Global Pet Expo sees record attendance for 2015

Global Pet Expo 2015 experienced record attendance, with 15,500 people attending the three-day show.
Presented by the American Pet Products Association and Pet Industry Distributors Association, the show had more than 311,300 net square feet of exhibit space, 6,061 buyers, more than 3,000 new pet product launches, 1,051 exhibitors and 3,113 booths sold.
“Having experienced another record-breaking year, we recognize that it is thanks to the growing support and consistent commitment of our exhibitors and attendees, which allows us to see such incredible gains,” said Andrew Darmohraj, executive vice president and chief operating officer of APPA. “Global Pet Expo attracts the best the pet industry has to offer, which certainly motivates us to provide the best trade show possible to meet their needs.”
Twenty percent of exhibitors were international, making up 213 of the 1,051 exhibitors. Twenty-nine percent of buyers were from outside of the U.S., coming from 82 countries.
Now in its fifth year, the New Products Showcase Awards recognized best in show, second and third place winners across nine categories. With more entrants than ever, buyers narrowed down their top picks out of 925 products to determine the winners.
Also released at the Show were APPA’s annual pet industry spending figures, which showed an estimated $60.5 billion in pet spending for 2015, an all-time high. Global Pet Expo is open to independent retailers, distributors, mass-market buyers, and other qualified professionals.
The 2016 Global Pet Expo will take place March 16-18, 2016, in Orlando, Florida, USA, at the Orange County Convention Center.