Many of our present and future members will be in attendance in Las Vegas the last week of July 2017. It almost seems like a rite of passage when your pet business has grown enough to support a booth at SuperZoo, which will take place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (NV). It is truly an amazing opportunity to showcase your product in front of almost 25,000 attendees, each having the potential to introduce your product to a new audience of pet parents. A booth at SuperZoo definitely suggests your business has “arrived.”
However, as a manufacturer of premium, high-quality pet food made with nutritionally defensible ingredients™, many of our members are feeling that their attendance may actually increase the size of the target on their back. Not an entirely unreasonable fear, of course, given the fact that various state departments of agriculture and other regulatory officials will probably also be present at SuperZoo.
The fear is this: Will these people be present with intent to “trip up” an exhibitor, potentially opening the door for future “investigation”?
Whether registered as an exhibitor or an attendee, it’s important to consider both the positive and negative aspects of attending SuperZoo. Events like this are vital to helping leaders in the pet food industry grow at an amazing annual rate of 40%. However, with rapid growth comes increased exposure and increased risk. Please don’t fear what we’re not saying: Our intention is certainly not to cause alarm or discourage attendance, quite the opposite in fact.
While you and your company are putting your best foot forward, growing at an amazing rate of 40% each year, know that we — at Next Gen PFMA— have your back! Having saved several member companies from illegal recalls, and guided others through the regulatory nightmare of entering the marketplace, we are here to help no matter what situation arises.
The bigger and better your business, the more “they” may look at you. That’s a given, but you offer a superior product, one that you should be proud to represent and — more importantly — you do not stand alone. Next Gen PFMA members should travel confidently, knowing that our organization provides support no other trade association offers.
So, go, show… and proudly share your products with the world. (And contact us right away should you run into any challenges.)
What is your goal for attending SuperZoo 2017?
