July 2005         return to newsletter contents page

The Global Pet Expo - The Distributors' Perspective

The unveiling in March of the inaugural Global Pet Expo, sponsored by APPMA and PIDA, was the culmination of nearly three years of negotiations, planning and plain hard work. The APPMA and PIDA Boards, the staffs of both organizations,

and the members of the Joint Operating Committee who oversee the show all felt that the combined show would be a winner. But until the doors of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando opened on that warm Sunday morning in mid-March, we held our collective breaths in anticipation.

It was plain to see from the hoard of buyers who massed in the convention center lobby that morning that the show was going to be a hit. More than 3,000 buyers streamed through the show doors that first day, and the three-day attendance figures of more than 4,300 qualified buyers exceeded everyone’s expectations. There were twice as many buyers as had attended any previous APPMA show. Even with the enormous size of the show—2,049 booths, making it the largest pet products show ever staged in North America—exhibitors were busy talking with customer and demonstrating products throughout the three-day event.

Twenty-six PIDA-member distributors and pet wholesalers exhibited in the show. Most had exhibited for years at the PIDA PETS Trade Show, first in Tampa and more recently in Orlando. But the Global Pet Expo was a different animal; a hybrid of PETS and the APPMA Trade Show that had different rules for attendees. Would distributors’ customers come, and perhaps more importantly, would they be there to write orders?

The answer was a qualified “yes” to both questions. Pet stores and other pet supply outlets throughout Florida and the Southeast attended in numbers that equaled or exceeded past PETS shows. According to Ken Chancey, Vice-President of Central Pet Tampa, they had a “great show”, writing more orders than in the past and seeing many more retailers from outside of the region. (In fact, retail buyers from all 50 states attended the show.)

Jim Davidson, president of First Coast Pet Supply in Jacksonville, FL and Blaine Phillips, president of Phillips Feed and Pet Supply in Lakeland, FL, saw increased dealer traffic, but somewhat less order writing than in past shows. In Davidson’s case, his major supplier, Nutro Products, Inc. was not promoting order writing at the show, so there was less emphasis on orders and more on new product introductions. Both felt that the sheer size of the show, and the two-day limit on retail store attendance, contributed to the decline in orders.

Changes for San Diego

Plans are already underway for the 2^nd Global Pet Expo next March in San Diego, CA. The Joint Operating Committee met recently to assess the success of the inaugural show and to see where modifications can be made to improve the experience for exhibitors and attendees.

One key change will be to open all three days of the show to all qualified buyers. The show has grown to a size that makes it impossible for buyers to negotiate it in just two days. And the concern that distributors and mass market buyers would be competing with retailers for the time and attention of suppliers just didn’t materialize. The change will keep all buyers on the show floor longer and eliminate the “slow day” at the end of the show. Combined with the shift in show dates to a Thursday-Friday-Saturday pattern next year in San Diego, the open attendance policy should result in a very busy final show day.

A second change is to lower the minimum age for attendees from 18 to 16. This change in show policy recognizes that many retail pet store employees are teens. The trade show experience is an excellent way to educate them to the array of products available in the industry. Children under 16 will still be prohibited from attending, maintaining the professional atmosphere of the show.

Setting a New Standard

The Global Pet Expo has established a new standard for trade shows in the pet industry. John Plant, president of Professional Pet Products, Inc. in Miami, FL, summed up the experience of many exhibitors, noting that the Global Pet Expo “was the best show I’ve been in in 23 years”. PIDA’s partnership with APPMA in co-sponsoring this event will only serve to strengthen the ties between manufacturers and distributors, and will help sustain the unprecedented growth of the pet industry.