Firmly established as the UK’s National Pet Trade Event, PATS Telford is making every effort to ensure that September’s show is even more successful for its growing numbers of visitors and exhibitors.
Three PATS exhibitions have been held at Telford International Centre and each event has attracted more than 2,000 visitors, with last year’s attendance of 2,148 breaking all records.
Plans are in place to attract another impressive number of retailers and buyers to this year’s PATS Telford, which takes place on September 23-24, boosted by a strong international presence.
Leading trade association PetQuip will again be working with PATS to tempt international pet retail chains and distributors to the Autumn showpiece, and will be hosting the Buyers’ Centre where visitors can sit down and meet prospective new suppliers at the event. PetQuip team members will also be available to provide business services, sourcing advice and arrange introductions to UK pet companies.
The association’s involvement doesn’t end there because it will be staging its prestigious PetQuip Awards after the first day of the exhibition. During an evening when outstanding success in the industry is celebrated, the PATS Telford New Product Awards, sponsored by pbwnews, will also be presented.
Pat Flynn, Trade Association Manager of PetQuip, said: “We value our working partnership with the PATS organisers. The PATS events are always well run with lots of excellent exhibitors displaying new and innovative products. It is a pleasure to publicise the shows to our wide database of both international and UK buyers, and this is beneficial for our members who exhibit too. The PetQuip Awards are also an ideal fit alongside an innovations show such as PATS Telford.”
In another initiative aimed at encouraging large European retailers and distributors to visit the Telford show, the PATS team will have a stand in the British Pavilion at Interzoo in May.
A big attraction for international visitors is the large number of exporting companies taking stands at PATS Telford, a fact backed up by Christer Wernborg, of Sweden, who made the trip to last year’s show. Christer said: “It was even better than I expected. I made a lot of new contacts and found it a great way to discover new trends.”
Another international visitor Stanley van Loggem, from Holland, added: “PATS is a lovely environment for sourcing products. The atmosphere and people are fantastic. My aim was to find some serious new contacts and I achieved my goal.”
Federica Gabasio, from Italy, and Lucas Lengyel, of the Czech Republic, have both visited PATS Telford and they agreed it was well worth the time and effort. "The exhibition provides a good overview of the British market," said Federica, while Lucas commented: "The organisation is excellent. The welcome is good, everyone is smiling and happy to see you.”
PATS Telford is shaping up to be one of the most successful events in the show’s history, and those companies that have already booked their stand acknowledge that the exhibition delivers the right calibre of visitor from both the UK and Europe.
“We had a very successful show at Telford last year,” said Julie Butcher of Pets Choice. “We had a lot of international interest, especially buyers from Greece, Spain and France.”
Leading companies exhibiting at PATS Telford include: Anco, Burns, flexi, Forthglade, Hertford Shelving, Inspired Pet Nutrition, Lennox, Marriages, Pedigree Wholesale, Petlife, Pets Choice, and Symply.
Visitors to PATS Telford can expect to see an unrivalled array of new pet products and speak to top suppliers and manufacturers. They will also be able to witness demonstrations from the country’s leading dog groomers and listen to talks from prominent industry figures. For all the latest news on PATS visit www.patshow.co.uk
