If you plan on attending the 22nd European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition (ESPN) at Gdansk in Poland in a couple of weeks, here’s a piece of advice, free of charge: Make a plan.
ESPN is a huge event that encompasses many varied activities to cater for the interests and needs of all kinds of professionals ranging from first-year college students to CEOs and company presidents, and all the rest of us in between.
It is best to have an agenda of meetings, but this is not what I mean by being prepared. I am sure all of us have already or are in the process of organizing meetings. I am talking about finding those events, talks, seminars, etc., that suit your needs. It is different if you are looking to develop a new product or if you are trying to promote a new technology. We already know how this is done, but when one is faced by the enormous crowd and the huge number of events, it is impossible to improvise on the spot. So, playing it by ear is not good enough as it might be for some smaller events.
I hope the industry, as in the private sector – but one may question what has remained purely public anymore – gets a better treatment this time around and they get a better exhibition hall. There is actually a good number of pre-event meetings (on Monday), and I am hopeful I will be able to attend at least one that interests me. Otherwise, my own agenda includes a great focus on new developments and the future of the feed industry through the lens of the poultry world.