Biggest international spread yet

Around 39 000 trade visitors from over 125 countries attended the world-leading pet supplies show in Nuremberg, according to the Interzoo organising body, the Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Zoologischer Fachbetriebe (WZF). The figure roughly matched the attendance in 2016, but foreign visitors made up 74 per cent of the total, four per cent more than two years ago. The most trade visitors came from Germany, although their number had declined by nearly 15 per cent compared with 2016 to 9 934. The new fair dates were cited as the reason for this, as limiting the show to weekdays only meant that smaller retail businesses had no opportunity to visit Interzoo. Other countries that were well represented in the visitor figures were Italy (2 161), Spain (1 438), France (1 323), Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1 320), the Nether­lands (1 211), the Czech Republic (1 193), China (1 154) and Poland (1 113).

"Interzoo has asserted its status as a world-leading fair and has become even more professional and international," commented Hans-Jochen Büngener, chairman of the  Interzoo fair committee. ZZF president Norbert Holthenrich had already described Interzoo at the opening press conference as the "Olympics of the pet supplies sector" at which companies compete like athletes over the best products.
It is evident from the high number of foreign exhibitors that Interzoo's prominent global position as the premier trade fair of the world pet supplies business is not in jeopardy. The world seems to like coming to the Franconian metropolis, a fact reflected by the 9 per cent increase in the number of foreign exhibitors compared with 2016 to 1 989 suppliers from 66 countries. 83 per cent of all exhibitors came from abroad. In spite of this, the number of German exhibitors also increased by approximately ten per cent over the 2016 figure.
The next Interzoo will run once again from Tuesday to Friday, to be precise from 19 to 22 May. ZZF president Holthenrich promised that his association would consider "what we can offer at Interzoo for the German pet supplies and garden trade, for boutiques and barf shops so that the show is a worthwhile and inspiring business platform for them too."