World's leading trade fair Interzoo 2024: International interest in the world's most important innovation and networking platform for the pet supplies industry at a record high

Wiesbaden / Nuremberg – Larger in size, more international, more comprehensive and more innovative than ever before: WZF GmbH – Pet Industry Services, the organizer of Interzoo, the world's leading trade fair for the international pet supplies industry, is delighted with four extremely successful days of the fair from 7 to 10 May 2024. A total of around 37,000 trade visitors from 140 countries came to the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre - a 32 percent increase in visitor numbers compared to the previous event. Around 2,150 exhibitors from 68 countries presented the latest products and services for dogs, cats, fish, small mammals, terrarium animals and many other pets.

"For many exhibitors and trade visitors, Interzoo is the highlight of the business year. We are therefore delighted to have met and often exceeded the high expectations of exhibitors. In addition, the continued extraordinarily high internationality of 85 per cent of exhibitors and over 74 per cent of visitors underlines Interzoo's status as the world's number one industry platform," comments Gordon Bonnet, Managing Director of WZF and ZZF (German Pet Trade & Industry Association and honorary sponsor). "Many exhibitors praise the high quality of the trade visitors and return home with refreshed and new contacts to convert the connections made at Interzoo into future business." 

Norbert Holthenrich, President of the ZZF, added: "Interzoo 2024 was an enormous success for market participants in the international pet supplies industry. As was confirmed to us in numerous discussions, personal contact at the trade fair is the starting point for many long-standing business relationships and partnerships. The exhibiting companies set new standards in terms of product quality and functionality as well as stand design. We were particularly pleased to see how many exhibitors placed the needs of animals at the centre of their new products." 
Interzoo organizer WZF GmbH presented the Interzoo Exhibitor Award 2024 for special loyalty to the trade fair to SCHEGO Elektrogeräte GmbH, Beaphar B.V., PetQuip and Trixie Heimtierbedarf during the atmospheric Opening Ceremony on Monday, 6 May.

Trend topics and innovation at the heart of the supporting programme

"Both the German and the global pet market developed positively last year. Global growth of 6 per cent to more than 182 billion euros in sales last year is impressive proof of the economic strength of the pet industry. This market development was reflected in the form of innovative products at Interzoo 2024," says Dr Rowena Arzt, Head of Exhibition at Interzoo organizer WZF.
The supporting programme, which was built around current developments and trends in the pet industry with four country sessions and one short conference each on the topics of social media and sustainability, was accordingly very well received. The centrepiece of the latter session was a study conducted by Interzoo organizer WZF and Antwerp Management School (AMS) with over 170 decision-makers from the pet supplies industry.

The solutions of the future were presented and discussed in 36 short presentations on the Fresh Ideas Stage. "The Fresh Ideas Area with its bar area and networking lounge, which was significantly larger than in 2022, was very popular on all days of the trade fair and is firmly established as an ideas hub for the pet industry," says a delighted Dr Arzt. Next to over 70 innovative companies and start-ups at the community stands "International Start-up Area" and "Young Innovators", the Fresh Ideas Stage was the venue for the second Interzoo Fresh Ideas Contest on Friday, 10 May, which awards prizes for the best innovative ideas. First place went to Petnow inc from South Korea, which has developed a facial recognition system for pets based on biometric data, second place to Pawr with a purely plant-based dry dog food and third place to Allkokos GmbH, a manufacturer of small mammal litter made from coconut flakes. 

Innovative solutions in the Petfood and Petfood Technology segments were also on show at the Petfood Forum Europe, which was collocated with WATT Global Media one day prior to the trade fair opening. The one-day congress and attracted over 300 participants. And the next milestone in the co-operation has already been set: The world's leading trade fair Interzoo will be part of Petfood Forum with its own joint stand from 28 to 30 April 2025 in Kansas City.
The appeal of the world's leading trade fair is also reflected in the high level of media interest: 332 journalists and bloggers from 24 countries were on site to report on the innovations and trends in the pet industry to a global audience in radio, television, newspapers, trade magazines and online media. The content of the supporting programme will soon be available on the Interzoo Academy website at: www.interzoo-academy.com

"Interzoo is continuing its success story," says Dr Rowena Arzt. "This year, we have shown once again that we are able to offer an unrivalled event for the pet industry with a supporting programme tailored to current industry topics, innovative special areas and numerous networking opportunities such as the Interzoo Party. Interzoo thus provides exhibitors and trade visitors with a highly attractive and globally unique platform." The date for 2026 is already firmly fixed in the calendars of industry participants: the 39th Interzoo will take place in Nuremberg from 12 to 15 May 2026.

Further information on Interzoo 2024 can be found in the press area.