The 23rd edition of Pet Fair Asia , organised by VNU Exhibitions Asia, successfully took place in Shanghai on August 19-23, 2020. With 17halls covering a surface of 225,000 sqm ( +22% / 2019 ), theexhibition hosted 1,683 exhibitors and welcomed 70,849 professionals.
In a year marked by the cancellation of all major events in the pet industryand global trade filled with uncertainty, Pet Fair Asia took place asscheduled in Shanghai, in a business atmosphere one could almost considernormal. Acknowledging the lack of many overseas visitors due to ongoing travelrestriction, the exhibition’s attendance grew by 6%.
In order to facilitate international business, the organiser offered a hybridevent in world premiere, allowing foreign brands and buyers to connectremotely with professionals on-site at Pet Fair Asia. The InternationalMatchmaking Program brought together international pet brands and localbuyers through seamless pre-arranged meetings, videoconferencing and on-siteproducts presentation. 
At the same time, severallive video sessions at the show addressed different topics such as 2020 petfood trends or innovation trends in Chinese pet industry, showcasing a newgeneration of brands born in China. Replays are available on Pet FairNetwork’s youtube channel.
At the show, safety was insured for everyone thanks to coordinated effortsfrom the local authorities, the venue owner and the exhibition organizer: pre-show quarantine for anyone coming from regions at risk, tracking of healthrecord through QR code and ID before and after the show, wearing facemask atall 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 thepet industry’s ability to resist recession, while revealing which categoriesperformed better during the past few months. The pet food sector appeared tobe the most competitive once again, with numerous new local brands launched atthe show. 
Positioned in the medium topremium segment with fancy design clearly targeting a new generation of petowners born post-95, these new-comers do not play the cheap-card anymore. Theypromise high quality nutrition, some of them emphasizing their production instate-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 presentedat the show was also on the rise, reflecting the lasting trust of Chinese petowners in foreign products, but also the growing number of foreign factoriesapproved by China’s Customs and Ministry of Agriculture for general tradeimport.
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 accessexclusive insight into the latest trends in Chinese market.
For the first time, the event waspresented under a hybrid form: some of the speakers unable to fly to Shanghaijoined remotely to interact with the live audience, and a full sessiondedicated to the international development opportunities took place in livebetween Canada, the US, Germany and China at the invitation of the Asia PetAlliance. The replay is available here.
The exhibition also witnessed the launch of Asia’s first B2B e-commerceplatform dedicated to the pet industry: Asia Pet Online. The service iscurrently open to businesses operating in China and will progressively rollout globally. Countless additional events and seminars took place during theshow: The Asia Pet Veterinary Conference (APVC), 5th Pet Fashion Show, CKU2020 Grooming Elite Competition, Animal Welfare Seminars, “Pro Plan” CKU All-Breed National Champion Dog Show, “Pro Plan” ICE Cat Show, CKU DivingCompetition, “Navarch” Dog Olympics, Veterinary Camps for kids, etc.
The 23rd Pet Fair Asia gave the industry inside and outside China a lot ofconfidence 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 2,000exhibitors are expected to spread over the entire venue (17 halls, 225,000m2).
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