Archive for category: Pet Trade Shows

Every SuperZoo in recent years has had a long, unfilled waiting list of companies who wanted to showcase their products at “The National Show for Pet Retailers”, but couldn’t… not enough space. In 2016 this was rectified. The Floorplan was re-structured and increased. The result: over 200 additional exhibitors, a 20% increase. However, “more exhibitors” is far from the whole story. Consider these 2016 SuperZoo facts:

• 1189 exhibitor booths as of 7/11…up from 990 in 2015…plus a few more to be finalized!
• 245,000+ sq ft of exhibitor booths (Plus a 20,000 sq ft New Product Showcase – over 700 new items)
• Over 25,000 attendees with more than 12,000 buyers.
• SuperZoo University: Seminars on Retail, Grooming and Animal Health – 80 separate sessions/topics
• Over 4 miles of aisles – just to walk the exhibit floor

Whew! This show is huge. The show floor is open for 22 hours so…..

Let’s…“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… 62 SECONDS …with each exhibitor.

Perhaps you need a plan?

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As we all know, there are a lot of distractions in Vegas. However, the primary purpose for attending  SuperZoo  or any industry event must be to improve your business.

With a higher concentration of Pet retailer attendees and a commitment to groomers, there are subtle differences between SuperZoo and GPE.  But make no mistake. SuperZoo has attendees from every major retail channel and attracts both exhibitors and attendees from around the globe. Both SuperZoo and GPE are “must do” events for anyone who wants to maintain and increase their Pet Business. This year’s spectacular growth in exhibitors is a tribute to the WPA, the SuperZoo staff…and the U.S. Pet Industry.

Despite the variety of offerings to fill an attendee’s time, SuperZoo is still primarily about Pet Products – Food, treats and a vast array of Supply categories.

• New Products are a critical element in helping to turn around the current deflation in Food and Supplies so of course, you must take the time to visit the new product area.
• Knowledge is power so you should also sign up for any relevant classes.
• Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know that matters most. This makes networking with other industry professionals a priority.
• “Leave no stone unturned” in your quest for success. This means you need to walk the whole show.

SuperZoo and GPE are both 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 always 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!

So you’re definitely going to be at SZ 2016, how do you make the most of your time on the show floor?

In 2014, I designed a “tool” in Excel ,The SuperSearch Exhibitor Visit Planner to make your time on the show floor more productive. It was well received so I have updated it for every show since. “Updated” doesn’t just refer to the exhibitor list 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 numerous online searches to “validate” these offerings. It is not 100% accurate. However, it is close.

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

• From the simplest…”just give me a list that I can look at on my phone or tablet quickly 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 SZ SuperSearch Exhibitor Visit Planner does both…and more…and does it quickly! Here’s what it looks like. It looks complex but is truly quite simple…Of course, you will print results in “landscape” – easier to read!

1. In the Top section, you “design” your searches.
   • Enter a “Y” in the exhibitor search column. It turns green to indicate an “active” search
   • Enter a “1” the desired category
     1. NEW FEATURE: The corresponding cells for affected exhibitors will also turn green. This makes your final list easier to work. At each booth, you’ll know what you’re looking for!
     2. If you want to search separately for several categories, use multiple rows (multiple search results are combined into 1 list for efficiency)
     3. If you want the results to be “and”…for example, exhibitors that carry, treats, toys and beds, put a “1” in all three…in the same row. Only those with all 3 will show up.
     4. Note: If you enter something other than a “1”, the cell turns red to indicate an error
2. Now, click on “Execute” search and it happens
3. You can then view the results alphabetically or in booth # order by clicking on a button.

Pretty simple, don’t you think? Plus, you can personally narrow the search results by using the “U pick ‘em” feature. And of course there is also a button to clear your search criteria so you can easily begin a new search.

Ready to Start Planning?

There is a download link provided for the SuperZoo 2016 Super Search tool as well as one for the instructions. Please print out and read the instructions before you start to “play”. Yes, the instructions are 4 pages long. But before you get “turned off” about their length, take a look at some of the instructions that you have around the house…vacuum cleaner – 11 pgs; coffee maker – 21 pgs; cell phone…a novel!  After you see what the Super Search can do, your searches may grow more complex. The instructions will help you to be more efficient from the start… Note: SZ 2016 SuperSearch has been updated based on info as of 7/31/16. Exhibitor additions/changes from the 7/11 to the 7/19 version have a pink highlighted booth number. The changes from 7/19 to 7/22 are highlighted in blue. Lost 4, gained 1 (orange) since 7/22. Hopefully, this is final. 

Plan your work! Work your plan!

You will be more productive and more successful!

Download Now…And Get Started!

[button link=”https://pmud8a.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016-SUPERZOO-SUPER-SEARCH-EXHIBITOR-VISIT-PLANNER-INSTRUCTIONS-6-26.pdf” type=”icon” newwindow=”yes”] Download 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/2016/07/SZ2016SuperSearch-7-31-16Rev.xlsm” type=”icon” newwindow=”no”] Download SuperSearch SZ 2016 -7-31-16Rev(Excel)[/button]

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

In 2015, Trade Show Executive Magazine officially named the 2014 Global Pet Expo as “The Greatest Show on Earth”, beating out a host of other events across an extraordinarily wide range of industries.

When I consider this great honor in context of reviewing the 2016 exhibitor and show information , I can’t help but be struck by how far the Pet Industry has come from my first APPMA show in June of 1989 in New Orleans.

The change really is just a reflection of the spectacular and still growing love affair that Americans have with our companion animals. Want some statistical proof? According to the government’s annual Consumer Expenditure survey, the Pet Industry has grown from $16.8B in 1994 to $64.3B in 2014…with over $41B spent on pets, food and supplies. In terms of Pet Food & Supplies expenditures, Americans exceed the household spending average for 50 consecutive years – from age 25 to 75. Even when the average income is halved after reaching age 75, pet spending keeps pace. With U.S. consumers demonstrating a lifetime commitment to our pets, is it any wonder that the industry and its showcase event, Global Pet Expo, continue to grow?

Let’s look at some 2016 GPE “booth” facts:

• Over 1100 booths – up 3% from 2015
• 330,000+ sq ft of exhibit floor booth space (Not counting the new product area) – up 7% from 2015
• Booths are 3% larger – “average” booth is 300 sq ft (30×10)
• But 10 x 10 is still the most popular size – with 405, in fact 70% of the booths are 20 x 10 or less.

Will you see any new exhibitors or is it the usual group? The “usual” group is definitely there but…

• 360 of the GPE 2016 Exhibitors did not exhibit at GPE 2015
• 570 of this year’s GPE exhibitors didn’t exhibit at SuperZoo 2015*
  • *By the same token, over 350 SuperZoo 2015 exhibitors weren’t at GPE 2015. Obviously, attending both of these shows is a “must do” if you want to keep up with what’s happening in the U.S. Pet Industry!

There are five Specially Designated “Floor Sections” at GPE. Let’s start with a brief review.

• Natural – 122 Booths. This section remains strong after it was increased by 50% last year. Without a doubt, “Natural” has become a “magic” word to the “ultimate” buyers – the consumers.
• Boutique – 51 Booths. A “specialty” section which is considerably smaller than SuperZoo’s Rodeo Drive. One factor in the difference is the higher percentage of Retail Pet Stores among SZ attendees.
• Aquatic – 51 Booths. Up slightly from last year. GPE remains the “go to” show for aquatics.
• International – 51 Booths. This is somewhat “deceptive”. Last year GPE had 202 international exhibitors…one of every five booths. Expect a similar count in 2015. GPE is truly GLOBAL!
• 1^st Time Exhibitors – 142 Booths. If you want to get established in the U.S. Pet Industry, you “must” do GPE. Every year, a major focus of GPE is “new”…both in products and in exhibitors.

A word of caution: These are specially targeted sections but as we saw in the “international” example, there are large numbers of Exhibitors in the “regular” floor space with products that would qualify for inclusion in these sections. You need to “work” the whole show to insure that you get a good view of what’s available in the product categories of particular interest to you.

In 2015 I developed a search tool for GPE and SuperZoo to make this type of planning easier. Show attendees could plan out their floor time by targeting the exhibitors with products that they were interested in seeing. Up to 5 product category searches could be run concurrently and the results were available in alpha or booth# order. This year’s tool will be made available shortly as the last few GPE 2016 booth assignments are finalized.

Let’s look at the results from the research done in developing the 2016 GPE SuperSearch Tool.

First We’ll Compare Exhibitor Types – By function: By Animal type

• Cats are certainly Royalty …but Dogs Rule! However, cats are gaining ground. The number of booths offering cat products showed a significant increase and is now at 50%. This is up from 40% just 2 years ago.
• While booths offering products for Reptiles, Small Animals and Horses increased slightly in numbers, the percentage increase was significant. It demonstrates that these companion animals remain a strong part of the U.S. Pet Industry.
• Fish and Bird product exhibitors basically maintained their “share” of the growing GPE exhibitor count.
• The big gain is in exhibitors offering business services. This can “cover a lot of ground” – from Private Label Food manufacturers to POS systems. This increase further enhances GPE’s appeal!

Dogs and Cats are certainly the royalty of Pet. Because of their huge impact on the industry, I have divided the products designed for them into 32 subcategories. Here are the top ten in exhibitor count for 2016.

• The big movement is in the OTC Meds, Supplements and therapeutic products. This is a trend that has been accelerating. One factor in this growth may be the exceptional inflation in Veterinary prices.
• Exhibitors with Food or treats are also growing in numbers. This is indicative of the competitive environment in these categories which is undoubtedly contributing to the ongoing price deflation in this Industry Segment. Also, many new Supplements are appearing in the form of treats.
• Grooming Tools, both for providers and consumers entered the top 10 in 2015 and continues to grow.

Finally, the chart below details the specifics for all 32 of the Dog/Cat product categories that I defined. Of note: All the data inputs for this report and the SuperSearch tool were derived from reviewing the GPE online exhibitor product listings AND visits to over 1000 websites. They’re not 100% accurate, but pretty close.

Changes of special note from 2015 are highlighted. Which categories are of interest to your business?

In addition to being bigger, the show staff actively works to make each GPE better, including enhanced educational offerings and of course…the New Product Showcase. In combination with the excellent work being done on SuperZoo, we have 2 “must attend” U.S. Pet Industry Shows. Thank you, APPA, PIDA and WPA!

Regardless of why you are attending the GPE, having a productive show requires planning. It has simply gotten too big and is definitely too important to just “wing it”. The “GPE Super Search” tool that I referenced will be available shortly for download. Take a look. It can’t hurt…and it just might help.

 

SuperZoo continues to grow. There are 971 exhibitors at SuperZoo 2015 – 60 more than last year. The show is also “open” for 22 hours – 3 more than last year!

Now the bad news. “Do the Math!” If you don’t stop to chat with anyone in the aisles or for food, a drink or to go to the bathroom, don’t attend any classes, don’t visit the New Products Showcase…and allow no time for walking, you can spend about 1 minute and 20 seconds with each exhibitor…down 10 seconds from last year :-). You definitely need a plan…!

Although SuperZoo has a high percentage of retail pet attendees, it still presents the “whole Pet Industry Package”…New Product Showcase, educational seminars, informative speakers and 400 exhibitors who didn’t showcase their products at GPE 2015. As such, it draws attendees from all retail channels and from around the world.

Together GPE and SuperZoo pack quite a one-two punch and you “must do both” if you’re serious about your U.S. Pet Business.

Pet Food and Supplies represent over 2/3 of the U.S. Pet Industry and every business can improve in terms of products. However, here’s where the abundance of exhibitors creates a problem. You just don’t have the time. You need to be able to target your visits. 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 are only interested in visiting exhibitors relevant to their “categories”. Representatives also 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!

Much of the rest of this post will be redundant to some of my readers but for the benefit of the new people…

This problem of targeting the search for specific product categories has grown radically with the industry. About a year ago, I decided to try to do something to help.

I designed a tool in Excel, the Super Search SuperZoo 2014 Visit Planner to make “working the show” easier and more productive for ALL attendees – retailers, distributors, reps, groomers, vets…even exhibitors.

This was well received by its users, so I updated and improved the tool for this year’s GPE. I also learned a valuable lesson…never assume. I visited over 1000 exhibitor websites to confirm the product categories available from each…initially for GPE 2015, but again for SuperZoo 2015. If an exhibitor didn’t have an active site I did a separate internet search. For SuperZoo 2015, I was able to validate the product offerings for all but 3 exhibitors.

Is it 100% accurate – no, but it’s pretty darn close.

The SuperZoo 2015 Super Search can help you target your product search:

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

The Super Search does both…and more…and does it quickly!

There is a download link below for the Super Search tool as well as one for the instructions. Yes, there are specific instructions for Super Search. I recommend that you read them and print them out for reference during your initial search. They are 4 pages long. Remember, instructions are by necessity long, even when the actions are pretty simple. If you used the search tool for GPE 2015, there is no change!

There is one last thing which could affect some of your searches. In the past, three companies – Central Garden and Pet, United Pet Group and PetSafe were each listed as exhibitors under their corporate “banner”. At SuperZoo 2015, they have each listed their individual subsidiaries/brands like TFH/Nylabone, Four Paws, Dingo, etc. separately, as exhibitors. Nothing has changed regarding the way they exhibit. They still occupy 3 “big” booths. This strategy may reflect the idea that retailers are more familiar with their “brands” than the overall “corporate” entity. Central and PetSafe still have their corporate names listed. However, United Pet Group does not.

I hope that the SuperZoo 2015 Super Search helps you have an enjoyable and productive show. “Plan your work. Work your plan”….See you in Vegas!

REMEMBER – When you download the Super Search tool, you must “enable macros” for it to work.

Download the files and get “planning” right now!

[button link=”https://pmud8a.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SUPERZOO-SUPER-SEARCH-EXHIBITOR-VISIT-PLANNER-INSTRUCTIONS-Prepared-by.pdf” type=”icon” newwindow=”yes”] Download 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/2015/06/SuperZoo2015-Final-SuperSearch-6-26.xlsm” type=”icon” newwindow=”no”] Download SuperSearch (Excel)[/button]

GPE 2014 had 1000+ exhibitors. In 2015  there are 6.5% more, reinforcing its position as the premier annual show in the pet industry. Of course, most of you will be attending. This will be my 27^th consecutive year. After attending a number of these shows in combination with SuperZoo, you sometimes begin to think that you “have seen it all”.

If any attendees are feeling that way, consider this. Over 500 of the GPE 2015 exhibitors did not exhibit at SuperZoo 2014 and over 300 were not at last year’s GPE. Even if you attended one or both of those shows, GPE 2015 has a “lot of new”.

Let’s take a look at the exhibitor type and product mix and compare it to both last year’s GPE and SuperZoo 2014. Both shows have designated floor sections which pull together exhibitors with a common theme. Other than this segregation, neither show segregates the other booths in any way.

The chart below and the ones that follow show the exhibitor count, % of total booths and directly compare GPE 2015 to GPE 2014. In the comparison to SuperZoo we only show the % difference. Please note that this information is based upon data that was available from the APPA website as of 2/4/15. There are a few exhibitors which are committed to the show but not “on the site” as yet. This number is so small that it will not make a significant difference in this analysis.

GPE has 5 floor sections and SuperZoo has 7 (Grooming, Critters & Equine). They have 4 sections in common.

1. Natural – The growth of this industry is readily apparent. GPE has almost 50% more exhibitors than last year and is approaching SuperZoo’s numbers.
2. Boutique – GPE’s fashion section is slightly smaller than last year and considerably below SZ.
3. Aquatic – GPE is traditionally strong in aquatic and this section is almost twice as large as SZ.
4. New Vendors – Wow! 146 exhibitors. GPE is definitely about new.
5. International (GPE Only) – A little uptick from last year, but basically the same.

A word of caution: Just because a section is smaller, doesn’t mean that there are fewer exhibitors offering products in this category. It can indicate that Companies have broadened their product listings and have opted to not be segregated by only a part of their portfolio.

Now we come to classifications that I have made. As many of you know, I developed a search tool for SuperZoo which allows attendees to plan out their work on the floor by the products that they are interested in seeing. It allows up to 5 simultaneous searches to be run concurrently then generates the results in alpha or booth# order. I have developed one for GPE and it will be released next week!

First We’ll Compare Exhibitor Type – By function: By Animal type

1.  At all shows, Cats are Royalty …but Dogs Rule! However, GPE has significantly improved the number of booths with cat products.
2. GPE slightly improved its offerings in Fish, Bird, Small Animal and Equine and is significantly greater than Superzoo in all of these but Equine.
3. GPE has big increases in Distributors, Business Services and “Gift”. SuperZoo still has significantly more of all three which reflects their long history with independent retailers. However, GPE is on the way up.

Dogs and Cats are the unquestioned royalty of Pet. I have divided products designed for them into 32 subcategories. Here are this year’s top 10 for GPE.

1. The major difference between GPE 15 and GPE 14 is that Food fell 2 spots and Shampoos dropped out of the top 10, replaced by Grooming Tools.
2. All of these categories except Food increased in both number of booths and share of space.
3. Vs SuperZoo, the top 4 are mirror images. SuperZoo has a significantly greater amount of fashion and meds/supplements.

The specific categories for Dog/Cat products and a comparison between GPE 15 and GPE 14 as well as Superzoo follows. Take a look at the categories that are of interest to you.

Note: There are some extraordinarily large increases in some categories from last year’s GPE. When I put this list together for GPE 2014, I relied on the product listing in the show website. Last year for Superzoo, I began double checking the listing against the company website. Often there is a big difference. The data input for GPE 2015 and SuperZoo 2014 were derived from the show listings AND visits to over 1000 websites – per show. They’re not 100% accurate, but close.

Although this post is primarily about GPE 2015, don’t “discount” SuperZoo. Both shows are great and actively trying to become better. New and different is not limited to GPE. Last year, SuperZoo had over 350 exhibitors that didn’t attend GPE. They are both integral parts of the Pet Industry…and I think you can appreciate their complexity.

Regardless of why you are attending the GPE, having a productive show requires planning. It’s too big to just “wing it”. In my next post, I will make available a “GPE Super Search” tool for download. Take a look.

It can’t hurt…and it just might help!