Who in their right mind would willingly volunteer to spend 4 days in a hostile environment with reported triple digit temperatures every day for the past month?
Well, almost every day. There was that one day when the thermometer topped out at 99 degrees. And there seems to be little relief in sight for the next week.
As I write this, the expected high for today is 115 degrees. Golly gee, can’t wait!
It’s SuperZoo time again!
If you haven’t guessed, it’s time for the annual trek back to Las Vegas to attend the SuperZoo Trade Show. SuperZoo 2016 runs from Monday, August 1 through Thursday, August 4. It brings more than 20,000 pet industry professionals together on a show floor of more than 1100 booths.
It’s an opportunity to see the latest ideas for pet products, some of which never make it to market. It also offers the chance to speak directly with some of the head honchos to get direct and unfiltered answers to questions that sales reps often dance around.
You know those burning questions you’ve always wanted answered but didn’t know who or where to ask? How about that elusive product you haven’t been able to track down? Let us know and we’ll do our best to get some answers and sniff out a source for your item!
The show offers excellent education
What sets SuperZoo apart from the other national pet trade shows is their educational offerings. Close to 100 educational seminars are offered over the 4 days, making it physically impossible to attend all the presentations of interest as well as cover the show floor.
Despite the challenge, the seminars are one of my favorite aspects of the show. They keep the industry fresh with new information, even on familiar topics. There’s always something new to discover, which keeps things fresh and exciting.
The seminars used to be included as part of the show registration. A few years back, the decision was made to begin charging for each presentation. While that’s been a disappointment- it’s spendy enough to fly and stay in Vegas- the seminars remain a worthwhile investment.
The new product showcase is another favorite
This section grows larger each year and gathers all the new items in one place.
In the past few years, there’s been a tendency for established products to weasel into this area. They do this by presenting themselves as “new and improved.” Sometimes they truly are improved, although it’s rare that they can truthfully be considered both new and improved.
Despite the sometimes dilution of the “new” definition, it’s still a section of the show floor that proves quite interesting. This is where the first glimpses can be had of items destined to become best sellers or those which fade quietly away, never to be seen again.
You can be a virtual attendee by passing along your questions
Just because you won’t be trudging over the show floor, doesn’t mean you miss out on the fun.
Let us know what questions you’d like answered, or if there’s a pet product need you’ve not been able to fill or find.
We’ll put our nose to the ground and do our best to sniff out answers to your questions and requests!
I find it hard to buy a small and/or XS size collar that has a large ring on it for attaching a leash. The rings are relative to the size of the collar and therefore very hard to attach to. Has anyone else complained about having to stretch and strain at their dogs’ neck trying to attach a leash to a tiny little loop? Or is it just me, lol. Anyway, if any vendor sells larger ringed collars I’d be all ears. Thank you!
Thanks, Shannon-
That’s a great question- we’ve never had that request before, and it makes perfect sense! I’ll keep my eyes open this week at the show to see if we can track down something that may suit your needs.
Hi Shannon-
I sniffed around at the show last week and am sad to say none of the manufacturers had small collars with large attachment rings.
The largest ring I’ve seen on a small collar is on the Small and Extra Small Mes Amis collars. We have a few of those available but will most likely not be getting more.
Medota and Hamilton were the 2 manufacturers at the show that had small collars with rings that were larger than the “normal” tiny 3/8 inch D-rings found on most small collars. These appeared to be large enough to more easily attach a standard size leash clip, but were still smaller than the ring found on the Mes Amis line.