Change is never easy and can even be uncomfortable at times. With a global industry event, the stakes are even higher when it comes to altering a schedule that has been in place for over 20 years.
This year, World Dairy Expo (WDE) is shifting from a weeklong schedule to a six-day event structure, taking place from Oct. 2-7, 2022. The event will still include all the premier events attendees and exhibitors travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for each year – such as the dairy cattle show, seminars, virtual farm tours and the trade show, just in a condensed format.
“With respect to commercial and dairy cattle exhibitor needs overlaid with the focus on youth, attendees and everything else that goes into the event, we needed to make a change with careful deliberation,” says Bill Hageman, WDE board president.
World Dairy Expo 2022 will kick off with youth activities including dairy cattle judging, showmanship and fitting contests on Sunday, Oct. 2. The International Junior Holstein Show and International Milking Shorthorn Show start the dairy cattle show on Monday, Oct. 3, with Jersey heifers competing that afternoon. The trade show and educational programming will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. The event concludes with the Parade of Champions on the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 7.
A time for change and opportunity
For many years in the post-event survey, trade show exhibitors asked for the event to be shorter to align better with other industry events. Hageman emphasizes the changes made this year would not have happened without a thorough evaluation and seeking a positive outcome overall for WDE stakeholders.
“We never make change for change’s sake,” Hageman says. “As leaders of WDE, we cannot leave ourselves vulnerable to not listening to exhibitors.”
The differences in the daily events compared to previous years will likely be pretty minor for attendees and exhibitors alike.
“Each attendee has a unique experience with the event, and the wide array of opportunities that exist on the WDE campus to learn, explore, collaborate and connect with the dairy world is huge,” Hageman says. “Each day provides that opportunity.”
Change aligned with goals
When considering the impacts to WDE stakeholders, the goal for the expo is simple: to provide the best and most complete global dairy event with respect to exhibitors and attendees.
While the changes for dairy cattle exhibitors are subtle by moving the show forward a day and starting times of certain shows up or staggering times of other shows, Hageman says these small modifications in the schedule still lead to the best outcome for those bringing cattle to the grounds.
“They have invested so much in resources, time and travel, and we want to make sure their exhibition on the colored shavings provides the best opportunity to maximize their investment,” Hageman says.
The new format of the trade show offers opportunities for companies to be more economically efficient, both through resources and time. Making the show one day shorter maintains a strong trade show and good relations with industry partners.
Attendees who take in multiple events during WDE will continue to enjoy many types of activities, whether ringside, walking around the grounds or in the buildings.
“For the attendees, we still feel that the schedule offers a wide array of events and activities that provide value,” Hageman says. “These include engaging with fellow producers, enjoying a virtual farm tour, hiring your next farm manager or learning about a new topic in the industry – just to name a few.”
Looking to the future
As the new schedule takes shape at this year’s 55th edition of WDE, the event team is focused on the outcome and making one of the most recognized dairy industry events even better.
“This schedule was justified and necessary,” Hageman says. “With that in mind, we are looking forward to better serving the needs of exhibitors while still focusing on creating that must-attend event for everyone in the global dairy industry.”
For future years of WDE, do not expect this change in the schedule to go away any time soon – this change is seen as a benefit toward continually improving the event.
“This is a long-term solution and objective, and we want to pay respect to the history of our event, but we believe the changes we are making support the reason that WDE is a global dairy event: competition, commerce, collaboration, connections and celebration of the industry,” Hageman says.
More information about purchasing online tickets for this year’s event, the schedule and key events to take in during the week can be found on the WDE website.
