Gearing up for this year's World Dairy Expo

Here in the office, Hoard’s staff find their desks stacked high with Expo Supplement articles, images, schedules, and more, but we aren’t the only ones getting ready for this fall’s World Dairy Expo. With more than 68,000 people attending from 84 countries, 2,500 head of cattle, and 1,600 exhibits, you can imagine the workforce behind such an event. While September 29 to October 3 are the official days of World Dairy Expo this year, to many people this event starts right after the previous year’s Expo is finished.

At the World Dairy Expo office in Madison, Wis., you’ll find the busy staff working on cattle entries, show catalogs, ordering of awards, theme planning, marketing, tradeshow coordination, and facility preparation year-round. When 2008’s events were over, planning for 2009 began. For the Expo staff, they really pull the show together over the course of the year, but, for others, Expo rush begins just months before the show starts.

Those glamorous commercial exhibits all have to start somewhere. You’ll find advertising and public relations agencies busy planning marketing strategies well before the first booth hits the floor in the Alliant Energy Center. From booth designs to promotional giveaways to company advertisements, the work at agencies is no small task.

And let's not forget the exhibitors. Even standing ringside at Expo, you can hear discussion of who will have the next year’s champions. For cattle exhibitors, there is the constant urge to grow a better heifer than what was grown the year before. Getting animals ready for an event like Expo takes months, and maybe even years, until that cow hits just the right stage of lactation in that first week of October.

So no matter what sector of the dairy industry you’re in, you’ll be sure to hear about preparations for one of the industry’s greatest shows, World Dairy Expo. Make sure to check out the September 10 issue of Hoard’s Dairyman for the latest on the event in the Expo Supplement. Also, check out our blog, “Hoard’s @ Expo” during the week of World Dairy Expo for daily updates. If you have any ideas for blogs or stories, please comment below!