The American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) will bring its annual convention back to Kansas City, Mo., July 24-26, at the Kansas City Convention Center.

Before the show starts, attendees can opt for a preconvention bus tour of various meat plants and butcher shops around the Kansas City metropolitan area scheduled for July 23. During the tour, attendees will visit four businesses, including Kurzweils Country Meats in Harrisonville, Mo., Paradise Locker Meats in Trimble, Mo., and the Local Pig and Kansas City Sausage Co. in Kansas City.

On the first day of the AAMP convention, Thursday, July 24, the Welcoming Session will begin at 8 a.m., with Chris Young, the executive director of AAMP. He will also help present the Stephen F. Krut Scholarship winners.

The featured speaker in this session will be Dan Meers, who is most well-known as KC Wolf, the official mascot for the Kansas City Chiefs. Meers will discuss his role with the team and his experiences traveling around the country entertaining thousands of fans.

Educational sessions will open on Thursday and cover many important topics for small meat processors, including succession planning, sanitation, direct-to-consumer sales, mental health and wellness, smoked fish processing and cybersecurity.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will open the exhibit hall at 1 p.m. on July 24. The exhibit floor will be open each day until July 26 for 3 to 3 ½ hours. Some of the booths at the convention will include processing equipment, services, software and supplies for small processors.

AAMP has scheduled two demonstration sessions focused on charcuterie and barbecue on July 24 and 25.

Chris Kurzweil of Kurzweils’ Country Meats and Mike Sloan of Hermann Wurst Haus will cover how processors can help customers find the correct tastes and textures for meats, cheeses, crackers, dips and dried fruits when designing charcuterie boards.

AAMP will then host a session for attendees to hear from several Kansas City area barbecue masters on tips and tricks for creating award-winning barbecue cuisine.

Source: AAMP

Another staple that goes along with the AAMP Convention is the American Cured Meat Championships (ACMC). Each year, members are asked to bring enter their best cured meat products, which are evaluated against fellow processors from around the United States. The ACMC features 29 categories covering many product types, including jerky, snack sticks, ham, turkey, bacon, deli meats, sausages and numerous specialty cured meats. The featured class for 2025 will be Smoked and Cooked Poultry Sausage.

This year’s ACMC will also include a fresh category for the first time. This new addition is an experiment during this year’s cured meats competition for possible inclusion in future competitions.

The Grand Champion, Reserve Grand Champion, and Reserve Champion will be named during the ceremony.

The annual convention will also include various networking opportunities. Don’t miss the night event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, at Chicken N Pickle, a local restaurant with many recreational activities and known as a hub for pickleball players.

One of the sessions held on Friday will be optimizing efficiency with equipment, led by Jon Frohling of ScottPec. He plans to give a complete overview of purchasing equipment, optimizing efficiency, and increasing production and profits.

Saturday wraps up the ACMC Awards, including inducting the newest members into the Cured Meats Hall of Fame.

Following the awards, ACMC product viewing is available where attendees can see and taste the various products submitted to the judges throughout the week. Attendees are invited to use this opportunity to consider new products for their companies to create.

Finally, the Closing Banquet will be held in the Kansas City Marriott Downtown, concluding the weekend. The association noted the achievement and accomplishment awards will be presented along with the Grand Prize winner of the ACMC.

The prize includes airfare, accommodation, and convention registration for two people and tickets to the social events during the 2026 show in Milwaukee.