Industry events The Mile High City hosts one of the biggest annual grain and oilseeds 'Exchange' events ever
GEAPS 2018
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by Vaughn Entwistle, Milling and Grain
he annual Grain Elevator and Processing Society Exchange (GEAPS. Pronounced “jeeps”) is one of the largest events of its kind in the USA. It is an international conference that draws thousands of attendees and offers hours of education. GEAPS showcases hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world exhibiting the latest handling and processing operations equipment, services and technology. In fact, it’s the largest event dedicated to grain and oilseeds supply-chain operations. The 2018 event was held in Denver, Colorado at the city’s expansive convention centre where it set a record for the most exhibitors (452) while notching the fourth highest attendance for the conference (2,918). Attendees came from 21 different countries. In addition to the trade show, the event featured nearly 40 hours of education in a variety of formats. This year, members were literally “drummed” into the event by a trio of percussionists drumming on a variety of drums, including a large plastic rubbish bin! When the drums fell silent, GEAPS International President Barb Kraft used the giant scissors to cut the red ribbon and declare GEAP 2018 officially open. President Kraft, of the Landus Cooperative, Greater Iowa Chapter, has seen the show grow tremendously over the last couple of years. Ms Kraft said it is great to see so many companies support GEAPS as the knowledge resource of the grain and processing industry. “The conference was a great success,” Ms Kraft said. “There was a lot of great equipment, and vendors loved the space at the convention centre. The feedback I have heard is the space was great, 114 | May 2018 - Milling and Grain
DENVER