More than 14,500 visitors from 55 countries attended GLEE and GLEE Petindex, held Sept. 20-22 at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham, England. The overall visitor count was down about 20 percent from approximately 18,000 trade buyers last year—which was down 18 percent from the previous year.

The dip in visitor numbers wasn’t a surprise, according to Dan Thurlow, director of Europe’s largest annual exhibition for the garden, pet and leisure industries. “Visitor numbers were slightly lower, but that’s no surprise given the pressures on retailers and the necessarily smaller show format this year,” he said.

This year’s show, which featured four exhibit halls, left a smaller footprint than in years past. Show organizers pointed to the economic climate, which prompted many companies to chose smaller booths and others to skip the show altogether.

“The feedback has been incredibly positive; in particular people have commented on the really friendly environment at GLEE Petindex this year, with many saying that it had the intimacy and feel of small show, but with all the advantages of a professionally run national and international event,” said Thurlow. 

A total of 86 pet care and aquatic companies exhibited in the GLEE Petindex hall. New this year was the GLEE Petindex Innovators Zone, designed to showcase grassroots design ideas and bring to market new garden and pet care products. “It was a new idea and the response was beyond our expectations,” Thurlow said. “We’re delighted with the reaction and will certainly be developing this idea for GLEE 2010.  We want to optimize this and other opportunities to benefit buyers and suppliers alike.”

Several products received awards:

• Petindex Product Award: Becobowl, a biodegradable food bowl made from plant fiber, from Becothings (Kent, England).
• Aquatics Product Award:  Milan tabletop feature from Solus Garden and Leisure (Worchestershire, England), a division of Burmuda.

Show organizers plan to scrap the traditional Sunday opening for GLEE 2010, so the event will run Sept. 20-22 at the NEC Birmingham. The change is in response to exhibitor and visitor demand, according to the show’s organizer, Emap Connect, part of Emap Limited (London).

“Our independent annual exhibitor and visitor research continues to underline that September remains by far the best timing for the majority of exhibitors and buyers. This therefore remains the month in which we hold GLEE, but this time—again in response to researched market demand and the recommendations from our advisory board—we have decided to hold it from Monday to Wednesday for the first time,” Thurlow said.

For more information, visit www.gleebirmingham.com. [December 2009 PET AGE]