Pet Fair Asia 2020 successfully held in Shanghai

The 23rd edition of Pet Fair Asia successfully took place in Shanghai on August 19-23, 2020.

September 24, 2020

The 23rd edition of Pet Fair Asia, organized by VNU Exhibitions Asia, successfully took place in Shanghai on August 19-23, 2020. With 17 halls covering a surface of 225,000sqm (+22% / 2019), the exhibition hosted 1,683 exhibitors and welcomed 70,849 professionals.

In a year marked by the cancellation of all major events in the pet industry and global trade filled with uncertainty, Pet Fair Asia took place as scheduled in Shanghai, in a business atmosphere one could almost consider normal. Acknowledging the lack of many overseas visitors due to ongoing travel restriction, the exhibition’s attendance grew by 6%.

In order to facilitate international business, the organiser offered a hybrid event in world premiere, allowing foreign brands and buyers to connect remotely with professionals on-site at Pet Fair Asia. The International Matchmaking Program brought together international pet brands and local buyers through seamless pre-arranged meetings, videoconferencing and on-site products presentation.

At the same time, several live video sessions at the show addressed different topics such as 2020 pet food trends or innovation trends in Chinese pet industry, showcasing a new generation of brands born in China. Replays are available on Pet Fair Network’s youtube channel.

At the show, safety was insured for everyone thanks to coordinated efforts from the local authorities, the venue owner and the exhibition organizer: pre-show quarantine for anyone coming from regions at risk, tracking of health record through QR code and ID before and after the show, wearing facemask at all times and expended sanitary precautions in all exhibitors booths, food & beverage corners and washrooms.

With 3 more halls than its 2019 edition, the show was a good barometer of the pet industry’s ability to resist recession, while revealing which categories performed better during the past few months. The pet food sector appeared to be the most competitive once again, with numerous new local brands launched at the show.

Positioned in the medium to premium segment with fancy design clearly targeting a new generation of pet owners born post-95, these new-comers do not play the cheap-card anymore. They promise high quality nutrition, some of them emphasizing their production in state-of-the-art foreign factories, New-Zealand and Canada topping the “origin” chart this year.

More surprisingly in Covid-19 times, the number of imported brands presented at the show was also on the rise, reflecting the lasting trust of Chinese pet owners in foreign products, but also the growing number of foreign factories approved by China’s Customs and Ministry of Agriculture for general trade import.

The 10th International Pet Industry Summit took place the day before the show. This edition gathered again more than 1,000 delegates who were able to access exclusive insight into the latest trends in Chinese market.

For the first time, the event was presented under a hybrid form: some of the speakers unable to fly to Shanghai joined remotely to interact with the live audience. A full session dedicated to the international development opportunities took place live with PIJAC Canada, the American Pet Products Association (APPA), the World Pet Association (WPA), ZZF (German Pet Trade & Industry Association) at the invitation of the Asia Pet Alliance. The replay is available here .

The exhibition also witnessed the launch of Asia’s first B2B e-commerce platform dedicated to the pet industry: Asia Pet Online. The service is currently open to businesses operating in China and will progressively roll out globally. Countless additional events and seminars took place during the show: The Asia Pet Veterinary Conference (APVC) , 5th Pet Fashion Show, CKU 2020 Grooming Elite Competition, Animal Welfare Seminars, “Pro Plan” CKU All-Breed National Champion Dog Show, “Pro Plan” ICE Cat Show, CKU Diving Competition,“Navarch” Dog Olympics, Veterinary Camps for kids, etc.

The 23rd Pet Fair Asia gave the industry inside and outside China a lot of confidence for the next coming months, with a very positive outlook for 2021. The 24th Pet Fair Asia will come back on 18-22 August 2021. More than 2,000 exhibitors are expected to spread over the entire venue (17 halls, 225,000m2).