Research reveals top pet fair priorities for exhibitors and visitors

More than half of respondents (56%) to the PETS International survey were exhibitors with visitors accounting for the rest (44%). The leading reason for exhibitors to attend trade shows was given as finding potential new partners (70%), while a smaller cohort value the chance to meet existing partners (17%).

Exhibitor perspectives

The effectiveness of trade shows, as an exhibitor, for finding new partners is clear with 54% of respondents saying this, however 41% said it can be while adding “but…”. Just 5% said exhibiting at trade shows was not effective for finding new partners.

While the big trade shows including Zoomark International, Global Pet Expo and SuperZoo are high on the agenda of events to attend, 44% of exhibitors will take part in an average of 2-4 trade shows in 2025, more than one fifth are exhibiting at just 1 show, and 23% plan to exhibit at 5 or more.

However, the previous 2 years saw a greater share taking part in more shows with 58% of respondents having exhibited at 2-4 shows in 2024 and 55% exhibiting at 2-4 shows in 2023.

Responses were split almost evenly between those who intend to be at more shows over the next couple of years, fewer shows or are unsure.

As 65% of respondents said shows are too expensive and 31% said they are expensive but worth it, cost is likely a factor in decisions to attend fewer shows.

52% of those who had exhibited at a trade show over the past 2 years said they saw a return on their investment (ROI) “at some shows” compared to just 7% who said this of all shows they attended, while 13% more or less broke even. A further 28% do not measure ROI of exhibiting at trade shows.

Best for exhibiting

Europe was the top destination for exhibitors in 2024 and 2025, with 78% of respondents attending events in the region. North America (53%) and Asia (28%) followed.

Interzoo in Germany was by far the most important trade show in Europe, as cited by 74% of respondents compared to just 6.5% for Zoomark, while 19.5% were unsure.

Global Pet Expo was the top choice for North America (49%) followed by SuperZoo (19%), although 32% said they were unsure.

Trade shows in the Middle East and South America were (or will be) attended by 10% each. Multiple answers were allowed for this question.

52% of exhibiting respondents said they weren’t sure which trade show in Asia was the most important, with China International Pet Show (CIPS) taking an 18% share, Pet Fair Asia (China) 11% and Pet Fair SEA (Thailand) 10%.

The highest single percentages of poll participants felt that shows in Europe (42%) and North America (30%) were about the right size, although a sizeable minority feel that there are too many exhibitors (32% for Europe and 20% for North America).

Almost 2 in 10 felt there were not enough visitors to shows, across both regions, with 45% having noticed a decrease in visitor numbers since COVID. However, almost a quarter said they thought visitor numbers were higher since the pandemic.

Other observations on the post-COVID era suggest new shows popping up (20%) and that many shows have attracted more exhibitors (18%).

Visitor views

For those who attend trade shows as visitors, while finding potential new partners ranks at 24%, discovering new products and trends in the industry (35%) was also noted.

Just over half of visitors responding to the PETS International survey said they will attend an average of 2-4 shows in 2025, almost 3 in 10 said 1 show, and 8% will attend 5 or more. While 61% attended 2-4 shows in 2024, this figure was 53% in 2023.

7 in 10 respondents said the shows they visited in 2024 and 2025 were/would be in Europe, 41% said North America, 28% said Asia, 8% said the Middle East, and 4% said South America.

As with exhibitors, Interzoo (70%) and Global Pet Expo (45%) and CIPS (22%) were named as the most important for visitors in Europe, North America and Asia respectively, but also as with exhibitors, a large share said they did not know.

46% of visitors said that not having enough time to do everything they want was the most challenging aspect of attending a trade show with 16% citing the time it takes to walk from one hall to another.

That said, most respondents (48% for European shows and 36% for US) said they considered trade shows to be about the right size.

Difficulty in finding the most innovative and interesting products was another common challenge (18%).

More than twice as many visitors said they will attend more trade shows in the next 2 years (45%) than said they would not (21%). One third were not sure.