFood Tech two years ago, including C-level executives, corporate managers, engineers, sales managers, plant managers, manufacturers and production supervisors, brand and marketing managers, quality controllers, purchasers and package designers from a wide variety of food and beverage consumer packaged goods companies. The show’s organizers said they expect attendance to top 7,000 this year.
Jim Pittas, president and CEO of PMMI, attributed the inaugural trade show’s success to bringing together many sectors of the food and beverage processing industry. The event’s attendees are professionals from baking and snack, beverage, confectionery, dairy, frozen and prepared foods, fruits and vegetables, grain, mill, cereal, meat, poultry, seafood, pet food and prepared foods industries.
For more information about registration, the show schedule and travel, visit www.profoodtech.com.
