An international feed industries exhibition that is held only once every three years returns to Utrecht in the Netherlands during May. Called Victam International, its trade fair part brings together suppliers from around the world who offer machinery for industrial feedmills and, increasingly, for the commercially sized mill-and-mix operations found on larger farms.
Focus on feed
In 2007, the show starts on Tuesday 8 May and continues until Thursday 10 May. On each of those days, it is open between the hours of 10:00-18:00. Victam is held at the Jaarbeurs complex, which is just a few minutes walk from the Utrecht's central railway station.
In addition to its established role as the exhibition for the world's animal feed industries, the forthcoming event will reach out to the growing petfood and aquaculture feed segments for the first time.
Besides its exhibit hall, the event also will have a conference centre offering a series of meetings during this period. They include a focus on worker safety as well as on the sectors of aquaculture and petfoods.
Listed, too, is Petfood Forum Europe, marking the first time that the banner conference of Watt's Petfood Industry magazine and information service moves from being a separate function to becoming a feature of the Victam programme. The Forum will take place on 8 May.
Furthermore, the Victam agenda includes a seminar on Biomass Pelleting, as the return of a previous collaboration with European biomass association AEBIOM that accompanied the show in 2004. Dutch-based nutrition group Provimi will be staging its own symposium on ingredients. One more subject has been added recently: the latest announcement about the conference programme has revealed that there will be a symposium on avoiding dust explosions organised by engineering consultancy, Tebodin CCE.
"About more than just the feed industry"
Henk van de Bunt, general manager of Victam International, emphasises that the exhibition at Utrecht in May 2007 is about more than the feed industry. Also represented will be the sectors of petfood, aquafeed, flour milling, rice processing, biomass processing/pelleting and handling and storing raw materials. The show has become the world's largest dedicated to these sectors, he comments.
Over 20,000 people visited the last Victam, held in Utrecht in 2004. The event of May 2007 will display the products and services of more than 350 companies and it expects to receive visitors from at least 40 countries.
