A spring fairytale

I started my career in the pet industry in September 1994, almost 30 years ago. I have visited every Interzoo since 1996, including the digital version in the Covid-19 year 2021, but no edition of the world’s leading trade fair has been as inspiring, exciting, passionate and well-organised as this year’s. Apparently, I am not alone in my opinion. Whether in press reports from editorial colleagues, comments from exhibitors on LinkedIn or conversations with other trade visitors, it was heard and read everywhere that Interzoo 2024 was top-notch.

The atmosphere was fantastic: never before have I seen so many smiling people at Interzoo. Everything was just right. There was a well-balanced mix of large and small companies throughout the exhibition space, which made almost all the halls equally worth seeing. Another positive aspect was the more even spread of visitors over the four days of the fair than in the past. Even on the last day of the fair there was still a lot going on. The extensive supporting programme deserves special mention, as it left nothing to be desired and was very informative and stimulating. The organiser also made the smart decision to enlarge the Fresh Ideas Area significantly compared with 2022. It was a magnet for visitors for the entire duration of the trade fair and very well received.

Of course, even more trade visitors could have come. Although there were over 30 per cent more than in 2022, the Interzoo edition of two years ago is not a proper benchmark. This is because many visitors from Asia and America were unable to come to Nuremberg at that time due to the ongoing pandemic. The fact is that the organiser’s target of 40 000 visitors (the same number as in 2016) was not quite reached – but that’s not a bad thing. All exhibitors are aware that the quality of the visitors is far more important than their number. And the quality of the trade visitors was great, and the internationality was greater than ever. Football had its summer fairytale in Germany in 2006; the international pet industry experienced its spring fairytale in 2024. As a pet industry, we can all be happy about this and hope that Interzoo will release a lot of positive energy for the months to come.

Ralf Majer-Abele