World Ag Expo
11 December 2008 
International ag-related businesses looking for a comprehensive overview of US agriculture or wanting to do business with US companies found exactly that during the 2008 World Ag Expo in Tulare, California.
More than 1,500 international guests from 74 countries attended the World Ag Expo in February, which is the world’s largest outdoor agriculture show with more than 100,000 attendees. While the show is business-oriented and gives international attendees a chance to connect with potential overseas partners, it also serves as an overview for US agriculture.
“Overall, when you look at the exhibitors at the show, this is not a regional show. It is truly an international show. Our exhibitors are offering products that could be important or useful to ag operations in California, but also anywhere in the world,” said Beth Sequeira, communications director for World Ag Expo.
“When you come to the US and especially to California, we grow more than 300 different products in California, and we grow them well. So it is a good place to visit to get an overall picture of agriculture, or to learn about how the latest specific technologies are working,” she said.
To help bring value to international guests, the show offers an international business center that gives attendees from all over the world a place to connect with business partners and learn about the logistics of trading with the US. Other than the business center, the show gives international attendees the support they need to make the event a success.
“The international business center is a good place for international attendees to connect with business partners, and the center helps facilitate business by offering volunteer translators and other services. With more than 74 countries represented, we were able to find a translator for every person that needed one,” Sequeira said.
“Last year, we had a guy from Italy who really couldn’t talk to anyone when he first got to the show,” she added. “But we found him a translator, and he was able to do several hundred thousand dollars worth of business in the afternoon. So it is really awesome that we have the resources to make a lot of things happen.”
Exhibitors agree that the show’s international element is good for expanding business and growing relationships overseas. With rapidly changing technologies and increasing information, the show serves as a platform to exchange not only products and services, but also ideas.
One example is Floratine Biosciences, Inc., a company that offers a range of products that help plants maximize the nutrients available to them. John Bradley, director of research at Floratine Bioscience, said that this was the company’s first time at the show, and they were impressed with the conversations and possible sales leads at the show.
“We were very pleased with the crowd, especially on the international side. We had a lot of interest from a diverse group of people – I talked to people from Turkey, Mexico, and China – and the show really had an international flavor. There were people from all over the world there, and we got a lot of good interest from our Carbon Power products,” Bradley said.
“We offer a transportation system to help nutrients be more mobile in the plant, and it is beneficial for any crop you want to put it on,” he said. “That was one of the benefits of this show – you get so many different crops and elements of agriculture represented out here. It paints a broad picture of US agriculture.”
Information on next year’s World Ag Expo.
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