SuperZoo Attendance Sets Record

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The 2014 SuperZoo show set a record in attendance this year.

There were almost 23,000 pet industry professionals in attendance, surpassing expectations with an increase of 18 percent over last year.

The keynote speaker, Daymond John, CEO of FUBU and co-star of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” jumpstarted the show with 2,000 retailers in attendance.

The expo floor – more than 190,000 square feet – featured more than 1,900 booth spaces filled with 910 exhibiting companies.

“The unbelievable passion and hunger for more exuded by our attendees and exhibitors is what drives us to continue to find ways to grow the show,” said Doug Poindexter, president of the World Pet Association (WPA). “Whether that’s increasing square footage and booth spaces, or adding value through a keynote speaker. SuperZoo 2014 was a phenomenal show, and we are very proud to be the industry event for retailers in North America.”

New at SuperZoo

SuperZoo 2014 debuted 680 new products to the pet industry. A special area on the show floor, the New Product Showcase, is dedicated to these emerging products, and attendees are given the chance to vote on the best new products in these categories: Aquatic, Bird, Cat, Dog, Equine, Grooming, Reptile, Small Animals, Miscellaneous and Overall Best in Show.

The Overall Best in Show winners:

First Place: Cleair Aquatics Ltd.’s Iwish Mini Aquarium

Second Place: Volkman Seed Factory’s Avian Science African Grey food

Third Place: Biobubble Pet LLC’s BioBubble Small Animal Habitat

“Now more than ever, innovation in the pet industry is key,” said Poindexter. “Our show had over 680 product debuts this past year! It’s become apparent that competition in this industry is growing, and staying static is no longer an option for these companies.”

Of the exhibitors, Phillips Pet Food and Supply enjoyed the large turnout.

“We felt the show was very well attended, the show was huge this year!” said Jessica Farina-Morris, marketing director for Phillips. “There was a great buzz to it this year. Our booth traffic was busy every single day, all day, which was great.”

According to Farina-Morris, it was a great opportunity to get some face time with retailers and customers and to introduce new products.

“Overall, we were very happy with SuperZoo,” she said. “The show continues to get better every single year.”
SuperZoo also featured several seminars for retailers each day.

“Our specific seminar was about driving, enhancing and retaining the consumer in the pet store,” said Farina-Morris. She said it was well attended.

Looking to the Future

WPA is prepared to expand the 2015 show and plans to add 200 more booths to include more exhibitors on the expo floor and help lower the wait list.

This will also allow more exhibitors to showcase on the expo floor. They will make the space by relocating the SuperZoo University classes upstairs. SuperZoo also plans to bring in another keynote speaker, as this was met with great enthusiasm from attendees this year.

SuperZoo was recently listed as one of Trade Show Executive’s Gold 100 Honorees for its 2013 show, a prestigious ranking only given to the top 100 trade shows in the nation. Their exact ranking will be announced in October of 2014.