The Rural Voice, 1998-06, Page 34VII
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30 THE RURAL VOICE
What those early leaders hoped to
achieve was to provide producers
with a communication link. "People
who attend the Pork Congress have
always gone for the people, to meet
people with the same interest and
who share the same intensity," says
Smclski.
"It was designed to be one-stop
shopping," said Henry. Pork
producers could look at buildings, at
renovations and innovations. Experts
from far afield were brought in to
inform and instruct on everything
from ventilation to vaccination.
But the Congress was also
about trying to promote and
increase awareness in pork
consumption. Henry was heavily
involved in the formation of an
export marketing division in the early
1980s. "All the experts said it could
not be done, but we had one of the
largest export divisions of that time."
While that division has ceased
there is no question that the Pork
Congress as a whole continues to
thrive. Its success, typified by the
fact that it has grown from 50
exhibitors that first year to 200 in
1998, has given organizers the
freedom to think and do things a little
differently than in the beginning.
What this means is that many of
the original concepts used in the first
years have disappeared and a
transformation in the focus of the
show has occurred.
The biggest change in recent
years, says Smelski is the move to
the more business -oriented
philosophies of teamwork, new
innovations and marketing strategies.
Brian Gropp, fairgrounds manager
since 1988, says that type of
specialization has certainly been the
most significant change he has seen
in his tenure. "To ask if the Pork
Congress has grown over the years
depends on how you define growth.
While there is shrinkage in the
number of producers, the industry
itself has witnessed tremendous
growth. Producers are more upscale
and looking for a lot of different
things."
With the leaning towards big
business and larger operations,
Smclski says there was at one time,
the thought that perhaps the Congress
had "outgrown" the fairgrounds at
Stratford, a view that was soon