BUSINESS - Global Pet Expo Bigger and Better than Ever

Andrew Darmohraj, executive vice president and COO of the American Pet Products Association (APPA), announced Global Pet Expo 2017 closed its thirteenth Show setting records across the board.

Global Pet Expo, presented by APPA and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), expanded the Show Floor to 343,700 net square feet of exhibit space (nearly 24,000 feet larger than 2016).

The event experienced growth in total buyer attendance with 6,761 buyers, up more than 9.5 percent from 2016, and there was a 22 percent increase in international buyer attendance from last year.

Featuring more than more than 3,437 booths, twenty seven percent of the exhibitors were international - up 30 percent from 2016.

“We take pride in our hard work to make Global Pet Expo a unique and rewarding opportunity for attendees each and every year,” said Darmohraj.  “With new exhibiting companies, new innovative products from repeat exhibitors, and even changes to the floor layout, we strive to provide the most beneficial experience to all each year.”

Global Pet Expo Academy featured 29 different seminars and also experienced record breaking participation.

The 2017 Show featured more new product launches than any other show in the industry, and had nearly 1,000 entries in the newly designed 30,000 square-foot New Products Showcase.

The New Products Showcase awards were presented to the top three products in a variety of categories.

Primetime Petz LLC took home the top prize in the Cat category with their new “Catysmile Backpack Cat Carrier” and West Paw Design took home top Dog category award with their new “Qwizl treating toy”.

The pet industry continues to grow and that is reflected in the success of Global Pet Expo.

The 2018 Global Pet Expo will take place March 21-23, 2018 in Orlando, FL, at the Orange County Convention Center.

BUSINESS - Global Pet Expo Just Two Weeks Away

Hoping to surpass last year’s record setting success, Global Pet Expo has sold out of exhibitor space for the March 22 - 24 event.

“We work tirelessly throughout the year to continue to improve the Global Pet Expo experience for exhibitors, buyers and media alike,” said American Pet Products Association (APPA) Executive Vice President & COO Andy Darmohraj.

“As the largest annual pet products trade show, we were thrilled to be sold out nearly a month ahead of the Show opening. We expect Global Pet Expo 2017 to be another record-breaking event.”

The 2017 Show, being held in Orlando Florida, will feature 1,130 exhibitors, 27% of which are international companies, 3,435 booths and 223 first-time exhibiting companies.

With more than 3,000 new product launches, Global Pet Expo will showcase the latest products available for all types of pets including dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, small animals and horses.

But it’s about more than just products, free educational seminars are also available.

Some of this year’s seminar topics include:

• How to Launch and Sustain Your Pet Business
• Five Ways to Compete in a Crowded Pet Market
• Employment Law 101: What Every Employer Should Know
• Get the Most from Facebook Advertising
• The Pet Parent Revolution
• Emerging Media and Technology Trends and Your Customers
• Effective and ALMOST Free: 17 Low Cost Marketing Tactics
• Pet Food Mythbusters
• Staffing Made Simple(r) – Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Employees

Global Pet Expo is open to independent retailers, distributors, mass-market buyers and other qualified media and professionals.

For more information and to register to attend, visit the Global Pet Expo website.

BUSINESS - Largest SuperZoo Ever

World Pet Association (WPA), producer of SuperZoo, proclaimed their 2016 trade show the largest ever.

SuperZoo was held in Las Vegas and had a more than four percent increase in attendees and eight percent increase in companies attending over 2015, as well as nearly 1,200 exhibitors participating.

Attendees had had 820 products to choose from when voting on the best new products in the showcase.

Over 90 education sessions covered a wide variety of topics including: staff training, human resources, leadership, social media, customer service and marketing, and more.

“The quality and depth of SuperZoo’s speakers, education sessions, attendees and exhibitors was incredible,” says Doug Poindexter, president of WPA. “SuperZoo is continually evolving and growing to meet the needs of pet retailers as well as the trends in the industry and this year demonstrated WPA’s sustained commitment to contributing to the pet industry’s continued success.”

SuperZoo wasn’t the only successful pet retail trade show this year, Global Pet Expo also broke attendance and participation records.

Interzoo, held in Germany, reported their largest event ever in June 2016.

The success of these trade shows may come as a surprise to some considering the economical challenges the world has been facing over the past years.

But it shouldn’t.

Despite recessions, pet spending has continued to increase year after year with a record $60.28 billion in the United States in 2016.

SuperZoo 2017 will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, July 25-27, with conference sessions July 24-26.

Global Pet Expo 2016: New Records, New Products, New Trends

Global Pet Expo 2016 saw more attendees than ever before along with a record-setting number of new product launches.

They experienced an increase in domestic buyers at 4,679, 8.4% more than last year, with a total of 6,170 buyers in attendance. The show also boasted more than 3,000 new pet product launches, 1,087 exhibitors and 3,218 booths sold. Total show attendance came to 15,478 people.

With more than 3,000 new products being introduced at Global Pet Expo, it’s a great place to identify industry trends.

Knoxville, Tennessee-based PetSafe brand, maker of pet behavioral, containment and lifestyle product solutions, unveiled 14 new products. Several were the high-tech variety including the Flitter and Whimsy automatic teaser toys both of which have ‘Play while you are away’ modes, the Automatic Ball Launcher and ScoopFree Ultra Self-Cleaning Litter Box.

All great examples of one of the industry trends identified by petbusiness.com - high-tech is in high demand.

Petbusiness.com identified five key trends based on their observations at the event.

A fresh approach to packaging. Much of the new packaging was clearly inspired by what can be found in human consumer products.

Topping off a healthy diet. Pet food toppers were in full force at Global Pet Expo 2016.

Promoting healthier digestion. There was a plethora of products that utilize prebiotics and probiotics to foster healthy digestion in pets.

Scaling down is going up. Many pet product manufacturers introduced items designed specifically for small-breed dogs, as well as smaller bag options for their established diets.

High-tech is in high demand. With electronic gadgets taking over human lives, it’s not surprising there are more gadgets, apps and high tech toys for pets.

Interested in new products? Global Pet Expo's new product showcase winners can be found here. 

Pet Industry's Largest Annual Trade Show is Next Week

The American Pet Products Association (APPA) and Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA) will present Global Pet Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on March 16 through 18^th.

How big is this event? Check out these facts from the Global Pet Expo website.

In 2015 there were:

• 1,051 exhibitors
• 3,113 booths
• More than 3000 new product launches
• More than 13 football fields’ worth of pet product
• More than 900 companies from around the world showcased their products

The show also includes educational opportunities with a variety of seminars on everything from customer service and digital media, to inventory and staffing.

 

Visit the Global Pet Expo website for more details.

Market Trends Seen at the 2015 Global Pet Expo

The Global Pet Expo provides an opportunity to view new products and trends in the pet industry. Maria Lange published her top 6 Takeaways from Global Pet Expo; Lange's takeaways have been summarized here:

1. Freeze-dried blends could be the next premium success story. Natural and grain-free foods are already established. The next trend may be kibble with freeze-dried raw pieces. These blends are significantly cheaper than freeze-dried raw food and still offer some of the benefits of less processed ingredients.
2. Refrigerated/frozen SKUs may be taking a back seat. Though sales are still increasing, there were few new options for refrigerated/frozen pet food.
3. Calorie counting and labeling is another important example of humanization. There are several new products on the market that are geared towards weight control, especially with low-fat or low-calorie treats. People like to give their pets treats and manufacturers are making purchasing decisions easier.
4. Pet food is getting fruity. Fruit ingredients are becoming more common in pet products; expect to be able to find products with pomegranates, blueberries, or pumpkins.
5. Environment-friendly products are taking center stage. Being environmentally friendly is becoming more popular, especially for cat litter. Manufacturers are putting much more thought into litter products and litter can include walnut shells, corn kernels, or pine. Packaging is also becoming more environmentally friendly.
6. Value brands could pull in deal-loving Millennials. Manufacturers are offering more value brands, a step between generic products and high end name brands. Value brands tend to have lower prices and quality ingredients from recognizable manufacturers.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Special Sections at Global Pet Expo 2014 Sell Out

The upcoming Global Pet Expo announced last month it had sold out all of the special exhibiting sections for the show. 

Natural Pet, The Boutique, Everything Aquatic and What's New! are the special sections included at this year's Expo. The sections were created in response to keeping up with the growing pet product trends. These sections help showcase popular product lines and make it easier for buyers to navigate the floor. 

Celebrating its 10th year, the Show is set to take place March 12-14, 2014 in Orlando, Fla. 

READ THE NEWS RELEASE

PIJAC evaluation of Global Pet Expo 2013

After taking in North America's largest trade show in February, PIJAC Canada's Pierre St. Louis shares with the Canadian companion animal industry the importance of attending this event. The 2013 show experienced increase in growth on all fronts featuring 964 exhibitors, 2,686 booths and more than 3,000 new product launches. More than 5,000 pet product buyers from around the world attended. 

"I can't stress enough how important it is for retailers to attend these types of events," said St. Louis in PIJAC Canada's 'The Voice'. "They offer a unique opportunity to network, compare practices and markets and most of all, learn from the experience of our southern neighbours." 

Global Pet Expo is presented by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA) and also offers several high-calibre retail-relevant seminars. 

"There's no arguing that this industry continues to grow and there's certainly no better place than Global Pet Expo for exhibitors to showcase their products and give thousands of buyers from around the world a first look," said Andrew Darmohraj, APPA senior vice president and trade show director.  

PIJAC Canada's THE VOICE

Retailer Excellence Award categories expanded

Four new categories will be added to the Global Pet Expo Retailer Excellence Awards in 2013. In  addition to last year's awards, officials announced the addition of new award categories to ensure independent retailers of all shapes and sizes are recognized. 

Nominations will be accepted until 21 December 2012 and will be presented at the Expo's annual breakfast on 21 February 2013. 

The Global Pet Expo, sponsored by APPA and Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), is the world's largest pet industry trade show. More than 800 exhibitors and 3,000 product launches were taken in by the more than 5,000 pet product buyers from around the world who attended the 2012 Expo. Next year's Expo will run 20-22 February 2013 in Orlando, Florida. 

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