(PRESS RELEASE) MECHANICSBURG, PA — The Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo 2020, which normally takes place annually at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA, set the record for the highest attended pet boarding-focused event ever. For safety reasons due to the pandemic, the expo was moved to a virtual event. The expo invited over 765 attendees to take part in educational seminars geared toward pet boarding and daycare facilities. Twenty vendors also attended the virtual trade show, offering show discounts on kennel runs, disinfectants and financing options, among other products and services.
Although this year’s expo was held virtually, it still was able to surpass the attendance numbers of the in-person show in 2019. Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo has consistently been the largest boarding show and has not stopped growing—even in this new economic climate.
Rebecca Shipman, editor of Pet Boarding and Daycare Magazine and planner of the event, had this to say about the expo, “Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo has been bringing like-minded pet professionals together for eight years. Innovative business owners and their staff attend the expos to stay on the cutting edge of technology and business practices which continuously improves their boarding and daycare businesses.”
In 2019, Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo was restructured to better serve attendees who are looking for a specific track of education. Because both business owners and employees comprise the attendee list, the seminars have been restructured to service these two different groups more effectively. The industry has seen a shift in services which their customers have come to expect, including daycare, group play, and enrichment.
Rebecca Shipman has this to say about the change, “The pet boarding industry has grown increasingly competitive, and business owners are constantly looking for ways to differentiate from the competition and run their businesses safer and more efficiently. Attending the Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo will give businesses the tools they need to better service their customers and attract new ones.”
The next Barkleigh boarding event is Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo West, scheduled to be held May 3rd through May 6th, 2021 at the Los Angeles Marriot Burbank Airport Hotel in Burbank, CA. Next year’s Pet Boarding and Daycare Expo is scheduled to be held November 8th through November 11th, 2021 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA. For more information about upcoming Barkleigh events, go to www.barkleigh.com