Contact: Marti Pupillo
mpupillo@idfa.org
202-220-3535

(Washington, D.C. - October 1, 2010) Following the success of its inaugural International Dairy Show, the International Dairy Foods Association has announced the promotion of Robin E. Cornelison to the position of director, trade show. In this role, Cornelison will continue to oversee all aspects of managing the association's annual International Dairy Show, which was held last month in Dallas.

"Robin expertly handled IDFA's transition from Worldwide Food Expo, a co-located show with shared management, to a dairy-specific show that successfully attracted the right mix of exhibitors and high-quality attendees for its inaugural event," said Neil Moran, IDFA senior vice president for finance, administration and trade show. "Her creative and dynamic approach to show management, combined with meticulous attention to detail and unfailing customer service, provided the perfect foundation for the show's success."

The International Dairy Show gives dairy professionals an unparalleled opportunity to focus specifically on dairy industry trends and keep up with a rapidly changing marketplace. This year's show featured nearly 300 exhibitors offering the latest packaging, processing and technology solutions in the global dairy market. With more than 3,500 total attendees and 1,200-plus qualified buyers, the show drew strong participation from the key audiences that IDFA and the exhibitors were seeking to attract: food and beverage processors, food distributors and retail manufacturers.

Cornelison Adds Creative Concepts

In preparation for the show, Cornelison introduced many new concepts to keep the show fresh and relevant in today's dairy marketplace. One new interactive feature was iDairyShow, which provided online and on-floor opportunities for connecting with show participants, exchanging information, chatting about challenges and sharing stories. IDFA used iDairyShow online to disseminate information to attendees before, during and after the event and will now use it to encourage an ongoing dialogue between suppliers and processors throughout the year.

Another new feature, the International Dairy Show's ChirpE page, is a free mobile application from a2z, Inc., that allowed attendees to get the latest buzz, search for products and exhibitors, and view an interactive floor plan. The ChirpE application, compatible with any major smartphone, also offered integration with social media applications.

Cornelison has more than nine years of trade show management experience. Before joining IDFA in 2008, she was manager of exhibit services for the National Association of Broadcasters. Her responsibilities included advertising and sponsorship operations as well as all exhibit services for the NAB Show, one of the country's largest annual trade shows, and the NAB Radio Show.

Before that, she worked as a marketing associate for ImageScan, Inc., a financial software company in Lanham, Md., where she coordinated multiple trade shows, annual conferences and several other events. She also served as an assistant media planner for ArnoldWorldwide/MPG, an advertising company in McLean, Va., working with clients such as McDonald's, Sallie Mae and PNC Bank.

A graduate of the University of Maryland, Cornelison earned a B.A. degree in journalism. She is a member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, and currently is working toward becoming Certified in Exhibition Management.

2011 Show Heads to Atlanta

"The International Dairy Show is a major buying and selling opportunity for all leaders in the dairy industry, and we're delighted to have Robin directing our efforts as we gear up for the next show," said Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO. "With her dedicated trade show experience and obvious enthusiasm, Robin certainly will help IDFA to continue its mission of offering premier events for the dairy industry."

The 2011 show will be held September 19-21 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. For details, visit www.dairyshow.com, or contact Cornelison at rcornelison@idfa.org.

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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $110-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States.