PATS Is The UK’s Leading Pet Trade Show
PATS, the UK’s dual-venue, dedicated pet trade show takes place in both Spring and Autumn 2012, offering great new seasonal opportunities for the international pet trade. Once again PATS will be the biggest and most comprehensive pet trade show gathering in the UK. PATS Sandown, the southern event which takes place March 20th and 21st at Sandown Park Exhibition Centre near Esher in Surrey, has now expanded to two vibrant and busy halls. And with its brand new, three hall configuration, the northern PATS show in Harrogate International Centre takes place in September 16th and 17th and features, for the first time, a Sunday opening date for pet retailers who prefer to visit the lovely leisure destination of Harrogate over a long weekend.
PATS Sandown Park is situated within easy reach of London Gatwick and London Heathrow airports as well as the Channel Tunnel and it is proving a popular choice for international visitors. Already retailers from Spain, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland and as far away as Australia have requested their free entry badges for the 2012 show and PATS will welcome exhibitors from countries including Finland, the USA, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Belgium.
Many improvements have been made to facilitate visitor flow around the show. PATS Sandown has traditionally taken place in a single hall but so many exhibitors demanded stand space that in 2011, the PATS team decided to expand the show to two halls; Surrey Hall and the Esher Hall. A new show entrance has been created; so in addition to the familiar Surrey Hall entrance there will be another registration and catalogue pick up point directly into the Esher Hall. Sandown’s car park staff will direct visitors to both entrances alternately and the free courtesy coaches from Esher railway station will similarly alternate, which means half the show’s visitors will enter via Surrey Hall and the other half via Esher Hall. Free breakfasts (before 10.30) and free sandwich lunches (between 13:00 and 14:00) will be available to visitors from the catering points in the Esher Hall on both days of the show; and hot food will be available in Surrey Hall as usual. To ensure visitors recognise the show covers two halls, the signage to both halls has been significantly increased.
In order to add completeness and value to every visitor’s experience PATS show features will take place in both Surrey and Esher Halls. The Retailers’ Choice display of PATS New Products will be situated in the Esher Hall; and from its entries, the PATS Sandown New Product Award winners will be voted by visiting retailers and the awards presented at 2pm on March 21st. The PATS Grooming Point will display a great variety of grooming products and feature state-of-the-art grooming demonstrations in association with Groom Team England. And a free-to-attend series of seminars will cover topics including category management, getting more visitors from Google, workable ideas on how independent pet stores can thrive on the high street of the future and a discussion of whether changes in regulations around the manufacture of herbal remedies have affected supplies for the pet trade. PATS Sandown features an International Buyers’ Lounge in which international visitors can relax and have productive discussions; and the PATS Discovery Point, highlighting exhibitors of specialist and niche market products, will be situated in Surrey Hall’s Horsewalk Bar.
Exhibitors at PATS Sandown include Accapi, Anglo American Distributors, Animalarm, Arden Grange, Bern Pet Foods, Barking and Meowing Heads, Best Friends Pet Products, Burns Pet Nutrition, Canidae Corporation, Connollys Red Mills, Royal Canin and James Wellbeloved, Danish Design, Eurostitch, FURminator inc., Group 55 (Animology), Guangzhou Medical Science Technology, Hills Pet Nutrition, HG Gladwell, H3D, Hurtta & Co, Liberta UK, Mars Petcare, Nestle Purina PetCare, Pooch and Mutt, Sharples & Grant, Trixie, Vitakraft Burton Dene, Wagg Foods and Westland Horticulture.
PATS features free entry, free catalogue, free parking and free tea or coffee on arrival. A full and up to date list of exhibitors is available on www.patshow.co.uk together with information on how to reach both venues, hotels in each area and regularly updated show news.