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Special conditions and subsidies for start-ups

Interzoo Newsroom

5 October 2021

Interzoo supports start-ups

At Interzoo, start-ups can make use of specially designed exhibition areas for their presentations, and government subsidies are available for German exhibitors, along with attractive special conditions offered by Interzoo organizer WZF for international exhibitors.

Pavilion for young German companies

Interzoo has once again been included in the funding programme for young companies provided by the BMWi (German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy). The programme will help young, innovative companies to participate in leading international fairs like Interzoo and get support for entering the market and exporting their innovative products and procedures. Companies located in Germany that meet the funding criteria can recoup up to 60 percent of their cost of participation.

Sponsored participation in Interzoo by new companies is organized by NürnbergMesse on behalf of WZF (Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Zoologischer Fachbetriebe) under the banner “Innovation made in Germany” and includes a full-service package for exhibiting in a pavilion. The package includes a complete stand with furnishings and lighting, power connection and consumption, an information counter with hostesses, marketing services – and all this at no extra cost.

Of the total cost of attending the trade fair, the costs of stand rental and construction charged by the organizer of Interzoo, WZF, are eligible for pro rata funding. A percentage of eligible expenditures will be reimbursed: 60 percent for the first two attendances and 50 percent from the third attendance up to a maximum of EUR 7,500 per exhibitor per trade fair.

The following criteria must be met for legally independent young innovative companies to be eligible for the funding programme:

Company’s registered office and business operations in Germany
Small company per EU definition (50 employees, balance sheet total or annual turnover maximum EUR 10 million)
Company established within the last ten years

The companies must also have developed or made significant improvements to their products, processes, and services.

Companies interested in taking part in the funded pavilion at Interzoo 2022 need to register for the programme by no later than eight weeks before the start of the trade fair. Because capacity is limited, early registration within the next few weeks is urgently recommended. As a small consolation, WZF can offer alternative trade fair packages for start-ups that would like to take part in Interzoo for the first time but can’t obtain a space in the pavilion, which is usually rapidly booked to capacity.

Start-up area for international companies

The next Interzoo will also include a start-up area for international companies. This is WZF’s way of offering newcomers from other countries the opportunity to give an impressive presentation in a specifically designed area and benefit from attractive special conditions. “We are very pleased to be able to offer international start-ups a commercially effective platform for making new and successful contacts, and so encourage innovation in the pet supplies industry,” says Dr Rowena Arzt, Director Exhibitions for WZF. According to WZF, 83 percent of the exhibitors and 74 percent of the trade visitors at the last Interzoo in Nuremberg came from other countries. These figures were higher than ever before.

Registrations for the international start-up area are open to companies in the pet supplies industry that have been in operation for no more than five years, have fewer than 50 employees, are based outside Germany, and haven’t yet participated in an in-person Interzoo.