A total of 24,761 buyers attended GLEE Petindex, held Sept. 19-21 at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham, England. The visitor count was down 4 percent from 25,886 visitors at last year’s international garden and leisure exhibition.

More than 22,200 of those visitors came from the United Kingdom, down 6 percent from 23,559 U.K. visitors last year, according to Trade Promotion Services Ltd. (Croydon, England). A total of 2,530 visitors represented other countries, up 9 percent from 2,327 foreign visitors last year.

Show organizers believe that the implementation of a nominal on-site entrance fee (15 Euros) deterred people who were not serious buyers. With guest attendance down almost 60 percent, exhibitors seemed justified in observing that buyer quality was much better this year.

GLEE welcomed more than 1,500 international suppliers with products ranging from interior decor items to landscaping accessories.

A show within a show, Petindex hosted more than 200 suppliers offering pet care, aquarium and water gardening products. Official supporters include The Pet Care Trust (Bedford, England), Pet Product Marketing magazine (Peterborough, England), Pets International magazine (Amersfoort, Netherlands) and the Ornamental Aquatics Trade Association (Trowbridge, England).

A judging panel comprised of industry experts and magazine editors selected 14 products to receive Glee New Product Awards. Among them:

• The Atlas Car 100 by Ferplast UK (Wigan, England). The dog carrier, with ventilation grills, drain mat and two-way sliding door, fits into any car.
• The PF Internal Aquarium Filter by Interpet UK (Dorking, Surrey, England). The easy-to-use power filter features a patented Cap A Aqua Cap V valve to prevent dirty water from backing up into the aquarium during maintenance.
• The Easy-Clear Clearwater and Fountain Pump by Hozelock Cyprio (Aylesbury, Bucks, England). The compact unit, designed for garden ponds and water features, integrates an ultraviolet clarifier, filter and fountain.

The next GLEE Petindex will be held Sept. 18-20, 2005, at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham, England. For more information, contact Adam Ash, North American agent for GLEE Petindex, at (609) 921-0222 or reg@whitehoundadv.com, or visit www.gleebirmingham.com. [December 2004 PET AGE]