Interzoo 2022 continues to gain momentum

Wiesbaden/Bologna – Global interest in the upcoming Interzoo 2022 at the NürnbergMesse exhibition venue is intensifying. At a press briefing at the Zoomark International exhibition currently being held in Bologna, Italy, the organizer WZF (Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft Zoologischer Fachbetriebe GmbH) announced that most of the available space is already booked.

Six months before the opening of the exhibition, 1,050 exhibitors from more than 60 countries have reserved around 50,000 square meters of stand space for the next Interzoo, which is being held in Nuremberg from 24 to 27 May. The interest shown by start-ups has also been gratifying. Currently only four spaces remain available in the Pavilion for Innovative Young Companies sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). But Interzoo also offers a special package for start-ups with headquarters abroad. A specially designed pavilion solution provides industry newcomers with a convenient option for participating in the world’s leading exhibition for pet supplies. Exhibitors from Bulgaria, Finland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic have already registered for the international start-up area.

“We’re very pleased with the extremely positive response to Interzoo and to on-site participation,” says Dr Rowena Arzt, Director of Exhibitions at WZF. “We’re expecting about the same degree of internationality in our exhibitors as we had at the last Interzoo in 2018. We’re constantly receiving additional registrations. Visitors are also eager for in-person participation.” Dr Arzt sees this as an endorsement of the Interzoo brand and a positive indication of the enduring importance of the exhibition medium. As a result of the pandemic, people have bonded even more closely with their pets and are all the more dedicated to meeting their needs. Consequently, the market for high-quality products is booming, as the upcoming Interzoo will reflect.

“We’re certain that Interzoo 2022 will be the highlight on the global pet industry’s calendar,” says WZF/ZZF Managing Director Gordon Bonnet. “The cancellation of Interzoo 2020 caused by the pandemic means that 2018 was the last in-person exhibition. It was also the most successful in the event’s history. Registrations are currently just 10 percent below those of four years ago. Considering the ongoing pandemic, we see this as an outstanding result and it makes us very proud. It’s a clear sign that the pet industry is anxious to resume in-person contact and sees Interzoo in Nuremberg as a way to do this – to present innovations in a tactile form, find inspiration in the variety of products, discover trends and come together with like-minded people. Apart from a deep-seated feeling that this is the right thing to do, this interaction fosters new ideas and provides a solid basis for making business decisions. It’s what the exhibition experience is all about and it’s something that can’t be designed on a drawing board.”

 

Supporting programme and digital services

In addition to exhibitors from around the world, the supporting programme will also feature international experts, trends and market developments from around the globe. Interzoo participants can attend presentations on sustainable development and discuss the latest aspects. Regional developments and distinctive features of import and export will be presented in the context of Interzoo Country Sessions. Other presentations and demonstrations will focus on the industry’s latest topics of interest.

Positive experiences from Interzoo.digital 2021 are also being incorporated into exhibition planning. New digital expansions, such as a new and versatile exhibition app, will support preparations for the exhibition as well as the customer experience. “Our goal is to combine positive elements from the digital world with the physical world in order to ensure the most convenient and effective exhibition experience possible. One of our objectives is to provide attendees with as much time as possible for in-person interactions while also allowing for the chance discoveries and encounters that distinguish exhibitions from other formats,” says Dr Arzt.

As was the case with this year’s digital event, selected presentations from the supporting programme of Interzoo 2022 will also be available online at Interzoo Academy as on-demand videos. This offers users an additional source of high-quality knowledge from Interzoo anytime anywhere.

Several changes compared to the last event are also being planned on site. Interzoo Camp, a parking space for caravans just outside Interzoo, is a new participant-friendly offering. For the first time, the exhibition will have three entrances – in the west, centre and east – that will provide easy and uncomplicated access to the exhibition areas. Interzoo’s rules of hygiene will carefully comply with prevailing preventive measures to ensure a safe exhibition experience.