Impressions from the Global Pet Expo 2010

As you probably know, I've been writing for Pet Connection since November. I'm the News Editor. This weekend, I'm in Orlando with the Pet Connection team to report on the Global Pet Expo, which is the largest pet product trade show in the world. In fact, there are only three convention centers in the US large enough to accommodate it: Las Vegas, Chicago, and here. I flew in yesterday, and my colleague (and boss) Gina Spadafori posted a wonderful little essay on a quirky but fun little tradition at the hotel where we're all staying. You can read that here.

My job is to help out, participate in the meetings where we decide on some of the best (or at least most innovative) products, and, of course, blog about the experience. The post that follows is historic for me in a couple dimensions. It's the first one I've written for Pet Connection from the road, as in it wasn't composed from the comfort of my living room or home office. Secondly, I got my wings today. Gina is my editor, and she's about as good as it gets. When she approves it, I know it's ready for prime time. The post below went directly from me to the web, no other authorization required. That may not sound like much, but in the writing biz, when your editor trusts you enough to write and publish without an intermediate look-see? It's a big vote of confidence. And I like this post, so I'm cross posting it here to Blah Blah Ginger. Enjoy.

David

P.S. When I mention that I don't want to steal Dr. Becker's thunder, that means you should stay tuned to Good Morning America and ABC News Now in the very near future. He'll be doing his thing there, and to a far wider audience than I could ever command with my modest little blog.

______________________________________________________________

Impressions from GPE 2010

Where to begin? Ok, first off, I must acknowledge that people had done their very best to warn me beforehand that the convention center is big. I had seen GPE's website beforehand, replete with a recitation of the numbers of booths, participants, etc. Gina and Dr. Becker both stated GPE's exhibition hall is "seven football fields long", but that's like telling someone it's 93 million miles to the sun and expecting them to appreciate what the number 93 million means. After a while, big is just big, followed by very big, followed closely by "much bigger than I can understand".

This place is huge. I mean enormous. Immense. Massive. Let me put it this way: our hotel (which Gina mentioned yesterday: home of the Peabody Ducks) is across the street from the front door of the convention center. So I know for sure that I entered GPE in Orlando, but I'm quite sure by lunch I had walked to Galveston. And back. We had a lunch meeting in Orlando I needed to be back for, so I couldn't have stayed in Texas overnight, though my feet were very much interested in the idea, and kept bringing up the possibility of just hunkering down wherever we were, which I think at the time was somewhere in Louisiana.

The exhibition hall is divided roughly into regions (we'll call them states), and there were signs overhead telling you what state you were in at the moment. My mission was to make it over to where they were highlighting the new products. That's why I ended up in Texas. Did I mention the place is freakin' huge?

It would take far too long to recount everything I liked, and besides, I don't want to steal Dr. Becker's thunder. His list is better, more varied, more comprehensive, and besides, it's a secret until it's not. Suffice it to say there is something at GPE for everybody's taste, and quite a number of products specifically made for people who have no taste at all. However, just to give you a sense of how eye-opening the Global Pet Expo is (now I understand why it's called Global: you're gonna walk to another continent, buddy. Wear comfy shoes), the product that impressed me the most was something for cats. And remember, I'm a lifelong, card-carrying dog person.

The variety was impressive. I even saw an item designed to feed squirrels. Why you would BUY a special contraption to feed an animal that's quite happy traipsing around the neighborhood ravaging everybody's bird feeders -- as my wife would gladly attest-- is beyond me, but I wasn't the one manning the booth, so that's an SEP (Somebody Else's Problem).

I quickly learned to avoid the MegaHugeCorp booths, with the garishly lit signs from the companies that you see on every aisle of every pet food store. The interesting stuff is found in the little, out of the way corners of the exhibition hall, the sectors where you have to cross state lines to get there. The relatively small company that makes the only squeaky toy Harry has never been able to destroy (though to his credit, he's still trying). I spoke to the company CEO. She was lovely, and thrilled to hear an in-person endorsement of her company's toys. I met two phenomenally creative inventors who have spent a decent chunk of the last few years creating something that nobody had made before. I'm betting they've leveraged their very own savings to do it, too. Their products aren't from some faceless company in Taiwan: the product was theirs. As in, they made it. In one case, literally made one at a time. They were proud as hell to tell me about their inventions, and their stories riveted me. I found myself in awe of their entrepreneurial spirit and determination to see their dream come to market. And you know something? THOSE are what I remember the most vividly, because they put their blood, sweat and tears into making their imagination come to life. Hey, I'm in Orlando -- that's an appropriate way to present yourself here. Also? Their products are just plain terrific (psst: they'll both get wider press from someone else, but I can't say anything about that...just between you and me, ok?.

Some products, like the ones that you know won't last 11 seconds after your retriever or Jacks Russell gets her teeth on it, I hurried by. But I was fascinated by the endlessly creative food puzzles, thoughtfully designed to continue engaging a dog's mind, or the innovative contraptions geared toward encouraging owners to spend more time with their pets. As I walked around, since I am of a certain age, I jotted down anything that I liked, including their booth number, in case some kind soul would be willing to fly me back to that jurisdiction later. One item I saw was created with the same notion in mind as plopping your kid in front of a television set, and expecting that to be a baby sitter. It was marketed so you could spend *less* time playing with your pet, not more. The good products at GPE, as Dr. Becker might say, should (and I must say do) help strengthen the bond between pet and owner, and make the whole experience more fun for both. Those are the ones that I'll head back to tomorrow to get samples to bring back for Cami and Harry, so we can have even more fun with them, and them with us. As a pet owner, to me that's what it's all about. In the meantime, you see those puppies up there on the right? They have the right idea. For them, GPE is as comfy and cozy as it gets.