Enthused about the state of the economy in general and the state of the pet industry in Canada in particular, vendors and retailers turned out in force for the most recent trade shows sponsored by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario).

Buyers representing 2,619 pet stores, pet supply outlets and other companies attended the 16th National Pet Industry Trade Show, held Sept. 19-20 at the International Center in Toronto, according to Roselyne Leveque, event coordinator for the Canadian trade organization. That figure represents a 5 percent increase from approximately 2,500 buying firms in attendance last year.

With 189 companies occupying 339 booths, the show was “a roaring success,” according to Leveque. The exhibitor count was up 15 percent from 165 companies the previous year, and the booth count was up 15 percent from 295 booths the previous year.

“We had record-breaking number of exhibitors, at over 180 companies for a whopping 339 booths,” Leveque said.

The show was held on Sunday and Monday, rather than its usual Saturday-Sunday format, to avoid a conflict with the Rosh Hashanah holiday. “The new show days of Sunday-Monday allowed those retailers who couldn’t visit in the past because of the weekend days to come and spend Monday with us,” Leveque said.

Leading up to PIJAC Canada’s national show were two regional shows: the Western Pet Expo in British Columbia, and ExpoZoo in Quebec.

Buyers representing 278 companies attended the Western Pet Expo, held Sept. 12-13 at the Vancouver Airport Conference Resort in Vancouver, British Columbia. That count was down 29 percent from last year’s 390 buying firms.

The show, however, was a sell-out, with 67 companies occupying 98 booths. The exhibitor count was up 26 percent from 53 booths last year, and the booth count was up 8 percent from 91 booths last year.

Buyers representing 594 companies attended ExpoZoo 2004, held Aug. 22-23 at the Hotel des Seigneurs in St.-Hyacinthe, Quebec. The record-setting count was up 10 percent from 542 buying companies last year.

After exhibit space sold out, show organizers modified the floor plan to make room for a total of 78 companies in 134 booths. The exhibitor count was up 30 percent from 60 companies last year. The booth count was up 13 percent from 119 booths last year.

The trade organization offered educational seminars at all three shows, including its first canine/feline first aid workshop.

PIJAC Canada’s 17th National Pet Industry Trade Show will be held Sept. 18-19, 2005, at the International Center in Toronto. Show organizers decided to retain the untraditional Sunday-Monday format based on their visitors survey. “We decided we liked that format, and wanted to try it again and see how it goes,” Leveque said.

PIJAC Canada ExpoZoo will be held Aug. 21-22 at the Hotel des Seigneurs in St.-Hyacinthe, Quebec. The PIJAC Canada Western Pet Expo will be held Sept. 11-12 at the Vancouver Airport Conference Resort in Vancouver, British Columbia.

For more information, contact PIJAC Canada at (613) 834-2111, or visit www.pijaccanada.com. [December 2004 PET AGE]