BUFFALO, Minn. — Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety and health of its attendees and exhibitors, the Midwest Poultry Federation (MPF) announces that its in-person convention, re-scheduled for July, is cancelled. Instead, MPF will offer a complete virtual trade show and conference online on August 12-13, 2020.
MPF’s leadership team met several times last week to weigh its options and then brought the full board together to make the decision, which was unanimous.
Said MPF President Greg Nelson: “Given the current COVID-19 situation and the unknowns surrounding large gatherings, we cancelled the in-person convention in the best interest of the health of everyone involved in the show. We are, however, excited to announce the 2020 MPF Convention will move forward with a fantastic virtual platform.”
The virtual platform will showcase MPF’s education content and foster connections between exhibitors and attendees – all within a very robust, 3-D graphical experience where attendees will visit company booths in the Exhibit Hall, take in education sessions and chat with speakers, and even visit a networking event to interact with other attendees in real-time.
“The 2020 Virtual MPF Convention gives us a full trade show and convention component online – the next best thing to being together in person,” said Nelson.
Attendees who were pre-registered to attend the March face-to-face convention will be automatically registered to attend the virtual MPF event at no additional cost to them. (Ticket purchases for the MPF Unhatched concert event and A Slice of Learning lunch will be refunded in full.) If you haven’t pre-registered for MPF and would like to attend the virtual event, details for online registration will be forthcoming at www.midwestpoultry.com.
Exhibitors will be contacted separately by MPF within the next week with all the details on participating in the virtual trade show. (Ticket purchases for the MPF Unhatched concert event will be refunded in full.) If you aren’t a current MPF exhibitor and would like more information on participating in the virtual trade show, please contact Exhibits Manager Teresa Sorenson at tsorenson@midwestpoultry.com.
Current sponsors and their branding will be incorporated directly into the virtual platform at no additional fees. If your company is not a current sponsor and would like to inquire about opportunities, please contact Lara Durben at ldurben@midwestpoultry.com.
“While we are disappointed we won’t be able to bring our attendees and exhibitors together face-to-face this year, we are very excited about showcasing all the MPF Convention has to offer virtually,” said Nelson. “Watch our website as well as our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for all the details to come!”
About MPF
Last year, more than 3,100 attendees and exhibitors attended the 2019 MPF Convention, which is owned by MPF’s state poultry association members. As a nonprofit organization, MPF’s primary purpose is to host an annual regional convention emphasizing on-farm poultry production. The convention’s goal is to offer innovative and compelling information to attendees through a balanced offering of exhibits and educational workshops. Revenue generated by the convention goes back to MPF’s state poultry association members and to support various poultry programs. For more information, visit www.midwestpoultry.com.
— Midwest Poultry Federation
