Petfood Forum 2023 attracted a record number of attendees with more than 3,700 pet food professionals from 43 countries during May 1-3, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Hundreds of pet food companies were represented including BarkBox, Blue Buffalo, BrightPet Nutrition Group, Canidae Pet Foods, Champion Petfoods, Chewy Inc., Freshpet, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Instinct Pet Food, Mars Petcare, Natural Balance Pet Foods, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Nom Nom, Nulo Pet Food, Primal Pet Foods, Simmons Pet Food, Tuffy’s Pet Foods, Wild Earth and many others.
“Petfood Forum 2023 saw tremendous growth from last year, a strong sign that the industry is fully embracing in-person collaboration and continues to seek strategies and knowledge to advance business,” said Steve Akins, executive vice president, global petfood and events, with WATT Global Media.
Conference
Keynote David Allison, founder of the Valuegraphics Project, opened the conference on May 2 by outlining the common values among pet owners, and Mary Kelly, founder of Productive Leaders, laid the groundwork for retaining employees during her keynote presentation on May 3. Additionally, over 20 globally recognized presenters shared new research and data on a variety of topics including the long-term effects of commercially available diets on cats’ health, exploring nutrition among pet food shopper segments, new developments in processing meat-analog pet foods, fostering a positive food safety culture and much more.
Exhibit Hall
The 2023 event featured an expanded exhibit hall floor where attendees engaged with over 370 supplier companies, an increase of 14.5% over 2022. Many longtime exhibitors were present including 3D Corporate Solutions, ADM, AFB International, Alltech, Buhler, Camlin Fine Sciences, Darling Ingredients, DSM Nutritional Products, Extru-Tech Inc., FL Emmert, Kemin Nutrisurance, Pappas, Peel Plastics, The Peterson Company, Schenck Process, Summit Ridge Farms, TC Transcontinental Packaging, Trouw Nutrition and Wenger. Over 80 first-time exhibiting companies joined this year including Agronutris, Benson Hill, Delkor, Douglas Machine Inc., Intralox, Stratum Nutrition, VIAVI Solutions and Xtra Factors.
The interactive show floor also included the Pet Food Tech Talk stage and the Future of Pet Food Pavilion presenting the latest companion animal research and innovations. Additionally, the inaugural Women in Petfood Leadership Lunch n’ Learn provided networking, mentorship and a presentation by Mary Kelly on how the workplace is changing.
Petfood Forum 2024
The 2024 edition of Petfood Forum is scheduled for April 29-May 1 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Petfood Forum 2024 includes an all-new agenda packed with opportunities to network and collaborate with industry professionals, learn the latest in pet food innovation and discover new tools for business success.
