Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety and health of attendees and exhibitors, the Midwest Poultry Federation (MPF) has canceled its in-person convention, rescheduled it for July and instead will offer a complete virtual trade show and convention online on Aug. 12-13.

MPF’s leadership team met last week to weigh its options and then brought the full board together to make the decision, which was unanimous.

MPF president Greg Nelson said, “Given the current COVID-19 situation and the unknowns surrounding large gatherings, we canceled the in-person convention in the best interest of the health of everyone involved in the show. We are, however, excited to announce the 2020 MPF Convention will move forward with a fantastic virtual platform.”

The virtual platform will showcase MPF’s educational content and foster connections between exhibitors and attendees – all within a very robust, 3-D graphical experience in which attendees will visit company booths in the Exhibit Hall, take in educational sessions and chat with speakers and even visit a networking event to interact with other attendees in real time.

“The 2020 Virtual MPF Convention gives us a full trade show and convention component online – the next best thing to being together in person,” Nelson said. "While we are disappointed we won’t be able to bring our attendees and exhibitors together face to face this year, we are very excited about showcasing all the MPF Convention has to offer virtually."

MPF said more details will be coming soon.