Note: Names of organizations, offices, departments, etc. in the article are as of when the article was first published.
On July 26–28, 2026, we participated in the IAFP Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
| Dates | July 26 – 28, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Place | Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Exhibition Name | IAFP Annual Meeting |
About the IAFP Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) focuses on food safety and brings together a wide range of companies offering testing and analytical equipment, food safety software, sanitation systems, and other related products and solutions.
With a history spanning 115 years, this year’s event featured more than 140 exhibitors.
The IAFP Annual Meeting is held in a different location each year, and this year it took place in New Orleans. Located in southern Louisiana in the southern United States, New Orleans is known for its hot, humid summers. During our stay, temperatures often exceeded 30°C (86°F), and even on sunny days, humidity sometimes climbed above 70%. It was extremely hot and humid.
The Mississippi River also flows near the convention center, giving us a real sense of the vast scale of the American landscape.
A Conversation Over Coffee…
The exhibition ran for three days, with the first day beginning in the evening with a Cheese & Wine Reception at 7:30 p.m. Visitors walked around the booths with drinks and light refreshments in hand.
This kind of setting is not something we often see at exhibitions in Japan. Perhaps the relaxed atmosphere—with a little help from the wine—made it easier for people to strike up conversations, and we enjoyed many meaningful exchanges with visitors.
On the second and third days, the exhibition opened at 10:00 a.m., and there were more differences from the trade shows we are accustomed to in Japan. Coffee and light refreshments were served in the morning, followed by a lunch buffet and even an afternoon snack at 3:00 p.m.
It was our first experience having meals right on the exhibition floor, but what stood out most was how naturally conversations began around them. People greeted one another while pouring coffee or eating lunch, creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
One of those casual conversations led to an unexpected opportunity. We happened to meet someone who was looking for a temperature data logger, so we invited them to visit the T&D booth. What began as a chance encounter turned into an in-depth conversation about their specific application, giving us the opportunity to explain our products and solutions in detail.
Throughout the three-day event, our booth welcomed visitors from a variety of backgrounds, including people involved in food processing and coffee transportation and logistics, as well as representatives from U.S. government organizations. Many of them were learning about T&D for the first time, and we were very pleased to connect with so many new people.
Trying Fabric Signs for the First Time
For this exhibition, we also tried something new: creating our display panels using fabric signs.
A fabric sign consists of printed fabric stretched over an aluminum frame. At many overseas exhibitions, companies use LED lighting inside the frame to illuminate the fabric and create bright, eye-catching displays.
Drawing on what we had learned from previous exhibitions overseas, we decided to try this style of display for the first time.
Once the fabric was stretched over the frames and illuminated with LED lights at the venue, the blue stood out beautifully and gave the booth a strong visual presence. We were especially pleased when some visitors told us that the display had caught their attention and encouraged them to stop by our booth.
As we continue participating in exhibitions around the world, we hope to keep learning from each experience and finding new ways to help more people discover T&D and what we do.
