Positive reaction to “European window”

The third DeZooFa show took place at the end of May. Of around 155 exhibitors it was mainly the substantial contingent of small enterprises that commented favourably on the fair. Their unique and refreshingly innovative products met with a good response from visitors in the pet retail sector. Other probable beneficiaries of the pet product show were the numerous international exhibitors who have no sales outlets of their own in Germany and had their own stands for the first time in Wiesbaden. Although they were not particularly happy about being “lumped together” together in Hall 10, most of them gave the fair the thumbs up. DeZooFa couldn’t be called a visitor magnet. But many exhibitors were quite satisfied with the fair. Less positive on the other hand were the big companies, whose field sales teams are regular visitors to the pet product trade and who were not happy with the number of visitors to their stands. In fact, the fair was pretty empty over long periods of time, especially on the Saturday. The expectations of many exhibitors were only fulfilled to some extent on the opening day itself and on the Sunday of the fair. This fact was also reflected in the total number of visitors, which declined by about 20 per cent compared with the show held two years ago. The organiser WZF has pointed out, however, that the numbers are not comparable because two years ago free admission tickets were sent out in advance and the actual use of these tickets could not be checked individually at the entrance. Apart from a few minor hitches at the opening of the fair, the organisation of DeZooFa was impeccable on all three days. The stands were of a high quality and, apart from a few exceptions, interestingly designed. A bird meadow with attractively arranged aviaries attracted considerable attention, as did the designs for a competition entitled “Modern cage design” in Hall 4, introduced for the first time this year. Also of interest was the innovation competition, with prizes awarded to new products. The open-ended parties organised by many companies on the Friday of the fair and the official show celebration on the Saturday went down well with the majority of visitors. The next DeZooFa will take place in Wiesbaden from 4th to 6th May 2007.
maj