28th - 30th September 2025  |  NEC, Birmingham
01 Oct 2024

PATS moves to the NEC Birmingham in 2025

PATS moves to the NEC Birmingham in 2025
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The organisers of PATS have today announced that the exhibition will move to the NEC Birmingham in 2025.

PATS 2025 – the Pet & Aquatics Trade Show – will take place in Hall 1 of the NEC from Sunday, 28th September to Tuesday, 30th September.

News of the move was released during this year’s PATS, which has attracted a record number of more than 340 exhibitors to the Telford International Centre in Shropshire.

The continued growth and success of the exhibition – now in its 15th year – has meant that PATS has outgrown its present home.

“The Telford International Centre has been a brilliant venue for us,” said show director Gordon Thomas. “We have hosted highly successful PATS shows here since 2015 as the exhibition has continued to grow in size.”

“It will be sad to leave Telford but the demand for exhibitor stand space keeps growing. The decision to move to Hall 1 at the NEC Birmingham means we will be able to accommodate 500 UK and international exhibitors at PATS 2025 – all together in one hall and under one roof.”

The NEC Birmingham is the UK’s largest exhibition centre and its central location offers retailers and buyers superb transport links. As well as being located in the heart of the country’s motorway network close to junction 6 of the M42, it also has direct rail links to major cities plus Birmingham International Airport on its doorstep. There are over 16,500 onsite car parking spaces at the NEC, hotels to fit all budgets, and a wide range of purpose-built catering facilities to suit all tastes.

PATS has experienced tremendous growth since launching its first exhibition at Sandown Park in 2009, and the key to its success has been a willingness to develop as a result of listening to feedback from both exhibitors and visitors.

This year’s PATS has seen the introduction of an extra show day and the new Aquatics Zone, a dedicated hall for reptile, aquatics and watergardening exhibitors. The reaction to PATS 2024 has been fantastic, with packed halls buzzing with activity on the first two days.

“We’re really proud of the fact that PATS is held in such regard by the UK and international pet industries,” added Gordon. “This year’s show has been a huge success so far, and we’re confident the next step for PATS – the move to the NEC Birmingham – will continue that upward trend.”

Ends

For further media information please contact Neil Pope by email press@impact-exhibitions.com

 

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We are thrilled with the incredible response from our very first exhibition at PATS! The three days were absolutely brilliant, giving us the opportunity to connect with many new and existing customers. PATS proved to be the perfect platform for launching our new catalogue and introducing over 350 brand-new SKUs. We can't wait to be a part of next year's event at the NEC!

Tom Gwilliam
Sales & Marketing Director |  HugglePets

I think it’s a great idea to add a third day to PATS. We’re here for all three days, giving us enough time to meet everyone and make informed decisions about stocking new products. We also like PATS because of all the networking opportunities.

Tina Quest
Redpaw Pet Supplies, Devon

At PATS 2024 it was lovely to reconnect with our existing customers while also having the opportunity to meet potential new ones. We were thrilled to launch three new ranges during the show, Canagan Petite, Canagan Raw (Freeze Dried Treats and Toppers) and Symply Little, all of which have sold amazingly well, further highlighting the value of this event for showcasing our innovations. Looking ahead, we believe that the Birmingham NEC could offer significant advantages, including improved transport links and a larger venue to accommodate a growing number of exhibitors and visitors, both will enhance the overall experience.

Charlie Williams
Joint Managing Director |  Canagan Group

We’ve been rushed off our feet on all three days. It has been an excellent show and I love the fact you can spend more time with visitors. I will definitely need a larger stand in 2025

Cyril Geoffray
UK & Ireland national Sales Manager |  Zoo Med
We’ve missed going to Aqua so we’re really happy to be visiting the Aquatics Zone at PATS. We’ve come to see the new products, find out about deals on offer and meet people face to face. It’s also a great opportunity for networking with other shops and companies and building new relationships – something we have missed out on during the Covid years
Mark Warren
Partner |  West Dorset Aquatics
We’ve come to PATS for the whole three days because you just can’t do it justice in only two. For us, as we deal with the whole spectrum of the pet industry, we spend day one wandering through the halls to see what catches our eye and day two doing our buying – but we’ve found that by the end of the second day we haven’t always got round to everyone. So the third day is a real bonus. There is less of a rush to get it all done and we can spend more time building relationships and ensuring we’ve caught all the deals and found all the new products we might want to stock. PATS is an important highlight of the year and we wouldn’t want to miss any of it!
Toni Thornton
Managing Director |  Four Oaks Pet Supplies, Scarborough

It was great to see the Aquatics Zone sold out and full of exhibitors. For us at J&K it was a pleasure, as always, to catch up with a good number of our longstanding customers as well as meet with and introduce our brands and product ranges to potential new ones. Hopefully the new format for 2025, moving into a larger venue, capable of accommodating even more exhibitors, and with better air, road and rail access, will encourage even more visitors, allowing the show to grow in the years to come.

Ben Windeatt
Sales & Marketing |  J&K Aquatics
I’m a big advocate of having three show days because it gives you more time to spend with clients. PATS keeps growing in a good way because it gives more companies – big and small, old and new – the platform to make their mark. I had a look at the New Starter Zone and loved the buzz that these new companies were creating. PATS is great for the UK pet industry
Greg Van Praagh
Head of UK |  RPFC Group

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