Marinos Benatos, is the one who visits Interzoo 2022 exhibition, the world’s biggest trade fair for pet supplies, from the founding crew of Love Woof and Meow, as a Freelance Animal Scientist & Consultant. The goal is to get a comprehensive market overview of the latest products and solutions for professional and animal-friendly care of pets & collaborate with decision-makers from the international pet industry.

Wiesbaden – Anticipation is growing for the forthcoming Interzoo 2022, to be held in Nuremberg from 24 to 27 May: The organizer, WZF GmbH, has confirmed it currently has registrations from about 1,300 exhibitors from more than 60 countries. With a gross exhibition area of around 105,000 square metres, the world’s leading fair for pet supplies will offer trade visitors a unique overview of the global market for the latest products for dogs, cats, fish and other pets.

“Despite the challenges created by Covid-19, the global pet industry has developed positively during the past two years,” comments Norbert Holthenrich, President of the German Pet Trade & Industry Association (ZZF), the honorary sponsor of Interzoo. But since the pandemic began, supply chains have been severely disrupted, with production problems and delivery bottlenecks as a consequence. Holthenrich views Interzoo as an opportunity to change focus and pave the way for new business: “Manufacturers and buyers can meet again in person at the world’s leading fair in Nuremberg in order to establish new business contacts and discover products of interest.”

The strong international make-up of the exhibition will guarantee a global market overview, with more than 80 percent of exhibitors coming from outside Germany. The largest international contingents represent Italy, the UK, US, Netherlands and Spain. There will be a total of eleven national pavilions, some of them larger than previously, from Brazil, the UK, India, Italy, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan, the Czech Republic and the US, with France and South Korea being new additions this year. 

WZF has recorded growth in registrations for stand space from a number of countries in Europe, such as Turkey (+114%) and Spain (+15%), with about 60 exhibitors each. There is also stronger demand from outside Europe, such as South Korea (+33 %) and India (+22%) with well over 20 and 40 exhibitors respectively.

Segment breakdown

As in the past, items for dogs and cats make up the largest share of the products on offer (47%), followed by small animals and rodents (10%), then pet birds and aquariums (8% each). The range of supplementary items for the speciality pet retail sector accounts for 6 percent, as does petfood technology. Items for garden animals represent 5 percent, with smaller shares for other segments such as subject-area literature, shop fittings and packaging.

Strong international visitor numbers expected

With the lifting of travel restrictions and the proven hygiene strategy in place, Dr Rowena Arzt, Director Exhibitions for WZF GmbH, also expects strong international visitor numbers: “At previous Interzoo events, more than a quarter of the visitors came from Germany and three-quarters from other countries – about 42 percent from other parts of Europe and a little over 30 percent from outside Europe. We expect the structure will be similar at Interzoo 2022, with fewer visitors from some eastern European and Asian countries in view of the situation there. This does not affect the importance of Interzoo as the world’s leading fair in this sector, and it continues to offer many opportunities for international contacts, interaction and business.”

Connecting with the new Interzoo app

The new Interzoo app is now available to provide a link between the digital and physical worlds and offer a convenient overview. It is available for immediate download from the usual app stores for Apple and Android platforms to help participants prepare for their attendance at the fair. The app offers visitors the key information on exhibitors, products and brands, an interactive floor plan, and a personal fair planner. Another practical function is the “Ticket Wallet”, in which visitors can store their entrance tickets and other documents as appropriate. Digital contact management, a popular feature at Interzoo.digital, is also available via the app: Visitors can network with other visitors or exhibitors, make appointments or swap business cards digitally. The ability to simply scan in QR codes from name tags makes this last function easier.