---
title: POPCORN Innovation Summit | CAT Squared User Summit 2026
description: Join CAT Squared’s reimagined User Summit—POPCORN Innovation Summit—focused on CYNERGY, plant-floor execution, and what’s next in food manufacturing.
image: https://www.catsquared.com/hubfs/popcorn%20landing%20page%20OG%20image.png
---
[
](https://www.catsquared.com?hsLang=en)
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5976339/e5150a58-a274-410c-a164-4ef1b1555b90)
[**](https://www.catsquared.com/popcorn-innovation-summit#tmpmodule_1566671952773220)
- [CYNERGY MES](https://www.catsquared.com/cynergy)
- [CYNREGY First Processing Suite](https://www.catsquared.com/first-processing)
- [Live Bird Weighing](https://www.catsquared.com/live-bird-weighing)
- [Live Bird Receiving](https://www.catsquared.com/live-bird-receiving)
- [Livestock Receiving](https://www.catsquared.com/livestock-receiving)
- [Carcass Tracking](https://www.catsquared.com/carcass-tracking)
- [Live Fish Receiving](https://www.catsquared.com/live-fish-receiving)
- [Inspection & Disposition](https://www.catsquared.com/inspection-disposition)
- [Overhead Sizing Integration](https://www.catsquared.com/overhead-sizing-integration)
- [CYNERGY Production Operations Suite](https://www.catsquared.com/manufacturing)
- [Batch Mixing](https://www.catsquared.com/further-processing-tools)
- [Cook-to-Chill Process Control](https://www.catsquared.com/cook-chill-process-control)
- [Production Control](https://www.catsquared.com/production-control)
- [Labeling, Pack-Out & Palletizing](https://www.catsquared.com/labeling)
- [CYNERGY WMS Suite](https://www.catsquared.com/wms-distribution)
- [Receiving Module](https://www.catsquared.com/receiving)
- [Warehouse Management Module](https://www.catsquared.com/warehouse)
- [Direct Store Delivery Module](https://www.catsquared.com/direct-store-delivery)
- [CYNERGY Food Safety & Quality Suite](https://www.catsquared.com/food-safety-quality)
- [FSQM (Food Safety & Quality Management) Module](https://www.catsquared.com/food-safety-quality-management-hat)
- [LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)](https://www.catsquared.com/laboratory-information-management-lims)
- [CYNERGY Continuous Improvement Suite](https://www.catsquared.com/continuous-improvement)
- [Pre- | Post-Chill Weighing](https://www.catsquared.com/pre-post-chill-weighing)
- [Primary Yield Tracking & Reporting](https://www.catsquared.com/primary-yield)
- [Further Processing Yield Reporting](https://www.catsquared.com/further-processing-yield-efficiency-management)
- [Executive Dashboard & Scoreboard](https://www.catsquared.com/executive-dashboard)
- [Factory Analytics | Production Efficiency Management](https://www.catsquared.com/factory-analytics-oee)
- [Computerized Maintenance Management](https://www.catsquared.com/cmms)
- [Planning & Optimization](https://www.catsquared.com/tacticalops)
- [Traceability](https://www.catsquared.com/supply-chain-traceability)
- [Interoperable traceability Network](https://www.catsquared.com/traceability-compliance)
- [FoodTrace Consumer Transparency Portal](https://www.catsquared.com/foodtrace)
- [Factory Automation Services](https://www.catsquared.com/automation)
- [Our Company](https://www.catsquared.com/about)
- [News](https://www.catsquared.com/blog)
- [Support](https://www.catsquared.com/support)
- [Contact](https://www.catsquared.com/contact)
- [*Job Openings*](https://www.catsquared.com/now-hiring)
- [Our Customers](https://www.catsquared.com/clients)
**
AUGUST 10-13, 2026
# WHERE PERFORMANCE STARTS TO POP
POPCORN: The Innovation Summit by CAT Squared
Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, Hot Springs, Arkansas
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5976339/0063888a-9558-4b8b-b9ad-1b7e001c79a2) [](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5976339/4f4b74fd-c6c7-4a2a-acb0-4ac904596d1a)
### **5+1 Reasons to Attend POPCORN.**
POPCORN is where insights pop for food manufacturers ready to get more from the systems, data, and partnerships they already have. Download the full program to see the sessions, speakers, and summit experiences built to reveal intelligence gaps and unlock performance across the value chain.
[DOWNLOAD PROGRAM](https://www.catsquared.com/popcorn-innovation-summit#tmp2_widget_62895993947)
### Reason 1: Extract More Value from Your Existing Systems
The biggest gains do not always come from adding more technology. They come from identifying where performance, visibility, and decision-making break down across the value chain.
That is why the POPCORN program focuses on uncovering points of value loss, from farm and live production through processing, traceability, and downstream decisions—revealing the intelligence gaps that limit performance.
###### Tuesday, August 11, 11:00 AM
##### SPEAKERS: OPTIFARM, POULTRYSYNC
#### Predictive Intelligence
See how live-side activity and environmental data can be turned into actionable insight that supports earlier intervention, better planning, and more predictable performance upstream, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.
###### TUESDAY - Thursday
##### HOST: MEAGHAN ZIEMBA
#### Connecting people, processes, and ideas
As host of the Popcorn Summit, Meaghan brings clarity to complex topics across the food production chain, keeping conversations focused on the challenges, innovations, and opportunities shaping the future of food manufacturing.
###### Tuesday, August 11, 10:00AM
##### SPEAKERS: CHORE-TIME, ROXELL, FANCOM & PIGTEK
#### CYNERGY: WHERE PERFORMANCE BEGINS
See how live-side insight can improve predictability before animals reach the plant, providing better visibility into feed performance, consistency, activity patterns, and environmental factors that influence outcomes.
###### Wednesday, August 12, 01:00PM
##### SPEAKER: WIGGS CIVITILLO
#### Turning Traceability Data into Retailer-Ready Compliance
See how standardized traceability records help manufacturers respond faster to recalls, meet compliance requirements, and improve data sharing across the supply chain while strengthening transparency and customer confidence.
### Reason 2: Get clarity on the CYNERGY roadmap
Farm-to-fork is not a simple linear process. It is a complex system where decisions in live production, processing, traceability, and planning continuously affect one another.
CYNERGY is designed to connect those moving parts into a more unified operational environment, helping manufacturers reduce blind spots and make better-informed decisions across the value chain.
### Reason 3: See how we turn operational data into business intelligence
CYNERGY is a connected system that helps food manufacturers close intelligence gaps, improve visibility, and connect decisions across the value chain.
POPCORN brings that vision to life through the summit experience, including the Pop & Pour Technology Showcase, where attendees can see the ecosystem in action and explore opportunities for adoption and ROI.
###### Tuesday, August 11, 05:30PM
#### POP & Pour technology showcase
Grab a drink and visit immersive demo stations with CAT² SMEs, partners, and sponsors. See the ecosystem in action, ask practical questions, and gather ideas to drive adoption and ROI.
###### Tuesday, August 11, 4:00PM
##### SPEAKER: ALEX SANDOVAL
#### AI Copilots for Smarter Operations
Discover how AI copilots help production teams interpret plant-floor data, investigate downtime, identify bottlenecks, and accelerate root-cause analysis to turn scattered signals into clear action.
###### Tuesday, August 11, 03:30PM
##### SPEAKER: JOHANN DE WET
#### Identifying Production Losses Earlier with Visual AI
Discover how visual AI turns existing factory CCTV into operational intelligence, helping processors uncover downtime causes and production losses that traditional systems miss.
### Reason 4: Interrogate your data using AI
The conversation around AI is moving fast, but real value comes from understanding where intelligence can improve operations.
Through sessions with leading industry voices, POPCORN helps attendees explore how emerging technologies can be applied in practice across the value chain.
### Reason 5: Value from across the value chain
POPCORN brings together voices from across the farm-to-fork value chain, combining strategic perspective, technical expertise, and real-world operational experience.
The result is a deeper understanding of the challenges, opportunities, and decisions shaping modern food operations.
###### Wednesday, August 12, 09:40AM
##### SPEAKER: DR. AMIT MOREY
#### Beyond SILOED DATA
Discover how Industry 4.0 helps poultry processors connect automation, sensors, and plant data to cloud-based analytics that improve efficiency, food safety, and production performance.
###### Tuesday, August 11, 11:00AM
##### SPEAKER: Dr. Neamat Eltazi
#### Turning Live-Side Data into Predictive Intelligence
See how live-side and environmental data can support earlier intervention, better planning, and more predictable upstream performance before variability reaches the plant.
###### Thursday, August 13, 09:00AM
##### SPEAKER: BRYAN BURNS
#### INDUSTRY & REGULATORY OUTLOOK ACROSS PROTEIN PRODUCTION
Explore the policy, regulatory, and business trends shaping the future of protein production, and the key developments processors should monitor to stay prepared for what’s next.
###### Thursday, August 13, 9:30AM
##### SPEAKER: BLAKE ROLLINS
#### Implications for the Poultry Industry
Explore the economic, social, and industry forces reshaping our world, and why the poultry industry is well-positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.
### bonus reason : Shaping what’s next
The future of food manufacturing will not be defined by technology alone, but by how manufacturers connect systems, decisions, and intelligence across their operations.
POPCORN brings those conversations together, creating opportunities for customers, experts, and partners to explore new ways to improve visibility, performance, and value creation.
### Download the full program
Explore the agenda, speakers, and key summit moments in one place. Complete the form and get the program delivered straight to your inbox.
[DOWNLOAD PROGRAM](https://www.catsquared.com/popcorn-innovation-summit#tmp1_widget_1778159745288)
#### STANDARD ATTENDEE
General Admission
## $1069
Full access to all sessions
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Networking events and evening programming
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Meals included
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All applicable taxes included
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#### GROUP TICKET FOR 4 or 5
Invoice only
## 25% off
Save 25% on four or five standard attendee tickets
---
Please note: Group registrations require some manual processing. Your registration code will be sent after the invoice has been prepared and the group booking has been confirmed.
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#### Group Ticket for 6 or more
Invoice only
## 30% OFF
Save 30% on six or more standard attendee tickets
---
Please note: Group registrations require some manual processing. Your registration code will be sent after the invoice has been prepared and the group booking has been confirmed.
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#### SPONSOR REGISTRATION
Custom plan
## SPONSOR
Full access to all sessions
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Networking events and evening programming
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Meals included
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All applicable taxes included
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#### Special thanks to our premium sponsors
#### 
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