International attendance in Paris

The crisis in the countries of southern Europe has hit many sectors of the economy hard. A lot of companies have suffered a significant drop in sales, and many staff have lost their jobs. As is so often the case, however, the pet sector seems to have been spared this spectre to a large extent. This was evident at the Expozoo trade fair in Paris, held from 2 to 4 June at the Porte de Versailles exhibition venue. From the comments of exhibitors and visitors, it was clear that a very good mood prevailed among the trade and industry representatives. Although certain sales segments had declined here and there, the situation overall was good. The organiser of Expozoo, Europexpo, also sensed this positive underlying mood. The number of exhibitors in 2013 rose by 35 per cent to more than 160 compared with 2011, when the fair was last held in Paris (2011: 110 exhibitors). The increase in the number of exhibitors also brought an increase in the number of international companies present: this year more than 40 per cent of the exhibitors came not from France, but from countries like Germany, Russia and India. The larger number of exhibitors also prompted the organiser to lease a bigger hall for the latest edition of the show. In hall 5 of the Porte de Versailles, the exhibi­tors had nearly 6 000 m2 of space in which to present their latest products. A big national audience While the number of international exhibitors in Paris grew significantly, the French retail trade provided the majority of visitors to Expozoo. Many exhibitors told PET worldwide that primarily French retailers both large and small came to search out new products and innovations on the stands. Representatives of the larger chains, on the other hand, were not so much in evidence. But it wasn’t just the fair’s product highlights, which met with a good response. The section specially created for manufacturers of grooming requisites and dog care products was also a welcome addition. Visitors flocked to this area on all the show days. This was attributable not least to the grooming contest arena, also located in this part of the hall. The topic was also explored in greater depth by the Grooming and Pet Services Forum that was held during the fair. This annual event organised by Prestanimalia is a professional event with many animal services professionals. In addition to contests and training demonstrations, the forum also ensured the attendance of the most significant providers in that segment. As at the…