The founder/owner of the 2023 Canadian Dairy XPO knew a record was broken before official numbers were even released.
That’s what owner Jordon Underhill told Stratford Today on the second day of the XPO.
“It’s always good when you have exhibitors come to the office and tell you that it was a record day before you even know what the numbers are,” he said.
The annual event takes over the Stratford Rotary Complex on Wednesday and Thursday, with exhibits, vendors, and educational resources available across the different halls of the Rotary Complex. The crowds are expected to exceed the previous high of 8,600.
The XPO took three years off due to the pandemic and Underhill was pleased with the results and the optimism that was evident as he walked the stalls.
“The mood is good,” he said. “You can see the quality of the conversations and how happy people are to get back together… (they) want to hit the ground and shake hands. They’re also three years behind on seeing innovation.”
Innovation, education, and social connections are key to the XPO. Farming is often an isolated operation and shared struggles, successes and ideas are important to people who have taken a day off work to come to Stratford.
Underhill said that Stratford was the “nucleus” of the dairy industry. He said that if a circle is drawn around Stratford, the region has the highest concentration of dairy production in the country, in terms of total liters of milk harvested a day.
Because of that and the Stratford Rotary Complex, which is one of the only venues in rural Ontario that could handle a show like the XPO, Stratford is the ideal place to hold the show.
Over 30 countries were represented by companies at the XPO, including an eye-catching German pavilion.
Underhill explained that the main markets for agricultural companies in Germany were Russia and Ukraine. Due to the war the German government gave dairy companies a grant to scope out new markets.
Gesine Weickert of Leipziger Messe International, the organizing body, said that the five companies that came have reported a “familiar atmosphere” and were pleased with the event, though noted that they aren’t used to setting up shop in a hockey arena.
She shared that normally organizing a similar event takes about a year to plan in advance. This time around it was planned on short notice, but they are happy with how it turned out.
Underhill said that the German representatives were so impressed that next year they want to triple the size of the pavilion.
The XPO is a big business, but it also raised a considerable amount of money for charity.
“Calves for a Cause,” a charity cattle sale, raised over $100,000 for the London Children’s Hospital on the first day of the XPO.
Speaking of next year …
The plans for the 2024 Canadian Dairy XPO are already in the works. A steering committee will meet within a couple of weeks after the show, while memories are still fresh, to speak about how to make next year’s show even better.
Underhill said that in response, over 25 companies have already reached out to his office to give testimonials about the success of the show.