The show is heading to Birmingham next year
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THE biggest-ever PATS closed on a high with exhibitors and visitors delighted by the huge volume of business being done across all three days of the show.
The new three-day format proved a huge hit, with the final day continuing in the same busy vein as pet retailers and industry professionals arrived at Telford International Centre to see the array of innovations coming to market.
With more than 340 exhibitors showcasing hundreds of new products in all three halls of Telford International Centre, it proved to be a record-breaker.
There was also a lot of excitement around the news that PATS was moving to the NEC Birmingham in 2025.
Simon Lane, director of Ancol Pet Products, said: “It has been an excellent show and we’ve experienced three good days of meeting quality visitors, both current and new customers. I think the move to the NEC is a very positive step, especially for our customers, because of its central location and good transport links.”
This view was shared by Johnson’s Veterinary Products. Matthew Gwynn, sales & digital marketing manager, commented: “This has been the busiest-ever show for us with great quality visitors and lots of opportunity to network with key accounts. We also think it’s a terrific platform for next year, especially as we’re really excited about the move to the NEC. With the venue being so close to Birmingham International airport, we’re confident it will bring in even more international interest.”
Daniel Vander, managing director of We.pet, agreed it will also attract more international interest. “We’ve had an excellent show with key decision makers coming to the stand, and we look forward to the prospect of an increasing number of overseas buyers travelling to next year’s show.”
And Colin Rodger, director of Bern Pet Foods, added: “I think the NEC move will encourage even more visitors to the show.”
London-based retailer Guiseppe Bloom-Mangione, founder of Muthapuppa, welcomed the news of PATS moving to the NEC. He said: “Getting to the show in future will certainly be easier for me, and for many others, I expect. It’s important to attend an exhibition like PATS, and any initiative that makes the process less stressful is very welcome.”
This year’s extended PATS also got the thumbs-up from Greg Van Praagh, head of UK at RPFC Group, whose brands include Benyfit Natural and Billy + Margot. “I’m a big advocate of having three show days because it gives you more time to spend with clients. PATS keeps growing in a good way because it gives more companies – big and small, old and new – the platform to make their mark. I had a look at the New Starter Zone and loved the buzz that these new companies were creating. PATS is great for the UK pet industry.”
Visitor Toni Thornton, managing director of Four Oaks Pet Supplies, Scarborough, agreed, stating: “We’ve come to PATS for the whole three days because you just can’t do it justice in only two. We deal with the whole spectrum of the pet industry, spending day one wandering through the halls to see what catches our eye and day two doing our buying – but we’ve found that by the end of the second day we haven’t always got round to everyone. So the third day is a real bonus. There is less of a rush to get it all done and we can spend more time building relationships and ensuring we’ve caught all the deals and found all the new products we might want to stock. PATS is an important highlight of the year and we wouldn’t want to miss any of it!”
This year’s PATS featured the new Aquatics Zone – a dedicated hall for the key aquatics, reptile and watergardening exhibitors showcasing their latest launches.
Cyril Geoffray, UK & Ireland national sales manager for Zoo Med, was busy on his stand throughout the exhibition. “We’ve been rushed off our feet on all three days. It has been an excellent show and I love the fact you can spend more time with visitors. I will definitely need a larger stand in 2025.”
And John Roberts, of Cloveleaf added: “The quality of customers visiting our stand has been excellent. Winning a New Product Award was an extra bonus because it will help to promote the product.”
Retailer Mark Warren, a partner at West Dorset Aquatics, welcomed the introduction of the Aquatics Zone, saying: “We’ve missed going to Aqua so we’re really happy to be visiting the dedicated aquatics hall at PATS. We’ve come to see the new products, find out about deals on offer and meet people face to face. It’s also a great opportunity for networking with other shops and companies and building new relationships – something we have missed out on during the Covid years.”
The pet industry now looks forward to the next PATS at the NEC Birmingham, taking place over three days from Sunday, 28th September, to Tuesday, 30th September 2025.