Furry Friends: Goodbye, Junior. Hello, Fido.
By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 4/17/2006
At a recent tradeshow in San Diego, the showfloor was crowded with bibs, strollers, the softest toys imaginable, and products called Wubba, Booda and Bowie Wowie.
A baby show, right? Guess again.
Actually, Global Pet Expo could put baby and juvenile products shows to shame. And it's just one of several pet industry tradeshows that are racing to keep up with the burgeoning pet world.
Sure, American families continue to adore children as much as or more than their furry friends. However, they may not be spending as much on their children as they do on their pets (Gourmet dog biscuits, anyone?).
According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Assn., pet spending in the United States will reach an all-time high of $38.4 billion this year, more than double the $17 billion spent in 1994.
By comparison, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Assn. recently reported 2004 retail sales of approximately $7 billion, up from $4 billion in 1995.
And, according to the Toy Industry Assn., annual sales for its industry decreased slightly in 2005, to $21.3 billion from $22.1 billion in 2004.
Although these statistics are not directly comparable (APPMA's calculations include food, supplies, medication, veterinary care and live animal purchases, while JPMA's figures only account for infant products like cribs and car seats) the fact that the growth in pet spending is far outpacing that of juvenile products reveals a great deal about the structure of American families these days.
Fido isn't only called Fifi these days; he's eating better than some humans. And those who are leading changes in how Americans treat pets — predominantly empty nesters and young professionals (according to the APPMA, which manages Global Pet with the Pet Industry Distributors Assn.) — are bidding their companions good night as they crawl into $600 personalized pet beds.
"(Several years ago), people wouldn't pay $20 for dog beds, and now some pay $600. They think nothing of it," said Charles Kruder, president of Global Distribution Services, publisher of 80 pet books and magazines, including Cat Fancy and Dogs For Kids.
"People look at their pets as furry people," said Cynthia Kirkeby of FasTags.
Nancy Stemberger of Lang said, "All these baby boomers — the kids are gone and they want to nurture something."
Giannci Genau of Posh Pooch, which will take part in Pet Fashion Week (no, really — and it will include a tradeshow) this August in New York, said products like her dog travel bags are "more like a lifestyle now. It's an expression of who you are."
The fact that the pet industry now includes the likes of Posh Pooch has led to a myriad of changes at pet shows, including the addition of new exhibitors like Lang (a calendar, card and gift company that crossed over from the gift world). It has opened doors for more product launches (there were nearly 700 at Global Pet).
Although industry consolidation is apparent, with several massive booths at pet shows, a constant onslaught of new mom-and-pop exhibitors keeps showfloors growing.
The industry's statistics are music to pet suppliers' ears. The increase in pet industry spending is evident at pet shows far and wide.
Global Pet Expo at the San Diego Convention Center March 23–25 attracted 3,600 buyers to a 215,000 net square foot showfloor with 700 exhibiting companies. The 2005 show, the first event co-organized by APPMA and PIDA, in Orlando spanned 204,900 net sq. ft., with 680 exhibiting companies and 4,368 total attendees. The show is currently ranked No. 141 on the Tradeshow Week 200 for its 2004 appearance as The APPMA Show.
Andrew Darmohraj, vice president and deputy managing director of APPMA, said the fastest-growing aspects of the show are high-tech items like automatic feeders, and high-end items like jewelry.
The show, on a San Diego-Orlando rotation through 2009, is growing so rapidly that it might not be able to fit into the SDCC by 2010, Darmohraj said, adding that he finds the growth "fascinating."
Another popular pet show, SuperZoo West at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Convention Center in September, attracted 16,000 attendees to an 88,952 sq. ft. showfloor with 507 companies. Doug Poindexter, executive vice president of show owner World Wide Pet Industry Assn., said he expects the upcoming Sept. 20–22 show (at the same location) to have approximately 100 more booths and a moderate increase in attendance. The show collocates with Garden Market Expo.
H.H. Backer Associates' semiannual shows — Annual Pet Industry Spring Trade Show & Educational Conference and Annual Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show & Educational Conference in Atlantic City, N.J., and Rosemont, respectively — continue to do well. The 2005 Christmas show (No. 199 on the TSW 200) saw increases across the board over its 2004 show. It grew to 150,900 net sq. ft. (up 15 percent) with 981 companies (a 20-percent increase) and 9,581 buyers (up from 8,516).
Interzoo in Nuremberg, Germany, May 11–14, is expected to feature 1,250 exhibitors from more than 50 countries and attract more than 31,000 attendees.
And pet industry buyers at glee, a garden, pet and leisure show in Birmingham, England, in 2005 made up 18 percent of the show's total attendance.
Exhibiting at a myriad of these pet shows is "worth the investment," said Keith Widyolar of Wubba World, a new Global Pet exhibitor. "It cost us $10,000 to do a show, but the returns are amazing."
Another first-time Global Pet exhibitor and H.H. Backer exhibitor, Nancy Stemberger of Lang, made the crossover to pets after exhibiting exclusively in gift shows for 25 years.
Pet shows, she said, "are another avenue for us to explore."
Meanwhile, Roni Di Lullo of Doggles (they make goggles for dogs) is taking the opposite tack.
Doggles is "moving into the gift market," Di Lullo said. She has exhibited at Global Pet for four years, displays her products at the H.H. Backer shows and SuperZoo, and now at the semiannual New York Intl. Gift Fair.
And, of course, the pet industry has overlapped into the baby products industry, and vice versa.
Global Pet exhibitor Robin Goodwin of Pet Gear, manufacturer of pet strollers and other accessories, said the firm in recent years made the "natural" switch from juvenile products to pets.
There are even products that teach children to interact with pets, like Crazy Pet, which on the back of its treat bags explains to children (in the voice of a dog or cat) how to care for their pet.
Some products appear in both industries' shows, said Larry Schur, president and COO of the ABC Kids Expo (the fastest-growing tradeshow at the 2005 TSW Fastest 50), like KidCo's safety gates.
"A handful of our manufacturers exhibit at our shows and pet shows," he said. "They're kind of interchangeable, these products."
| Show name | Show management | Venue | Next dates |
| Annual Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show & Educational Conference | H.H. Backer Associates | Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont | Oct 6–8 |
| Annual Pet Industry Spring Trade Show & Educational Conference | H.H. Backer Associates | Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center | Mar 30–Apr 1 |
| ExpoZoo | The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada | Hotel des Seigneurs Saint-Hyacinthe, Montreal | Aug 20–21 |
| Global Pet Expo | American Pet Products Manufacturers Assn. and Pet Industry Distributors Assn. | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando | Feb 22–24, 2007 |
| Groom & Kennel Expo with Natural Pet Expo and Off Lead Training Expo | Barkleigh Productions | Burbank (Calif.) Hilton Airport | Feb 9–11, 2007 |
| Groom Expo and Animal Behavior & Health Expo East | Barkleigh Productions | Hershey (Pa.) Lodge and Convention Center | Sep 14–17 |
| Intergroom | Intergroom | Garden State Convention & Exhibit Center, Somerset, N.J. | Apr 21–23 |
| Masters | Spruce Meadows | Spruce Meadows, Calgary, Alberta | Sep 6–10 |
| SuperZoo West | World Wide Pet Industry Assn. | Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas | Sep 20–22 |
| Western Pet Expo | The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada | Vancouver (British Columbia) Airport Conference Resort | Sep 10–11 |
| Sources: 2005 TSW data Book; TSW research | |||
