An overwhelming sense of joy

Before the coronavirus incidence rates shot upwards in most European countries in mid-November and trade fair business was disrupted again, some fair organisers took the opportunity to stage physical trade shows for the pet supplies sector once more. PRO garten & tier took place in Kassel (Germany) at the end of September, the Dibevo show in Rijswijk (Netherlands), in October, along with Park Zoo in Moscow and Pet Zoo Turkey in Istanbul. PATS Telford was also held in the UK last September thanks to a more relaxed Covid situation in the interim. Admittedly, these events were only comparable to a limited extent with the shows fielded in pre-coronavirus times, as the number of exhibitors and trade visitors last year still fell considerably short of those prior to the pandemic. Nevertheless, the joy of exhibitors and visitors at being able to meet their existing business partners in person after such a long absence and also being able to get to know new potential customers was palpable at all show venues.

After 2020, the Sagaflor speciality cooperative staged its PRO garten & tier fair, conceived pre-pandemic as a national trade show, as a house fair for its partner businesses last year. It drew positive conclusions from the event, which attracted around 850 trade visitors to Kassel - more than twice as many as the year before. Although PRO garten & tier was rather smaller than in the years before the pandemic, with around 45 stands in the pet category, it offered a good, comprehensive overview of current product trends. The mix of merchandise groups also worked at the show. Represented in Kassel alongside established suppliers were young companies that took the opportunity to publicise themselves and their products.

The physical Dibevo trade fair took place on 10 and 11 October. In the closing report of the organiser, it was stated that 3 815 visitors attended the show. Although this number was rather smaller than previously, the organiser said that this reduction was not at the expense of "high-quality visitors". Many more visitors from Belgium than in previous years were also in attendance. In the accompanying programme of events, over 600 visitors to the fair voted for the best product in the new products gallery. The ten products receiving the most votes were then judged by a jury of experts. The winner of the Best of Show Award was Ferplast Benelux with the Multipla, a modular small animal cage made from recycled raw…