Attendance
Jumps at America’s Family Pet Expo
With more than 37,000 visitors—an increase of 24 percent
over last year—the latest edition of America’s Family
Pet Expo turned out to be the most successful in the event’s
17-year history.
Held April 21-23 at the Orange County Fair & Exposition
Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., and organized by the World Wide
Pet Industry Association (Arcadia, Calif.), the consumer event
emphasized education to promote responsible pet care.
To support this mission, WWPIA donated more than $300,000
in exhibit space to nonprofit animal organizations.
The show featured 415 exhibitors, up from 402 in 2005. Major
sponsors included the Petco Foundation (San Gabriel, Calif.)
and Nutro Products Inc. (City of Industry, Calif.), which
sponsored the pet adoption fair; The Iams Co. (Dayton, Ohio),
the cat show. Silver sponsors included Breeder’s Choice
Pet Foods Inc. (Irwindale, Calif.), Canidae Pet Foods (San
Luis Obispo, Calif.), Pet Sitters International (King, N.C.),
and Precise Pet Products (Nacogdoches, Texas). Bronze sponsors
included All-Glass Aquarium Co. Inc. (Franklin, Wis.), Hill’s
Pet Nutrition Inc. (Topeka, Kan.), Oster Professional Products
(Boca Raton, Fla.), The Pet Care Trust (Arcadia, Calif.) and
the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington). Other
sponsors were BowTie Inc. (Los Angeles), JeffersPet.com (Dothan,
Ala.), SeaChem Laboratories Inc./JurassiPet (Madison, Ga.)
and Veterinary Pet Insurance (Brea, Calif.).
More than 500 dogs, cats, birds, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits
found new homes during the adoption fair, and scores of adoption
applications were taken at the event.
Seminars, stage shows, competitions and demonstrations were
held throughout the three-day expo.
“The record-breaking attendance at our event is an
indication that more and more people want pets to help fulfill
their lives,” said Doug Poindexter, executive vice president
of WWPIA. “They come to America’s Family Pet Expo
to learn about how to choose the right pet for them, how to
care for it and how to train it. People have a growing appetite
to share their home with pets and learn all they can about
keeping their pet healthy, happy and safe.”
Media exposure included a two-hour live remote broadcast
on TV station KTLA, which reaches more than 100 major markets
in the United States.
The next edition of America’s Family Pet Expo will
take place Nov. 17-19 at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi,
Mich. For more information, contact WWPIA at 800-999-7295
or www.wwpia.org. [July 2006 PET AGE]
|
