India still a growth market

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Whereas foreign buyers and delegates from 21 countries attended the 2008 show, only twelve countries were represented among the foreign visitors to this year’s event. Companies cited the global financial crisis as the reason for this, according to the fair organiser, the Delhi-based Creature Companion magazine. The global downturn nevertheless did not dissuade the leading US-based speciality retailer Petco from sending its chief buyer to the IIPTF. Nor did it dissuade companies from Poland, Germany, the United States and Japan, who sent representatives to support their Indian distributors or partners. The fair organiser is not attaching excessive importance to the drop in foreign visitor numbers, therefore. “The organisers consider the cancellations by others for the reason given to be a temporary setback and vow to stay the course with additional editions of the India International Pet Trade Fair in the years to follow,” it said in the concluding report. In addition, the number of domestic visitors rose considerably once again compared with the previous year, making the three-day show at the Delhi International Expocentre in Noida, a township within the National Capital Region of India, a complete success on the whole in the organiser’s eyes. No exact figures were given in the concluding report, however. Extensive media coverage Alongside the products and services on display, a big attraction at this year’s IIPTF were the live demonstrations of dog handling put on by the Indian Air Force Dog Training Centre. With three shows daily, these were great crowd pleasers, according to the organiser. The live animals – puppies, cats, small animals, birds, fish and even some monkeys – that were on sale at several booths constituted another attraction. And then there was the pet grooming station, where members of the general public were given the opportunity to bring in their pets for a free session by one of India’s leading pet grooming chains. The media coverage was also extensive. The IIPTF received coverage in over 70 dailies India-wide throughout the course of the fair weekend. There was both Indian and international TV reporting, with a minimum of ten television interviews with organisers, including one by a Japanese media agency. According to the fair organiser, the BBC and CNN/IBN also made appearances. While they didn’t interview the organisers personally, they were seen shooting conversations with visitors…