The superlatives flowed thick and fast as PATS Sandown closed on a spectacular high with visitors and exhibitors agreeing the show has been a huge success.
The packed halls created an atmosphere of buzzing optimism and the exhibitor stands were a hive of activity on both days.
The optimistic mood was summed up by Carina Evans of Dog Rocks, who said: “There has been a real buzz throughout the exhibition halls. PATS is THE place to meet retailers, who are my bread and butter. I love meeting and speaking to them, and this is the best show to do that.”
Lafeber International were making their debut at PATS and the company’s Lorraine Strachan admitted the show had exceeded her expectations. “Being our first exhibition I wasn’t sure what to expect but the response by visitors to our stand has been excellent. I didn’t think our opening day could get any better but it did when we won the New Bird Product Awards with our Pellet Berries.”
Another award winner was Anco Distributors, who won the Dog Food and Treats category with their FarmFood Deerhide product. “A lot of time and effort goes into launching new products and it’s a real team effort. So when you get recognition from the industry it creates a big buzz within the company. We’ve also been very busy on the stand, so it has been a good day all round.”
Many exhibitors were pleased with the number of international visitors to their stands, with buyers coming from Spain, Holland, Cyprus, South Africa and Australia.
Bill Gora, a director of Gor Pets, said: “We’ve been really surprised by the response from overseas. A company from Spain were really interested in our Highland range of pet beds – it came right out of the blue.”
And the introduction of Ideal Balance from Hill’s Pet Nutrition drew both UK and international visitors to their stand, with Matt Timmons saying: “PATS is the ideal launchpad for new products. The response has been amazing.”
More overseas buyers are seeing PATS Sandown as the place to see new products and ideas.
David Guedea, of Affinity Petcare in Spain, said he’d made the two-day trip to discover new trends in the market, and admitted he was pleased to have seen so many British-made products that would work well in his country.
Jeroen Rikkers, International Pet Netherlands, visited the show to find exclusive products. “It’s our first visit and we really liked the quality of products on display and the quantity time given by the exhibitors. PATS and Zoomark have the reputation of being high quality shows and we are not disappointed.”
UK retail visitors were also delighted with what they saw on the first day of PATS, especially the huge amount of new and innovative products.
Fiona Bradley, of Miller & Bradley, said: “This is my first time visiting the show. It’s great to see so many products on display, of such high quality and value for money. It’s a well laid out show, and everything is easy to see. I was also really impressed with the seminar content.”
Chris Le Saint, of The Pet Cabin, Jersey, added: “It’s a good opportunity to see what’s new in the market and meet up with sales reps. The offers at PATS are particularly good this year.”
