The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) reports this year’s PROCESS EXPO has doubled the exhibit space of the 2010 show. PROCESS EXPO 2011 has surpassed the milestone of 200,000 sq. ft. set for this year, and has signed on more than 400 exhibitors. FPSA is expecting over 10,000 attendees from more than 75 countries. The show, which also features a comprehensive collection of conference sessions, runs from November 1 through November 4, 2011 at McCormick Place South in Chicago, IL.

Those who miss this year’s EXPO will have to wait two years for the next show. FPSA management, in concert with association members, decided to follow the European model for scheduling trade shows-every two or three years. Therefore, the next PROCESS EXPO will be held in 2013.

PROCESS EXPO also features nearly 30 hours of educational programming. With the new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and sustainability being hot topics, organizers are expecting a heavy turnout for the conference sessions. The sessions are free with the expo registration, but attendees need to sign up well in advance for individual sessions if they want to be assured of being admitted.

“The seminar program has been listed online for just weeks,” says David Seckman, president of FPSA “and the early registration has been remarkable.” Due to attendee demand, Seckman says FPSA has “expanded the seating of all the meeting rooms and the Siemens Educational Theater on the show floor to serve an audience of almost 100 people per seminar.”

The 2011 educational program, “Manufacturing Solutions: Practical Responses to Food Industry Challenges,” takes place at the start of each day of the show. It focuses on key issues of concern in the food and beverage industry and practical solutions processors can use in their operations.

“Seminario de Innovaciones” is dedicated entirely to attendees from Latin America and runs on October 31. These sessions are presented in Spanish and sponsored by PROCESS EXPO’s international partners: CANAINCA, CANILEC, COMECARNE and Chilealimentos.

Siemens Exhibitor Spotlight Theater will host a series of short technical workshops each day on the show floor, covering a wide variety of topics of interest to food processors.

Issues surrounding food safety are paramount in the educational offerings. The topic will be approached from a variety of perspectives and discussed by representatives of organizations including NSF, International Poultry and Egg Association, and the National Association of Meat Processors. Industry consultants, trade press members and experts representing some of the leading exhibitors round out the faculty. In addition to food safety, sessions on sustainability, newly emerging technologies, energy and water management, doing more with less and finding and keeping good employees are generating interest from registrants.

The FPSA Councils Pavilion (Booth 5412) gives attendees a chance to meet with representatives from different industry councils within FPSA. Members will be on hand to discuss how processors and suppliers can collaborate on key issues. The Pavilion features a different council  each day: Tuesday, November 1, Meat Industry Suppliers Alliance (MISA); Wednesday, November 2, Bakery Council; Thursday, November 3, Prepared Foods Council; and Friday, November 4, Dairy Council.

Exhibit hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. from Tuesday (November 1) through Thursday (November 3) and 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Friday (November 4). Registration starts each day an hour before the exhibits open and continues until the show closing time. Seminario de Innovaciones will be held on Monday (October 31) from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. with registration open from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. For more details on the technical sessions, see page 115.