As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the best interest of trade fair attendees as well as the pet supplies industry, the organizer of INTERZOO, WZF (Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Zoologischer Fachbetriebe GmbH), and BolognaFiere S.p.A., organizer of ZOOMARK INTERNATIONAL, will both postpone their respective biennial events by one year.  INTERZOO will now be held in June 2021 and ZOOMARK INTERNATIONAL in May 2022.

The worldwide Corona pandemic has affected health, societies and economies in more than 185 countries. 2020 has been a difficult year for many businesses. As a consequence, the event schedules of many exhibition venues, trade fair organizers and industrial sectors are in a state of upheaval. This is also true for trade fairs in the pet supplies sector: Given the severity of the global crisis and in the hope of finding a solution that serves the interest of the industry, WZF, organizer of INTERZOO, and BolognaFiere, organizer of ZOOMARK INTERNATIONAL, have rescheduled each of their events to the respectively following year. Both companies see this as an approach towards finding a minimally invasive solution.

Replying to the pet supplies industry’s needs, INTERZOO has been postponed to next year and will thus be held in Nuremberg from 1 to 4 June 2021, while the industry will meet again in Bologna from 9 to 12 May 2022 at ZOOMARK INTERNATIONAL  

Dr Rowena Arzt, Director Exhibitors at WZF GmbH, explains that “after a global crisis a global trade fair is needed to provide the industry with a positive impulse. Trade shows are a crucial instrument in enhancing the rehabilitation process in the aftermath of a crisis and act as catalysts for industries and national economies.” Norbert Holthenrich, President of the German Pet Trade and Industry Association (Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe e.V., ZZF), the honorary sponsor of INTERZOO, adds: “In the aftermath of a crisis such as the one we are currently facing, it is our obligation as association and trade fair organizer to support the industry in recovering economically. Our exhibitors state that a biennial rhythm for an event with the magnitude of INTERZOO is simply ideal and should therefore be maintained. We are optimistic that postponing both trade fairs by one year holds solid benefits for the industry at large.”

“Due to the COVID-19 emergency, the calendar of international trade fairs have to be substantially altered,” Antonio Bruzzone, General Manager of BolognaFiere, announces. “And today more than ever, fair organizers are striving to offer the business world new tools and increasingly incisive support for kick-starting business, working in close collaboration with institutions, companies and trade associations. ´Our know-how as trade fair organizer with consolidated international experience enables us to offer the business community for the pet sector, which will be in Bologna in 2022 for ZOOMARK INTERNATIONAL, an extensive vision of the very best of advanced international production, with an increasing number of professional operators from the world’s fastest growing markets, where we have been promoting the event for time. We are convinced that the emergency we are currently facing can provide new stimuli for business and that over the next two years the economy will re-stabilize, rewarding, in particular, the most innovative companies.”

In postponing their respective trade fairs each by one year, WZF and BolognaFiere have chosen a sensible way to support the pet supplies sector in the best way possible. Both organizations hope that by choosing such profound measures in difficult times they can help minimize the economic damage suffered by the industry.