Ray of hope for a challenged country

Although not all the significant figures are available yet for Zoomark International 2017, it is already clear that this year's pet supplies show in Bologna was a resounding success. There were indications that this would be the case back in the winter, when the organisers added another 50 000 m2-plus of hall space to the exhibition area in response to the high demand from companies.
The final result delighted the exhibition company, as 17 per cent more exhibitors than two years ago turned out for Zoomark International. Of the 735 companies presenting their goods and services to an international audience in Bologna, 479 came from outside Italy, underlining the considerable increase in the show's international importance. New country pavilions may also have helped to attract new visitors. The success of Zoomark International is also evident from the visitor numbers insofar as these have been announced by the organisers. Figures for domestic visitors are not known yet, but the final report states that the number of international visitors rose by 36 per cent this year compared with 2015 - a terrific outcome. International buyers and operators accordingly now account for 30 per cent of the overall visitor total.
Many visitors, probably even most of them, will have felt at home in Bologna, a feeling that was picked up repeatedly in the show aisles. The show could perhaps have done with being a day shorter, but it had a structure and was well organised. Compared with Interzoo it was more compact, facilitating smooth communication between exhibitors and visitors, an advantage that was cited often by the exhibitors and visitors that PET worldwide spoke to at the show. 

Zoomark International thus impressively confirmed its reputation as Europe's foremost pet supplies show in an Interzoo-free year. This positive outcome should hearten a country like Italy, which has faced significant economic challenges since the recession in 2008 and also suffers from considerable political instability. The pet supplies sector was nowhere near as hard hit by the country's economic slump as other sectors, but comforting as that may be, it shouldn't lead players to paint a rosy picture of the market. The situation in Italy is far from perfect, even in the pet sector; although many pet owners…