Governor’s Commendation Presented to IPPE for Contributions to State of Georgia

ATLANTA (April 20, 2016) During the last 10 years, the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) has had an economic impact of $562 million on the State of Georgia. On Tuesday, April 26, U.S. Poultry and Egg Association Chairman, Paul Hill and President, John Starkey, along with other members of the organization who spearhead IPPE, were presented the Governor’s Commendation in recognition of their contributions to the state. Lee Hunter, Chairman of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority Board of Governors and Mark Zimmerman, Georgia World Congress Center General Manager, presented the honor. The estimated economic impact for the 2016 show is $61 million, with 37,000 hotel rooms booked and an estimated $1.6 million in states sales tax collected.

Caption L to R: Larry Brown (IPPE), John Starkey (U.S. Poultry and Egg Association President), Lee Hunter (GWCCA Board of Governors Chairman), Paul Hill (U.S. Poultry and Egg Association Chairman), Nath Morris (IPPE), Mark Zimmerman( GWCC General Manager)

In 1977, the International Poultry Expo, which began in Atlanta at the Ansley Hotel in 1949, relocated from the Atlanta Civic Center to the then-new Georgia World Congress Center. The International Poultry Expo was sponsored by Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association which was renamed U.S. Poultry & Egg Association in 1993. The American Feed Industry Association and the North American Meat Institute subsequently joined the event in 2007 and 2013, respectively, to form what is today the International Production & Processing Expo, or IPPE.

The first show held at the GWCC welcomed 10,500 attendees, 302 exhibitors and occupied 150,000 square feet of exhibit space. In its 40th year the show welcomed 30,277 attendees, 1,301 exhibitors and occupied almost 465,000 square feet of exhibit space. Included in the number of attendees 7,280 were international visitors representing 141 countries.

“It has been a pleasure being the home of IPPE for the last 40 years and to see such tremendous growth. Everyone in the organization has been great to work with and we look forward to many more years of hosting the show,” said Zimmerman.