Sector gathering in the United Kingdom

Prior to the last Pats Telford, the organisers of the UK’s national pet industry event announced the launch of a three-day exhibition to take place at the Telford International Centre.  

The new event, to be staged on Sunday 29 September to Tuesday 1 October 2024, will become an all-encompassing show as the two Pats exhibitions – Sandown and Telford – merge into one. Taking over the entire Telford International Centre, the new exhibition will offer the opportunity to accommodate even more exhibitors numbering over 400, according to fair organiser Impact Exhibitions & Events.

The decision to stage one show in the autumn gives suppliers and manufacturers the opportunity to showcase new products over a longer period, and to a larger audience, says Impact Exhibitions & Events. It will also help to elevate Pats Telford into an international exhibition, with overseas suppliers and buyers being attracted by the three-day format.

“This is really exciting news,” said show director Gordon Thomas from Impact Exhibitions & Events. “We’ve carried out extensive research amongst visitors and exhibitors and the response for one all-encompassing three-day exhibition has been overwhelming.” Making it into a three-day show will give exhibitors flexibility and more time to spend with new and existing customers, taking them through their latest product ranges during face-to-face meetings.  

A survey of visitors, from multiple retailers to small independent shops, revealed the main reason for attending Pats Telford was the size and reputation of the event and being able to meet a large number of suppliers, including leading and new brands, at one location. The timing of Pats Telford – late September/early October – was also considered the ideal time to view product ranges for the following year. Telford’s central location was another key reason for the autumn show’s popularity with 85 per cent of visitors willing to travel up to 1.5 hours. Travelling to and from Pats Telford for international buyers is straightforward because of the close proximity of two of the UK’s largest international airports outside of London – Birmingham and Manchester.

“The Telford site offers so much in terms of access and hospitality and that’s why we’ll be working with Petquip to encourage increasing numbers of international buyers to next year’s show,” added Thomas.

In January, the Pats organiser announced that an aquatics zone is to be added to this year’s show to cater to exhibitors and visitors from the spheres of aquatics and water gardens. The zone, which will be located in hall 1A of the Telford International Centre and accommodate up to 40 manufacturers, will showcase the latest products of leading manufacturers and suppliers. “We know from previous attendance figures that 615 of the retailers visiting Pats Telford in 2023 were interested in aquatics products,” explains Gordon Thomas. To emphasise the importance of the aquatics zone, the original name of the Pats show has been updated to the Pet & Aquatics Trade Show. A large number of companies have already reserved stand space in the zone, including Aqua One, Fluval and Exo Terra, Oase, Pettex and Zoomed.