Zooevent
The visitor turn-out from the pet supplies sector left a lot to be desired on both days.
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Zooevent

Zooevent hits a temporary low

Billed as a national trade show for the German pet supplies sector, Zooevent in Kassel was only a shadow of its former self this year. However, the organisers have promised a reorientation next year.
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Those familiar with the German pet supplies sector had already reckoned with the possibility that this year's Zooevent, falling in an Interzoo year, would have a tough time of it. Royal Canin, Mera, JBL, Hagen, Animonda, Bozita and Eheim - to name but a few companies - were not motivated to exhibit in Kassel. The fact that the Zooevent dates also coincided with the renowned international CIPS trade show in China may also have had a detrimental effect. Good weather in Germany on the weekend of the show probably didn't help either. 
Most exhibitors who decided to attend Zooevent cut their stand sizes, giving rise to big gaps in the two double halls 1 + 2 and 12 + 13, which the organisers struggled to fill. A consequence of this was that some exhibitors were left in splendid isolation. In hall 12 + 13 a white wall was even brought in to separate the exhibition area from the vacant space. 
Some of the comments left by exhibitors and trade visitors on Facebook were suitably derisive. "Now you can park your car in front of your stand; the organisers only need to paint the white lines on the floor. There's plenty of space." Another industry representative commented "What's the use of having a presence (at Zooevent) if nobody is there to notice?"
To be fair, it should be mentioned that, in spite of a modest visitor response, by no means all exhibitors were unhappy. "In spite of the low turn-out, the fair was rewarding and useful for us," commented the managing director of a well-known pet food manufacturer. The marketing manager of another familiar company took a different tone off the record: "We originally intended to book a stand of half the size, but then decided shortly before the show to book only a third of the previous space - and that was still far too much."
Notwithstanding this, the two organisers, Egesa-Zookauf and Sagaflor, appeared satisfied in their closing report with Garten- & Zooevent 2018, above all with the response to the fair talk and the Octoberfest on the Saturday evening: "A large number of visitors from the pet and garden sector came to Kassel on 29 and 30 September. On the exhibition area of roughly 13 000 square metres they gained an overview of current trends and developments in retailing and in the two sectors at the stands of more than 250…
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