The Pet Industry Federation is to combine its annual awards and the British Dog Grooming Championship under one roof next year alongside a new trade show, aimed at all UK pet businesses, including the fast-growing pet services sector.
The Pet Industry Federation is to launch a trade show next year aimed at all UK pet businesses, including those within the growing pet services sector.
The new show will bring back the name of Petindex and is scheduled to take place on Sunday and Monday, April 26-27, 2020 at the Marshall Arena (Stadium MK), in Milton Keynes.
It will incorporate the Pet Industry Federation Awards and the 2020 British Dog Grooming Championship to bring a ‘celebratory component’ to the event.
The show builds on research by PIF among manufacturers and retailers, which the trade body said ‘highlighted a desire to create more opportunities at an event to showcase activities and features which attract the full range of pet service businesses’.
BROAD RANGE
Petindex will have a strongly education-focused theme as well as providing opportunities for manufacturers to meet a broad range of pet businesses, from retailers and pet groomers to businesses such as dog walkers, pet sitters, home-boarders and boarding establishments.
Nigel Baker, PIF CEO, said: “The Pet Industry Federation is at the heart of the UK’s pet industry, with our membership bringing together businesses from the whole industry in a way which no other UK organisation does.
“Our revitalised Petindex show will therefore provide a unique platform to unite the whole industry under one roof at one event, attracting a wide audience of pet professionals looking for more than just a trade show. All this at a fantastic, centrally-located venue with on-site hotel and great road and rail access.”
Petindex used to run within the Glee garden and outdoor living trade show at the NEC – although both exhibitor and visitor numbers were in decline. Then, in March 2012, the 12-year Petindex exhibition licence between the Pet Care Trade Association (the forerunner of PIF) and Glee’s then organiser, Emap Connect, came to an end. Glee has since relaunched its pets offering as Pets at Glee, which is held at the NEC, Birmingham.
200 EXHIBITORS
Impact Exhibitions launched PATS (the Pet & Aquatic Trade Show) in 2007 with shows in Surrey and Yorkshire, and incorporating the PATS New Product Awards, sponsored by pbwnews. PATS’ autumn flagship show has since moved from Harrogate to the purpose-built International Centre, at Telford, where it runs alongside the PetQuip Pet Industry Awards. PATS continues to grow year-on-year, with more than 200 exhibitors at Telford last September, along with seminars and grooming demonstrations. PATS Telford takes place on September 22-23, 2019.
Impact also runs the aquatics and water gardening trade show AQUA every other year for trade body OATA (Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association). This year’s show is at Telford International Centre on October 16-17.
Attempts by a Scottish businessman to launch a pet trade show in Edinburgh last year apparently came to nothing, although a consumer event, the Dog Lover Show, was successfully launched in Glasgow in September.
