SuperZoo 2015, a pet retail tradeshow held in Mandalay Bay from July 21-23, rallied in people and products of all colors and sizes by the thousands, once again proving to be the leading event of the pet industry.
With 8 percent more companies in attendance than the previous year, SuperZoo 2015 brought together the most diverse group of pet professionals in the show’s 54-year history.
A show for the people of the pet industry, SuperZoo 2015 provided resources to bolster the professional retailer’s business to the next level, including 85 educational sessions and special keynote seminar on leadership presented by former Black Hawk Down Army ranger Keni Thomas.
With Monday solely dedicated to education, which resulted in a 25 percent increase in SuperZoo University participation, attendees had more dedicated time to roam the bigger 2015 show floor. This year alone, retailers had access to over 2,100 booths on the show floor, not including the 696 new and never-before-seen products introduced in the New Product Showcase. All while 130 talented groomers from nine different countries, including India, United Kingdom, Brazil and China, displayed their skills on the big stage in 22 challenging and diverse grooming competitions.
“SuperZoo 2015 was very exciting for us on several levels,” said Doug Poindexter, president, World Pet Association. “We launched the first SuperZoo apparel line, held a new networking reception, and expanded the educational opportunities offered on Monday. We made some bold moves this year, and plan to make another big move in 2016; specifically into the two new halls in Mandalay Bay. The 2016 SuperZoo show floor will cover over 300,000 square feet!”
The larger show floor, which will cover an additional 85,000 square feet, will allow SuperZoo to be even more so a show for the industry. Just at SuperZoo 2015 alone, 10 dogs were adopted through the fan-favorite Rescue Rodeo grooming competition, which transforms ragged shelter dogs into primped pups ready for a home.
On the show floor, Petco presented the Coral Restoration Foundation with a $25,000 giant check donation and Dog For Dog founder, Rocky Canata, announced his new CW show Save Our Shelter, to hit TV screens this fall. The SuperZoo show floor is grounds for greatness, especially considering SuperZoo itself is not-for-profit; its producers, the World Pet Association (WPA), use the proceeds of the event to benefit the pet industry as a whole. Annually, WPA donates over $950,000 to charitable organizations spanning the pet world, some of which include the Coral Restoration Foundation, Pets in the Classroom, PIJAC and HABRI. For more information on how WPA gives back, view their video: worldpetassociation.org/goodworks.
SuperZoo 2016 will return to the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Aug. 2-4; education sessions will run Aug. 1-3, with the show floor open Aug. 2-4 and expanding into Mandalay’s two new halls. For more information about SuperZoo, visit www.superzoo.org.
