(PRESS RELEASE) LAS VEGAS — Registration is open for SUPERZOO 2026, returning to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center Aug. 12–14, with an experience designed to help pet professionals navigate a fast-moving industry with greater clarity, efficiency and purpose. For 2026, SUPERZOO brings a tighter focus on how today’s pet professionals learn, buy, lead and connect, reflecting the evolving needs of businesses across the pet industry.
SUPERZOO has long been known for its scale, energy and influence. In 2026, that scale will be paired with a more intentional structure, featuring expanded programming and updated formats designed to help professionals make the most of their time across education, sourcing, leadership development and networking.
“SUPERZOO is big, and there is a lot to take in while you’re here,” said Mike Karsting, senior vice president of the World Pet Association. “That’s why SUPERZOO 2026 is designed to make every step worth the walk, not just on the show floor, but across the entire experience. The goal is to help people move with purpose and leave with skills, insight and relationships they can put to work right away.”
For 2026, SUPERZOO’s sharper focus will be centered on four key areas, reflecting meaningful updates to programming and the show environment that are designed to better support how pet professionals operate today.
Strategic Discovery
With more than 1,100 new products expected to debut, SUPERZOO 2026 places added emphasis on helping buyers identify what is new and emerging across the pet market. For 2026, the New Product Showcase Awards categories have been updated to reflect consumer-driven trends and product functionality, including areas such as smart technology, wellness care, functional nutrition, sustainability, safety and mobility, enrichment, and training. Products in the Showcase will continue to be organized by traditional animal-based categories, allowing buyers to browse by species while identifying products recognized through the updated trend-based awards.
Beyond the Showcase, buyers can explore products across the broader show floor through established specialty areas, with Emerging Brands offering a focused view into new companies entering the pet retail market. Bringing together early-stage brands introducing products that are still new to store shelves, the area highlights fresh approaches across categories including food, wellness, technology, accessories, and everyday pet care. By spotlighting these newer brands in one place, SUPERZOO helps retailers identify what’s gaining traction before it becomes commonplace.
Clinical and Leadership Integration
SUPERZOO 2026 will expand education offerings across the show, adding new depth to how professionals learn and apply knowledge in their businesses. A new partnership with US Vet Shows will introduce accredited veterinary continuing education to SUPERZOO for the first time, bringing clinically grounded education to retail, grooming, and veterinary professionals in one marketplace.
Women in Petfood Leadership programming will expand in 2026 with the addition of a half-day conference and a dedicated networking meetup, building on strong participation in recent years and creating more space for leadership development and peer connection.
SUPERZOO 2026 will also include the third annual WPA International Forum. This year, the forum will feature an event organizer roundtable focused on how participation, market access, and business engagement are evolving across international pet markets.
Professional Mastery
Groomer skill development will take on an expanded, education-first approach in 2026, with programming designed to emphasize technique, efficiency, and real-world application. SUPERZOO 2026 will introduce the Groomer’s Skill Lab and Groomer’s Innovation Stage, offering hands-on, floor-based learning. An expanded Groomer’s Marketplace will also bring together new exhibitor offerings and category-specific tools. Together, these additions support grooming teams as they improve workflows, strengthen service quality, and build more sustainable businesses.
Industry Culture
Industry culture has long been central to the SUPERZOO experience, and in 2026 that commitment continues through intentional opportunities for retailers, emerging brands, and suppliers to connect. Signature gatherings such as the SUPERZOO Beach Party and the Swingers Mini Golf networking event, which is exclusively for retailers and emerging brands, offer relaxed, informal environments that encourage meaningful conversation and community-building. Combined with networking hubs positioned throughout the show floor, these shared experiences create space for authentic connections in the moments between buying, learning, and leading, strengthening relationships that continue well beyond the event.
“People come to SUPERZOO to do business, but they also come because this is where the industry comes together,” Karsting said. “That combination of focused work, shared energy and genuine connection is what keeps this community coming back year after year.”
SUPERZOO 2026 takes place Aug. 12–14, with professional education beginning Aug. 11. Registration is now open, with additional information and details available at SUPERZOO.org.
About SUPERZOO
SUPERZOO boasts the most buyer participation of any trade show for the pet retail. SUPERZOO provides pet retail and industry professionals with leading-edge education and access to the most comprehensive array of market-ready products for retailers to competitively differentiate themselves. For the tenth consecutive year, SUPERZOO has grown in exhibitor space and square footage and has been listed among Trade Show Executive’s “Gold 100” trade events since 2014. Produced by World Pet Association (WPA), this annual event attracts retailers, product suppliers and service providers. For more information: www.SUPERZOO.org.
About World Pet Association
Founded in 1950, World Pet Association (WPA) is the pet industry’s oldest nonprofit organization. WPA connects and informs pet professionals through industry-defining trade shows SUPERZOO and GROOM’D). Through WPA’s Good Works program, proceeds from these events are funneled back into key industry organizations and nonprofits, including World Alliance of Grooming Associations, National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA), USARK FL, USARK, HABRI, Pet Advocacy Network, Pet Sustainability Coalition, BEAK, Pet Care Trust/Pets in the Classroom, , with the goal of making it easier for pet industry professionals to do business. WPA’s mission is to support the business needs of pet retailers and to promote responsible growth and development of the pet industry by providing thought leadership on consumer and legislative issues; leading efforts in the public sector to inform consumers and ensure safe, healthy lifestyles for all animals; and providing business resources, education, content and services to ensure pet product retailers have the support they need to be competitive. For more information about WPA, visit www.worldpetassociation.org.