Successful American premiere

And the figures in the run-up to the event, held from 13-15 March in Orlando, raised great expectations: 2,049 stands covering over 204,900 m² of exhibition floor space, nearly 700 exhibitors and more than 600 new products set to be unveiled. Evaluation of the visitor figures confirmed the success of the concept. The 2005 Global Pet Expo more than doubled the attendance from the APPMA show and “Pida Pets” show in 2004. Attendees at the Global Pet Expo included qualified pet product buyers from the world’s leading retail chains, including pet superstores and other mass-market retailers, distributors, wholesalers and independent retailers. 2,213 visitors came from multi-unit retailers and distributors and 2,152 from single-unit retailers. The next Global Pet Expo takes place from 23 to 25 March 2006 in San Diego, and the following year’s show from 21 to 23 February 2007 in Orlando again. The 2005 Global Pet Expo more than doubled the attendance from the APPMA show and “Pida Pets” show in 2004. More than 600 new pet products were launched in “The New Products Showcase”. APPMA and PIDA awarded first, second and third places in eleven categories. The contest, which was judged by national and international industry buyers, is designed to recognise the year’s best creative efforts in new pet products and point-of-purchase displays. The winners in each category were: Aquarium: 144 Stainless Steel Half Circle Aquarium Combo (Oceanic). Bird: Sweet Swing Naturals (Sweet Feet & Beak). Cat: Hidden Litter (Aquiline Innovations). Dog: Glo n Go Reflective Pet Collars and Leashes (Lazy Pet Products). Equine: WashWand (Miller Manufacturing). Gift: AntWorks (Fascinations). Holiday: Jingle Bites Edible Christmas Ornaments for Dogs (Crunchkins). Point of Purchase: The Ultimate Dog Den (Creative Leisure). Pond: Ulti-Vac (Python Products). Reptile: Exo-Terra Canned Food (Rolf C. Hagen). Small Animal: C.O.C. Critter Operated Chopper (Super Pet). More than 600 new pet products were launched in “The New Products Showcase”, the winner in the “Reptile”-category was “Exo-Terra Canned Food” from Rolf C. Hagen. Another famous contest at the Global Pet Expo is the “Best Booth Awards”. The awards were presented in three categories: large booth, small booth and “What’s New!” for new member companies. In the large booth category, which recognises booth configurations of 500 sq. ft. or more, the winner was Scott Pet Products. The booth, resembling a log cabin set in Alaska, featured a…