Eye-catchers in abundance at the fair

 “Nice atmosphere, easy to navigate despite the crowds. We had a wonderful experience and a beautiful, valuable day.” And: “Very well organised fair. Keep up the good work, preferably every year!” Just a random selection from the hundreds of responses to the visitor survey on the Dibevo Trade Fair, which took place once again in Rijswijk at the beginning of last October. Regular visitors are used to the free food and drinks at the trade fair, but a number of foreign visitors were genuinely surprised: “Is it free? Are you sure?”

Yet again, the Dibevo Trade Fair 2023 was the place to discover all the trends and facts about the pet supplies industry in one day. And this was evident from the visitor figures: after the coronavirus edition in 2021, which received slightly fewer visitors, this Dibevo Trade Fair attracted more than 4 000 visitors as usual. To be precise, 4 364 pet professionals were in attendance.

“What struck me was that exhibitors put a lot of effort into their stands and product presentations,” says Dibevo chairman Gijs van den Assum. “There were some real gems, even at the smaller stands. That is worth a compliment and is a clear signal that the industry is still going strong. It is not without reason that this is the theme of this trade fair!” Another gem were the cards with personal compliments that “the compliment makers” wrote on the spot. This came as a complete surprise to visitors and some compliment recipients were almost moved to shed a tear.

There was much praise for the presentation of special products from exhibitors in the Blikvangers Pavilion (loosely translated: eye-catcher pavilion). “Beautiful concept and ideal for a quick impression of the trade fair,” wrote a visitor. It was striking that sustainable products in particular attracted a lot of interest. This showed once again that sustainability – in addition to animal welfare – is slowly but surely becoming a permanent core value in the pet industry.

Nearly 700 visitors voted for what they thought was “the best product” in the Blikvangers Pavilion at the trade fair. Two Nespresso coffee machines were offered as prizes on each exhibition day. A total of four winners were picked out in the draw and have been notified. The ten products in the Blikvangers Pavilion that visitors had nominated as “best product” were then assessed by a professional jury. Huub Rohof, one of the original jury members, was unexpectedly unable to attend, but fortunately Liesbeth Vat-Wesdijk, head of product at IJsvogel Retail, was able to step in and cover. The jury also included Brigitte Goossens, policy officer for animal expertise at the Animal Protection Agency; and Gerrit Hofstra, assistant secretary for legislation and regulations for living animals and plants at Dibevo.

The big winner of the Best of Show Award of the Dibevo Trade Fair 2023 was the Belgian company Pino. It won the award with the Slow Feeder, a whisker-friendly anti-gobble bowl. According to the jury, this product best met the selection criteria of sustainability, animal welfare and innovation. The anti-gobble bowl is shallow and wide to prevent the cat’s whiskers from touching the edge. The inside of the food bowl is filled with ridges that ensure slower consumption to prevent problems such as vomiting, while the height variation of the ridges provides a mental challenge and prevents boredom. The Slow Feeder is biodegradable and is hand-made in small quantities in Belgium by people who are distanced from the labour market.

Two runners-up to the winner of the award were also selected. The first runner-up was the Puzzle Feeder Slow bowl from Eye4pets. This feeding trough, made of vegetable material, slows down food intake up to 15 times compared to “normal” slow feed mats. The second runner-up was the industry initiative of Dierengroothandel Overbeek to facilitate the pairing of rabbits by offering castrated rattles. The aim is to further reduce solitary rabbits and thus improve animal welfare.