ORLANDO, Florida– The importance of having a cat or dog in people’s lives has been heightened during the pandemic, as more than 23 million U.S. households — or nearly one in five nationwide — have adopted a pet, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Similar enthusiasm greeted the return of the pet industry’s Global Pet Expo, held March 23-25 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
The 18th edition of the event, hosted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA), brought together more than 5,400 buyers, 52 percent of whom were new to the show. A total of 722 exhibiting companies and 2,695 booths showcased pet-related products and services. This year’s New Products Showcase attracted more than 700 new product submissions, and winners were announced at the “Best in Show” awards. Buyers voted for the “Best in Show” awards using the new Global Pet Expo mobile app.
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“Over the past two years, the pet industry has proven itself to be not only resilient, but thriving, and Global Pet Expo 2022 is proof of that,” said Bob Merar, APPA Interim CEO. “We were extremely pleased with the turnout for this year’s event. Many recent trade shows have reported declines in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some as much as 40%. We are extremely proud to report that Global Pet Expo saw a decline of only about 20%, with nearly 90% of registered buyers attending the event. We believe that the easing of mask mandates and the increased willingness to fly led to some of the last-minute decisions to attend.”
International buyer participation also made a comeback, with a 49% increase in buyers from the UK compared to 2020. Media buzz also saw an increase, with the number of press registered exceeding that of media at the last in-person show in 2020. This year, there were 235 representatives from the pet sector, retail outlets, bloggers, social media influencers and more.
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Show attendees had the choice of more than 40 sessions on a wide range of topics as part of the 2022 Global Learning Series. Topics ranged from “The Psychology of Retail in a Pandemic: Where Do We Go From Here?” to “Successfully Competing with Online Retailers.” The “U.S. Pet Market Outlook and Trends” session on the show’s opening day attracted more than 250 attendees, the highest attendance for an educational session.
From April 20-22, 2019, a new online component was organized with the Global Pet Expo Digital Access. This exclusive virtual event reserved for exhibitors and registered buyers of the Global Pet Expo allowed participants to reconnect and access the on-demand training sessions.
Global Pet Expo 2023 will take place March 22-24, 2023 in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center.
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“We expect to see an increase in exhibitor and buyer numbers in 2023, particularly from our international guests,” Merar said. “This year, we saw an increase in registrations from UK and Canadian attendees when travel restrictions were eased, so we expect to see an increase in further international attendees next year once restrictions are eased for more countries.”
Contact Bob Merar at (414) 410-6233 or [email protected]