Pet fashion show

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Following the rather disappointing outcome of the two trade shows Expozoo in Paris and DeZooFa in Wiesbaden, many Zoomark exhibitors travelled to Bologna with mixed feelings. The conclusion that the majority of exhibitors and visitors got their full money's worth at the Italian fair should thus be regarded as all the more pleasing. The four halls reserved for the pet product show were busy on all four show days, and as well as Italian traders there were plenty of foreign visitors in evidence - many from eastern Europe in particular, it was reported. At any rate, there was no trace in Bologna of the oft-mooted "fair fatigue". It wasn't always like this. Two years ago the exhibitors had a long wait before the show really got up to speed, and in fact Zoomark 2005 even experienced a slight decline in visitor numbers compared with the previous event. This time, however, the Zoomark organisers had been energetically drumming up support in advance to achieve a better result. Various country pavilions were created in collaboration with other foreign associations, and numerous firms presented their wares to the visitors under the umbrella of these. The fact that well over half of the exhibitors at Zoomark International 2007 came from abroad raised the hopes of the pet supplies sector for an international show event, and expectations were accordingly high. The new hall layout was a marked improvement over the fair two years ago. Instead of the unpopular hall 20, located between hall 19 and a large refreshments area and utterly ignored by many visitors last time around, Zoomark International had hall 16 this time - a spacious hall that is accessible from the other three halls of the pet show in an instant. Admittedly, the organisation of the fair still left something to be desired. It is inexplicable why virtually no stand location maps were put up in the halls. If the reason was to promote the sale of catalogues, the plan misfired, because many visitors were annoyed by the lack of signage and made their feelings known. And American companies in particular could not understand why exhibitors and visitors didn't wear badges to clarify their function at the show to all and sundry. This omission would have been inconceivable at US shows. Apart from that, the fair should have proved a predominantly positive experience for both exhibitors and visitors. The stands were in superb condition. The aquatics sector was by no means as…