Glee and the Pet Care Trade Association (PCTA) have decided to axe the separate pet show format in favour of integrating pet exhibitors into the main Glee show.
From September onwards Glee will feature pet exhibitors within its main garden retail areas. Glee organisers says the new arrangement will give pet suppliers a unique opportunity to sell to the valuable garden retail market, as well as enable garden centre buyers to source innovative new ranges for their petcare sections each year.
As part of the new agreement, PCTA members will continue to receive a 12.5% discount on exhibition space at Glee this year and beyond.
The decision to incorporate pet exhibitors into the main Glee show came about following research undertaken with Glee exhibitors and visitors during last year's show. The results showed that Glee should focus on the core garden retail market and give pet suppliers the appropriate platform to engage and build relationships with garden retailers. It was decided that in order to optimise petcare sales opportunities, pet manufacturers should be offered more flexibility within Glee itself.
Glee's event director Nick Davison said: "Petcare represents a valuable and growing sales opportunity for the thousands of garden centres, online retailers, DIY retailers, supermarkets and High Street names that Glee attracts.
"We therefore decided to integrate pet product suppliers into our main Glee exhibitions, rather than in a separate Petindex show aimed at pet retailers. The new arrangement will provide greater convenience for garden retailers seeking exciting new ranges for their petcare sections, as well as giving pet suppliers a unique chance to sell to often hard-to-reach garden buyers.
"For the first time, pet exhibitors coming to Glee will be able to choose a location within our key gardening areas that really maximises their visibility to this valuable market."