Pet industry: understanding where the market is moving
Trade Fairs Shaping the Natural Pet Products Market
PATS — UK
Taking place at the NEC Birmingham from 27–29 September 2026, PATS brings together pet retailers, distributors and suppliers, with a strong focus on new products, innovation and the UK pet trade. The 2026 edition includes an international pavilion and a new product showcase.
For suppliers like Deer Export, events such as PATS provide a useful snapshot of what retailers are looking for: which categories are expanding, how products are presented and which innovations are attracting attention.
We don’t need to be exhibiting at every show to learn from what happens there.
Sometimes, simply paying attention to the market is valuable.
Interzoo — Germany
Interzoo is on another scale.
The 2026 edition in Nuremberg brought together more than 2,350 exhibitors from across the global pet industry, covering everything from pet food and accessories to packaging and shop fittings.
It is particularly interesting because it shows the pet industry as a complete ecosystem rather than a collection of individual products.
For us, that means looking beyond the chew itself.
How is it packaged?
How is it displayed?
What categories are growing?
What are buyers asking for?
The next edition will be an important date for anyone following the international pet market.
CIPS — China
The China International Pet Show (CIPS) is another event worth watching, particularly for understanding Asian markets and international sourcing.
CIPS 2026 takes place in Guangzhou from 12–15 November and brings together manufacturers, traders and international pet-industry professionals. Its programme covers new products, market trends and business matchmaking.
For European suppliers, looking at what is happening in China is increasingly useful — not only because of the size of the market, but because of the speed at which new products, formats and commercial models can emerge.
Pet food: looking beyond the chew
A natural chew doesn’t exist in isolation.
It sits within a much larger pet food and nutrition market.
Petfood Forum
Petfood Forum is particularly interesting because it focuses specifically on the pet food industry and brings together manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, researchers and other professionals across the supply chain. The 2027 edition will take place in Kansas City from 26–28 April 2027.
What makes it relevant to us isn’t necessarily the food itself.
It is the conversations around:
- ingredients
- consumer trends
- processing
- packaging
- safety
- product development
- distribution
Understanding these wider conversations helps us understand where natural pet products may fit within the customer’s overall purchasing habits.
Knives and outdoor products: the value of the material itself
This is where the connection becomes less obvious — but potentially very interesting.
Deer antler is not only a pet chew.
It is also a natural material with a long history of use in craftsmanship, handles, decorative objects and specialist products.
IWA OutdoorClassics — Germany
IWA OutdoorClassics in Nuremberg brings together the hunting, shooting sports and outdoor industries.
And importantly for natural materials, knives are one of its exhibition categories. The 2027 edition is scheduled for 4–7 March 2027.
This makes IWA interesting from a completely different perspective.
Instead of asking:
“What does the pet industry want?”
we can ask:
“What can this material become?”
That shift in perspective can uncover opportunities that a purely pet-focused trade fair may never reveal.
Furniture and interior design: natural materials as design
The same principle applies to furniture and design.
At first glance, a furniture fair has little to do with deer antlers.
But look more closely and you find a common conversation:
How do natural materials become premium products?
Salone del Mobile — Milan
Salone del Mobile is one of the world’s leading international furniture and design fairs. The 2027 edition will take place in Milan from 13–18 April 2027, showcasing furniture, furnishing accessories, lighting and other design solutions.
For a natural-material supplier, the value is not necessarily in finding a furniture customer.
It is in observing:
- how materials are presented
- how sustainability is communicated
- how craftsmanship creates perceived value
- how natural textures are incorporated into premium design
- how traditional materials are given a contemporary identity
These are lessons that can travel across industries.
Ambiente — Frankfurt
Ambiente is another interesting reference point because it sits between lifestyle, retail, design and consumer goods.
Its Living section covers furniture, decoration, lighting and interior concepts, while the wider fair brings together international retail and lifestyle businesses. The 2027 edition takes place in Frankfurt from 29 January–2 February.
Again, the value isn’t necessarily finding a direct customer.
It is understanding how premium natural products are positioned in the wider consumer market.
Hunting and country lifestyle: understanding our roots
There is another category that deserves attention: hunting and country lifestyle.
This is particularly relevant because the story behind deer antlers begins long before they become a commercial product.
Events connected to hunting, outdoor life and country sports can offer insight into the culture, language and consumer expectations surrounding deer and other natural materials.
They also provide an opportunity to understand how different industries talk about:
nature, craftsmanship, authenticity and responsible sourcing.
Those conversations matter to us because they are part of the story behind the material itself.
Why look beyond the pet industry?
Because innovation rarely happens in isolation.
A packaging idea might come from food.
A material application might come from furniture.
A product format might come from outdoor equipment.
A premium positioning strategy might come from fashion or interior design.
And a new consumer expectation might emerge somewhere completely unexpected.
For Deer Export, following different trade fairs is therefore not simply about finding the next customer.
It is about understanding where markets are going.
The natural chew market is part of the wider conversation around natural materials, sustainability, premiumisation and changing consumer behaviour.
The more industries we understand, the more possibilities we can see.
From one material to many possibilities
A deer antler can be a dog chew.
But it can also be a material, a design element, a craft material or part of a much broader story about nature and responsible sourcing.
That is why we don’t believe innovation should be limited by industry categories.
Sometimes the best idea for one market is waiting to be discovered in another.
And that is exactly why trade fairs — even the ones that don’t appear to have anything to do with us — are worth watching.
At Deer Export, we are interested not only in where our industry is today, but in what the industries around it can teach us about tomorrow.
