WWPIA Cancels SuperZoo East
Responding to the needs of its members as well as other representatives
of the pet industry, the World Wide Pet Industry Association
(Arcadia, Calif.) in May postponed plans for SuperZoo East.
The show had been scheduled to take place in August at the Georgia
World Congress Center in Atlanta.
“Despite the fact that the Atlanta show would be a
financial success for [WWPIA] based on exhibitor commitments
to date, the [board of directors] felt compelled to evaluate
comments received from members regarding the location and
timing of the proposed show in Atlanta,” said Doug Poindexter,
executive vice president of WWPIA (formerly the World Wide
Pet Supply Association). “We believe our decision regarding
the show is in the best interests of our industry. As an industry
leader, we desire always to be proactive, to listen carefully
and respond positively to the needs of our members.”
Given the fact that Global Pet Expo was held in March in
Orlando, Fla., and Backer’s Pet Industry Spring Trade
Show was held in April in Atlantic City, N.J., "a third
East Coast show this year might not have made sense,"
Poindexter said in a telephone interview.
However, Poindexter left the door open for WWPIA to stage
an East Coast trade show in years when Global Pet Expo—co-sponsored
by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (Greenwich,
Conn.) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (Bel
Air, Md.)—is not held on the East Coast. Its next opportunity
will be in 2006, when Global Pet Expo will be held in San
Diego.
According to Poindexter, WWPIA’s board of directors
will revisit plans for their East Coast show during their
long-range planning meeting this fall.
WWPIA’s next show is SuperZoo West, Sept. 21-22 at
the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. For more information,
contact WWPIA at 800-999-7295 or visit www.wwpia.com.
[July 2005 PET AGE]
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