The pet industry networking event of the year is back again…

2023 marks the 24th edition of the GlobalPETS Forum. The event is a great place to get inspired by top experts on where the pet industry is going in the next few years, and to meet peers and new potential business partners.

What to expect?

The Forum spans 3 days, from 25 to 27 January, at the 5-star Hilton Berlin hotel.

• Day 1: The Forum will kick off with an optional tour of pet retail stores across Berlin. An informal dinner in the evening gives you the opportunity to socialize with other attendees.
• Day 2: From the morning until the evening, the program is jam-packed with high-quality presentations and networking moments. At the end of the day, buses will whisk you and the other attendees away to a surprise location for the renowned ‘social evening’. A delicious walking dinner in a beautiful setting is the highlight of the event for many.
• Day 3: On the last day, you’ll get your final dose of inspiration from top speakers, followed by a networking lunch before returning home.

What’s the topic?

Customers expect convenience and are becoming more impatient and demanding. As a result, traditional lines between buying channels are blurring. And, more importantly, customer loyalty is declining. How do we – as retailers or brands – position ourselves to attract the right consumers in this environment? And once we acquire a new customer, how do we turn them into lifelong fans?

The added difficulty is that customer profiles are also changing. Millennials and Gen Zers are becoming the largest group of pet owners. And they cherish different values, prefer different communication styles and have shown themselves to be less loyal to brands.

To provide inspiration on how to deal with these changes and challenges, the theme of this year’s event is ‘Lifelong customers in an omnimarket’. You’ll hear directly from leading pet retailers and a top veterinarian chain about how they see the future. And our other experts will provide you with many helpful insights on how to improve your business.

For info and tickets, go to staging-globalpetindustry.dudka.agency.com/gpf

The speakers

Here’s a selection of some of the top speakers you’ll hear:

• Marcos Ruao is the CEO of leading Spanish retailer IskayPet (Kiwoko/Tiendanimal). He’ll talk about their approach to becoming the best retailer in the region. And the challenges they’ve conquered along the way.
• European online retailer Zooplus (speaker to be announced) will give us a peek behind the curtain on their progress, their plans and how they approach customer loyalty.
• David Sprinkle, Research Director at Packaged Facts, is one of the pet industry’s most renowned trend experts. He’ll give you a glimpse of where the industry is going in the next few years and dive deeper into the latest pet consumer research.
• As their Head of Business & Ecosystem Development, Fabien Desiage plays an important role in Purina’s path to becoming a ‘pet care’ instead of a ‘pet food’ leader. He’ll walk us through the ups and downs of that journey and where the industry is headed.
• Kristel Vanderlinden, Managing Partner at The Future Laboratory, will share what the retail landscape will look like in the future. And how we can adapt to the changing consumer.
• Graham Dodds, Director of Innovation and Transformation at CVS Group, will tell us how this leading veterinary services provider from the UK sees the future of the pet industry and their role in it.

Find the complete list of speakers on the event website.