The 6th IBERZOO+PROPET comes to a close, underlining the importance of professional care for pets

IBERZOO+PROPET, the major trade and business platform for petcare professionals organised by IFEMA MADRID and promoted by AMVAC and AEDPAC, has come to a successful conclusion after its 6th show. Its excellent attendance figures underscore the sector’s need to gather together again to generate new professional synergies, do business and explore the very latest products and services. In total, the fair brought together 270 exhibiting companies, almost 600 brands and 16,938 participating professionals.

Over the space of three days in Hall 9 at the exhibition centre, numerous activities were held as part of the official programme of events, providing the perfect accompaniment to the exhibition of new products, services and equipment. The trade fair also played host to the 39th Annual VETMADRID Conference, organised by AMVAC and the 4th AEDPAC Industry and Trade Forum for the Petcare Sector.

The trade fair’s positive results and warm welcome validated the need expressed within the sector to hold the event again and underlined the growing importance of professional petcare over recent years.

At the same time, one of the trade fair’s keys to success was its increasingly strong international reach. In terms of both exhibiting companies and trade visitors, this show proved to be a meeting point of great interest for foreign business. International participation accounted for 10% of direct exhibitors, from 13 countries, and 31% of companies, from a total of 21 countries. The figures also show that there were 50% more international trade visitors than at the last in-person show held in 2020, representing 43 countries.

In the case of Portugal, which usually accounts for 50% of foreign visitors, the number increased by 54%. Foreign trade visitors to the trade fair came mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Israel. These visitors accounted for some 8% of attendees at the event.

According to the trade fair director, Lola González, ‘We wanted to see one another again. We bring IBERZOO+PROPET 2022 to a close with great satisfaction for a job well done among the sector and for being able to again offer all professionals in the petcare sector the best and most productive space in which to meet. Once again, the involvement of our partners AMVAC and AEDPAC has been vital to this project. In addition, the LiveConnect digital environment has brought added value, enabling continued interaction between professionals over time and in any geographical area’.

6th IBERZOO+PROPET: the most comprehensive programme of activities

The trade fair included a wide-ranging programme of activities, forums and conferences, which were held during the course of the three days and proved of great interest to the various professional segments that make up the sector.

These included Empleo Vet, a space designed in partnership with AMVAC to increase employment opportunities in the veterinary field, and workshops on dog grooming, such as the popular Artero Show and the masterclass on canine styling offered by Artero and Procan. The Artero Workshops provided a spectacular dog grooming show that brought together more than 500 professionals in the sector and Saturday saw the awards ceremony for the Artero Awards for Best Canine Stylists at the 15th iteration of the Workshops, all as part of IBERZOO+PROPET 2022. There were also training sessions and seminars on fishkeeping and aquascaping, courtesy of Pisciber.

Alongside these activities, one of the cornerstones of IBERZOO+PROPET was the 39th Annual VETMADRID Conference, organised by AMVAC, on Medicine and Surgery for Geriatric Animals. Also within the framework of this event, in addition to the veterinary conference, visitors could attend the Conference for Clinical Care Assistants in Veterinary Clinics, the Conference for Animal Protection Entities, co-organised by FAPAM, on Compassion Fatigue Syndrome and the Business Training Conference, which offered professionals information on the right tools for the efficient management of veterinary clinics.

In the Veterinary Forum, there was discussion on how the new European and Spanish regulations affect veterinary medicines, courtesy of VET+I, and other topics of interest such as the digital transformation of veterinary clinics and telemedicine.

Another of the event’s cornerstones was the 4th AEDPAC Forum, which serves as a meeting point for discussion and analysis among the Spanish petcare sector, where debate focused on industrial activity, business and trade topics, with input from major experts and specialists in each area. There was also specific focus on the current and future regulatory burdens affecting the live animal trade in Spain, petcare in Spain and new petcare shopping trends, as well as animalist ideology.

Drawing this comprehensive programme of activities to a close, the trade fair ended with its traditional Sector-Specific Afternoon, including the presentation of awards and recognition for professional achievements and a look at the current and future sector-specific data for the petcare industry.

The Anton Awards went to the Miscota chain in Massanassa, Valencia, in the category of best retail trade in Spain; Adolfo Santa-Olalla Adell, for his professional achievements as an entrepreneur and biologist; and Cristeta Fraile Ocaña, a veterinary specialist in small animal dermatology, for professional achievements in the field of veterinary medicine. There was also an award for the best initiative promoting coexistence with pets in the city, which went to the ONCE Foundation for Guide Dogs; and another for animal protection, which went to the Veterinarians of the Island of La Palma, for their work helping animals and people affected by the eruption of the volcano.

Alongside these prizes, there were also the 2022 Innoval for Pets Awards, organised by IBERZOO+PROPET in partnership with Grupo Asís, which were won by Dinbeat for its Dinbeat UNO multiparameter harness and Yow Up! for its natural yogurt with prebiotics. AMVAC, meanwhile, presented the AMVAC Solidarity Award, for projects that involve animals in improving people’s health, to the Spanish Association for Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, for its project for rehabilitation and technical help for children affected by Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia.

The IBERZOO+PROPET Canine Styling Space

This space provided the ideal meeting point for various different activities with the spotlight on canine grooming and styling. There were also live workshops, offered courtesy of Artero, featuring demonstrations of cutting and care techniques for animals. This area was also host to masterclasses and workshops in Canine Styling, given by Procan, which focused on both grooming and business, as well as canine grooming 3.0.

The Impetus Space meets expectations

This area of the Hall hosted eleven cutting-edge companies and start-ups in the sector, with the aim of generating new business synergies through highly creative proposals. This space lived up to its name and, yet again, IBERZOO+PROPET served as a platform to boost these brands.

IBERZOO+PROPET Showcase

Another of the trade fair’s strong points was its showcase space where the most important companies in the petcare sector exhibited their products for window dressing and visual merchandising, providing inspiration for the specialised trade and professionals from veterinary clinics.

Innovation Gallery

This gallery, which trade professionals can access through the website or the IBERZOO+PROPET LIVEConnect platform, shows all the innovative products and services that have been presented at the fair in relation to pet food, diagnostic devices, equipment, technology, care and more.

Alongside all this, the trade fair featured the IBERZOO+PROPET TV set. Every day during the event, this space hosted interviews with the most important personalities in the trade, both from associations in the sector and trade fair participants, allowing viewers to find out about their new products and services, as well as the benefits of attending the event. All the interviews can be watched on the trade fair’s social media.

IBERZOO+PROPET LIVEConnect

The digital platform IBERZOO+PROPET LIVEConnect was also active during the course of the in-person event. With the aim of connecting professionals in the petcare sector from all over the world 365 days a year, it enables them to share experiences and know-how, and generate business synergies.