Attending Global Pet Expo 2017?…It’s the Show that Means Business and…You Need a Plan!

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Global Pet Expo has come a long way from that first show in 1958 with 17 exhibitors and 30 booths. In 2017 attendees will see and experience:

  • 1172 separate exhibitor booths
  • Over 350,000 square feet of booths (Plus 30,000 sq ft for the New Product Showcase) Global Pet Expo 2017 actually occupies almost 18 acres of prime Florida “real estate”.
  • 1000 new items in the New Product Showcase plus 3000 more launched on the exhibit floor
  • Sharing the aisles with 16,000+ attendees, more than 6000 “buyers”.
  • The opportunity to choose from 31 different educational seminars (plus 1 repeat) – 33 hours of classes
  • 5 miles of aisles – just to walk the exhibit floor

The show floor is open for 26 hours so let’s put this in perspective and… “Do the Math!”

If you don’t attend any seminars, visit the New Product Showcase, stop to chat with anyone in the aisles or for food, a drink or to go to the bathroom and maintain a walking speed of 2.5 mph…

[box]you can spend 1 minute and 14 seconds with each exhibitor.      You definitely need a plan!

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The theme of Global is the Show that Means Business. That is totally appropriate. Attendees and Exhibitors better “tend to business” if they want to get the most out of the wealth of opportunities presented at the show.

First and foremost, Global is about Pet Products – Food, treats and a vast array of Supply categories. A regular flow of New Products is always critical to keep businesses and the whole industry strong and growing. Obviously, you must take the time to visit the New Product Showcase. You should also sign up for any relevant classes, network with other industry professionals and…walk the whole show.  There are 3 times as many new products being “launched” on the show floor as there are on display in the New Product Showcase. Plus, 1 of every 3 exhibitors was not at Global 2016. Global is about gathering information and making decisions to improve your business – whether they are made on the spot or put on your “must do” list.

Every business can improve in terms of products. If you are a retailer, what sections of your store are not doing as well as you hoped and need a “facelift” or conversely, what areas are growing and need products to fill additional space? Category managers for distributors and retail chains may only be interested in targeted visits to exhibitors relevant to their “categories”. Representatives may be looking for new manufacturers…in specific product categories. Manufacturers could be looking to find distributors to handle their products or just looking to “check out” the competition. In regard to products, there is always something to see…for everyone!

And Global is the place to see it. It is the show that Means Business and in Business, Time is Money. At Global, Time is perhaps the most valuable commodity. How do you make the most of your time on the show floor? Here’s an idea.

In 2014 I first designed a tool in Excel, the Super Search Exhibitor Visit Planner to make “working Global & SuperZoo easier and more productive for ALL attendees – retailers, distributors, reps, groomers, vets…even exhibitors. I have updated the data and produced a tool for every GPE and SuperZoo since then…including GPE 2017.

The “update” is not just to exhibitor lists, but also to the product category offerings for every exhibitor. I reviewed every exhibitor profile on the show site but I also visited over 1100 websites and conducted separate internet searches to “validate” the offerings. It is not 100% accurate, but it is close.

What does the SuperSearch do?…It searches for and produces a list of Exhibitors by product categories.

  • From the simplest – “give me a list that I can look at on my phone or tablet in either Booth # order or alphabetically”
  • To the most complex…”can do a simultaneous search for multiple specific product categories, allowing me to personally narrow down the initial results and see the “final” alphabetically or by booth number”

The GPE Super Search Exhibitor Visit Planner does both…and more…and does it quickly! Take a look at the New Quick Start Guide. You will see that it looks complex but is really quite simple.

GPE 2017 Super Search Exhibitor Visit Planner – Quick Start Guide

The GPE Super Search Exhibitor visit planner is designed to make your time on the show floor more efficient and more productive. With the Super Search you can conduct up to 5 separate and distinct product category searches simultaneously with consolidated results produced in booth # order to facilitate your “journey”. There are also detailed instructions for reference and to help you understand the nuances of the tool. However, it is really very simple so let’s get started. Here is the Dashboard where you set up your searches. ↓

On the dashboard, the first things to note are the numerous category columns. There are 5 different floor sections, 11 different Exhibitor or Animal Types and 32 Dog and/or Cat Product categories. You can search exhibitors for any combination of these.

Let’s take a specific example running 3 simultaneous searches for several Dog/Cat categories:

  • Toys
  • Treats
  • Catnip & Litter (Must have both)

Now referring to the Dashboard, let’s take it by the numbers:

#1. This column is where you activate each search. Type in a “Y” (Cells C3>C7 will auto-capitalize) This search “line” becomes active.(cell turns green) In our example we are running 3 searches so we have 3 green “Y”s

#2. Now we enter a 1 in the correct column for each search line. Search Line 1: Toys; Search Line 2: Treats.

#3. In Search Line 3 we want exhibitors that sell both Catnip and Litter so we put a 1 in both of these columns.

#4. Now we just “click” the Execute Search Button. The searches are done simultaneously and the results combined into 1 list in alphabetical order.

#5. If you would like the list in Booth # order, just click the Booth # Sort.

#6. You can switch back to an alpha list by clicking the Alpha Sort Button.

#7. To Clear all your search categories and start a new search, Click the Clear Criteria Button. Then click Execute (#4) again and you will be back to the full list

Note: Any Search Line with a Y and no 1’s in any column will always deliver the entire list regardless of what is selected in other lines. Change the Y back to an N in unused search lines. Now a sample of the results:

Company A – Has Toys Only; Company B has Dog Treats Only and is also a 1st Time Exhibitor at GPE; Company C is on the list for Treats and also has Catnip, but no Litter. This is not unusual as Catnip is often a Treat; Company D has Treats & Toys. Company E has both Catnip and Litter and in fact, actually has it all!

Note: The Super Search highlights your search categories so you know “why you are there”. However, it also shows all categories that are available. Some might “pique” your interest while you are visiting the booth.

You can review the exhibitors alphabetically then put the list in Booth # order to make it easier to “work”. Super Search also allows you to “cut down” the list with a “U pick ‘em” feature. (pg 2; Point #11 in Detailed Instructions) However, first I suggest that you “play” with the Super Search to get a “feel” for the tool, and then review the Detailed Instructions. With your “play” experience, the detailed instructions will become a “quick read” and a valuable reference. You will soon be “up to speed” on the full capabilities of Super Search.

Ready to Start Planning?

Use the links below to download the Super Search Tool (Be Sure to Enable Editing/Macros/Content if asked by your computer), the Quick Start Guide and the Detailed Instructions. Then GET STARTED!

[button link=”https://pmud8a.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/GPE-2017-QuickStartGuideSUPERSEARCHExhibitorVisitPlannerFINAL.pdf” type=”icon” newwindow=”yes”] Download Quick Start Guide (PDF)[/button]

(To save the PDF to your computer Right Click the download link and select “Save Link As…”)

[button link=”https://pmud8a.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-GPE-SUPERSEARCH-ExhibitorVisitPlannerDETAILED-Instructions-2-28.pdf” type=”icon” newwindow=”yes”] Download Detailed Instructions (PDF)[/button]

(To save the PDF to your computer Right Click the download link and select “Save Link As…”)

[button link=”https://pmud8a.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/GPE2017-SuperSearch-FINAL.xlsm” type=”icon” newwindow=”no”] Download GPE 2017 Super Search FINAL (Excel)[/button]

(For the Excel file to work on your computer, be sure to enable macros/editing/content if asked.)