Attendees raving about the first ever conference, applauding speakers, insights, and prime networking

The Global Protein Summit debuted in Chicago last week—with those in attendance hailing the program as timely, illuminating, and critically important. The sold-out event, hosted by Urner Barry, featured a hard-hitting lineup of expert presenters covering the biggest topics impacting the beef, pork, and poultry business.
Two days of packed content, 25 speakers, protein-specific breakouts and unparalleled networking opportunities defined this inaugural event, held at the InterContinental Magnificent Mile in the heart of Chicago. The show brought together common themes affecting the supply chain, including China, trade agreements, African Swine Fever, the economy, alternative protein competition, and what to expect as we look ahead.
Attendees were afforded an in-depth look at the state of the global economy and where U.S. trade relationships stand with current and potential export partners; hearing from expert speakers including Brett Stuart, Founder, Global AgriTrends; Will Sawyer, Lead Economist, Animal Protein, CoBank; Daniel Sumner, Professor at the University of California, Davis and Co-Editor of the China Agricultural Economic Review; and Nathan Kauffman, Vice President and Branch Executive, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
It was standing room only at the much-anticipated African Swine Fever panel—featuring Todd Thurman, Owner, SwineTex; Rob Murphy, Executive VP at J.S. Ferraro & Co; Dave Pyburn, Chief Scientist, National Pork Board; and Brett Stuart treating attendees to another appearance as the final panelist of this dynamic discussion.
From the session on Alternative Proteins with Rabobank’s Christine McCracken to breakout sessions featuring market-specific impacts on the beef, pork, and poultry business—attendees walked away with cutting-edge data and unparalleled insights to better strategize in this increasingly complex environment.
Additionally, the networking at GPS was hailed as second to none. In attendance were distinct professionals from varying segments of the entire supply chain, offering diverse perspectives and ample opportunities for expanding connections across the board. Plus, nothing brings people together like good food and drinks, both of which were served in excess at Monday night’s cocktail reception at Chicago’s EATALY. And the gelato—ohh the gelato.
But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what a few attendees had to say:
“I’ve got to tell you, for the first ever Urner Barry Global Protein Summit, it’s been extremely informative. It’s given us information pertaining to labor, supply, global pricing, ASF—it’s been a very informative program and I’m looking forward to coming next year because I think it’s going to be even bigger and better than it was this year.”
“I particularly enjoyed stories from the guys that have been on the ground in China, that can come back with real life stories of what’s happening as far as pork and hog price inflation, losses associated with ASF—that’s always very interesting and important to us.”
“It’s really good to get some insight from a lot of industry leaders.”
“There’s a lot of moving parts in our industry right now. It was the perfect time to come together for something like this and try to think through some of these really big issues that are going to affect the future.”
“This is really a pretty neat and unusual event. Urner Barry has done great performances over the years with Executive Conference and that—with this event though being more tailored to red meat, it was really an interesting event. And there’s not [a conference] that’s real similar to this, or to the degree and magnitude of what we’ve done here. This has been an outstanding presentation—the group of speakers, a number of economists; and what’s interesting too is the blend of people here—it’s very diverse. This has been outstanding.”
Urner Barry was thrilled to host this epic, first-ever event and due to the overwhelming response is already in the process of securing a larger venue to accommodate delegates for next year! Be on the lookout for updates on the 2020 Global Protein Summit. A sincere thanks to our partners, sponsors, presenters and attendees for making this event so compelling and impactful. For more information, on Urner Barry events and services, please visit www.urnerbarry.com or call 800-932-0617.