News that PATS will be a THREE-DAY exhibition in 2024 has delighted UK pet companies eager to showcase their new products to a wider audience.
PATS 2024, to be staged from Sunday 29th September to Tuesday 1st October 2024, will become one all-encompassing show as the two PATS exhibitions – Sandown and Telford – merge into one.
The 2024 exhibition will take over the entire Telford International Centre, giving the organisers the ability to accommodate more than 400 exhibitors, compared to this year’s record number of 256.
The decision to stage a three day show in the Autumn gives suppliers and manufacturers the opportunity to showcase new products over a longer period, and to a larger audience. PATS 2024 will also increase its international profile with the benefit of overseas suppliers and buyers being attracted by the three-day format.
Pedigree Wholesale is one company that has supported PATS exhibitions over the years and is looking forward to the new-look format. The company’s head of buying Melanie Malin said: “We are really excited about PATS being a three-day show in 2024. We feel it’s a positive move that allows us to focus on representing the best version of Pedigree Wholesale. We hope the bigger central show allows more customers to be able to visit over the three days. It also means our buying team can spend much more time engaging with our current suppliers and gives more opportunity to understand the exciting new products on offer.”
Ancol is another major company welcoming the new plans. Director Simon Lane commented: “We always look forward to exhibiting at PATS. We always have a great show –lots of hands shaken and orders taken – but it’s always over far too quickly. We value the chance to show our products at PATS and we invest a lot of time and effort into looking our best on the day. We are very pleased that we’ll get an extra day to exhibit – in our opinion extra show time is a huge benefit for us.”
Cranswick Pet Products has already booked its stand for PATS 2024 and head of marketing Jerry Lowe said: “The team are really looking forward to the new three-day format. We had a great show with our Vitalin and Alpha brands this year, meeting so many customers, old and new, and it was a great place to showcase our re-designs and new recipes. Having an extra day next year is exciting and creates an opportunity to see everyone for longer.”
Rogz also had a very successful PATS in September and is excited by next year’s plans. “This event creates a real buzz in the UK pet industry, and I’m 100% behind the move to a three-day show,” said Sallie-Ann Reed, managing director for UK and Ireland.
The UK pet industry has seen a huge growth in the number of start-ups entering the market over recent years, and many of them have used PATS as their launchpad. This trend is set to continue in 2024 with the exciting PATS New Starter Zone, as well as more than 40 new companies already expressing an interest in exhibiting.
PATS organisers will be working closely with PetQuip to encourage an increasing number of international buyers to next year’s show. Travelling to and from Telford for overseas visitors is straightforward because of the close proximity of two of the UK’s largest international airports outside of London – Birmingham and Manchester.
The new three-day show will retain all its popular features:
- New Product Showcase and Awards
- New Starter Zone
- Grooming Workshop
- Deals and Discounts
There will be free entry for visitors, a free show catalogue, free parking for up to 1,500 cars and a complimentary tea/coffee voucher.
For all the latest information visit www.patshow.com
