Global Pet Expo 2027 runs March 17 to 19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, with The Pet Summit running March 15 to 18. The organizers, APPA and PIDA, report more than 1,200 exhibitors, 3,500 booths and over 1,000 new product launches. For pet brands, the best press chances are a dated product launch, the New Products Showcase, Pet Summit sessions and the new shelter pet storytelling partnership.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
What are the key takeaways for pet brands?
Pet brands planning for Global Pet Expo 2027 have about four months, and the show's own structure shows where press attention will go.
- The Pet Summit runs March 15 to 18, two days before the expo floor opens on March 17.
- The show is trade-only. It is open to independent retailers, distributors, mass-market buyers, media, influencers and other qualified professionals.
- New for 2027 are Connector Rooms and Speaker Deep-Dives at The Pet Summit, plus a year-long shelter pet partnership with Stronger Shot.
- A launch with a date, a price and a named spokesperson earns more coverage than a booth listing.
When is Global Pet Expo 2027 and who attends?
Global Pet Expo 2027 takes place March 17 to 19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, according to the organizers' August 24, 2026 registration announcement. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA) present the show, which they say gathers nearly 20,000 pet professionals.
| Event | Dates | Location |
|---|---|---|
| The Pet Summit | March 15 to 18, 2027 | Orlando, Florida |
| Global Pet Expo exhibit hall | March 17 to 19, 2027 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando |
| Global Learning Series education | During the show | Included with expo registration |
Registration includes the exhibit hall, new product launches, Global Learning Series education and eligible networking events. Pet product manufacturers must be APPA members to exhibit, according to PIDA's show page. The organizer's registration announcement lists the attendee groups and the 2027 changes.
What sections does the show floor include?
The organizer describes a New Products Showcase with featured products across 13 categories, plus specialty sections including Natural Pet, The Modern Pet, The Vivarium and an International Pavilion. Its exhibitor categories also include Start-Ups, Aquatics and Exotics, First-Time Exhibitors, Natural and Sustainable, and International and Sourcing.
What is new at Global Pet Expo in 2027?
Two changes stand out for 2027: a reimagined Pet Summit with smaller working sessions, and a year-long storytelling partnership between APPA and the photography project Stronger Shot. Both come from the organizers' August 24 announcement, and both create press angles that did not exist at the 2026 show.
The Pet Summit, March 15 to 18, now pairs the show's scale with smaller settings. Connector Rooms combine expert panels, structured Q&A and guided networking around specific industry peer groups. Speaker Deep-Dives extend select Global Learning Series sessions into workshop-style conversations.
The Stronger Shot partnership follows select shelter pets from rescue to adoption through digital content, social media and event activations. Select pets will serve as ambassadors for Global Pet Expo 2027 and The Pet Summit. A brand with an adoption or shelter program has a natural story to tell alongside it, provided the program is real and documented.
Which press moments are worth pitching?
Five press moments at Global Pet Expo 2027 give a brand a distinct audience and a distinct hook, and most can be prepared months in advance.
- The New Products Showcase. The organizer announced 39 winners at the 16th annual showcase in March 2026, so a brand that enters can plan a "Best in Show" release in advance.
- Pet Summit Connector Rooms, March 15 to 18. These small peer-group sessions suit executives who can speak on one narrow topic, such as retail buyers or founders.
- Global Learning Series sessions. Educational speakers get a stage and are often summarized by trade outlets afterward.
- The Stronger Shot shelter pet storytelling. This creates a consumer-friendly angle that general-interest and local outlets can use.
- Specialty floor sections. Natural Pet, The Modern Pet, The Vivarium and the Start-Ups area each gather a different set of buyers and reporters.
A brand that wants coverage beyond pet trade outlets needs a story that stands on its own news value, such as a new product, a documented result or a partnership. A booth alone rarely earns general-interest coverage.
What did the 2026 show teach pet marketers?
The 2026 Global Pet Expo and The Pet Summit produced six marketing trends, and each one gives a brand a concrete choice for 2027. 5WPR's recap of the 2026 show covers them in full inside its pet industry trends and forecast for 2027.
| 2026 trend | What it suggests for a 2027 plan |
|---|---|
| Cat-focused innovation | Fund feline products and write messaging for cat owners, not as an afterthought to dog marketing. |
| Packaging as a differentiator | Show packaging at the booth as a story, since formats such as pouches and single-serve sticks drove trial. |
| Creator partnerships | Line up creators before the show. See the guide to influencer marketing for pet products. |
| Humanization of pets | Lead with ingredient transparency and premium lifestyle positioning. |
| Functional wellness and supplements | Lead with clear benefits and keep claims inside the rules. |
| AI beyond marketing | Use AI to support authentic storytelling, not to replace it. |
Market context matters for a pitch. The pet industry spent $158 billion in the United States in 2025 and APPA projects $165 billion for 2026, according to the association's own reporting. A launch that connects to a spending trend, such as supplements or cat ownership, gives a reporter a reason to run it now.
What should a pet brand announce at Global Pet Expo?
A pet brand should announce one fact a reporter can verify and a reader can act on, rather than a statement about innovation. The announcements that meet that test follow from what buyers and reporters do at the show.
- A new product with its launch date, price range and retail availability.
- A Best in Show entry or award, stated only after the organizer announces results.
- A survey of the brand's own customers, paired with a published industry figure.
- A retail or distribution partnership, named with the partner's approval.
- A shelter or adoption program, with the number of pets placed and the partner organization named.
Each announcement needs a spokesperson's full name and title, a number a reporter can repeat and a date. Pet marketing programs that combine earned media, creators and owned content are covered in 5WPR's pet products PR and marketing practice, and the pet PR cost guide explains what retainers and add-ons typically involve.
Who should a brand pitch around the show?
A brand should pitch two audiences that read different outlets: retail and distribution buyers who learn about products in trade media, and pet owners who learn about them through consumer and social channels. The organizer says the show is trade-only, so most on-site reporting is aimed at the first audience.
Trade outlets that cover the show, including Pet Age and Petfood Industry, write for buyers, so a pitch to them should include wholesale availability, margins where the brand is comfortable sharing them, and the launch date. Consumer and social coverage depends on creators and pet owners, so the same launch needs a second version that leads with the pet's benefit and shows the product in use.
The pet brand social media guide explains which platform does which job, and the same split helps decide where a post-show clip should run.
How should executives and booth teams prepare?
An executive should prepare one sourced claim and one answer to the question buyers ask most: why this product, and why now. Buyers and reporters at a three-day show hear hundreds of pitches, so the claim has to be specific enough to repeat after the show.
Booth teams should carry a one-page fact sheet with the product name, launch date, price range, availability and a spokesperson's contact. A photo set and a short product demonstration clip help reporters who cannot visit the booth, and the team should log every reporter and buyer conversation so follow-up goes out the same week.
Qualified media can attend, according to the organizer, and the organizer lists a media page for credential details. A brand should confirm credential rules and any embargo expectations directly on that page before pitching.
How does Global Pet Expo coverage appear in AI search?
Named, dated coverage of a Global Pet Expo launch becomes a page that AI search systems can retrieve when a user asks which brands lead a pet product category. Retrieval systems select pages they can find, and they cite sources more often when several independent pages repeat the same brand name and the same fact.
A brand that only exhibits leaves a booth listing and little else once the show closes. A brand with a named executive quoted in dated trade coverage leaves a page that can still answer a question months later. After the show, ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity which brands lead the category and check whether any coverage from the show is cited.
The Pet Industry AI Visibility Index 2026 ranks pet brands by how often AI engines cite them, and the guide on how pet brands improve visibility in AI search sets out an evidence audit. The best pet marketing campaigns show which campaigns earned lasting coverage.
What should a brand do between now and March?
A brand should work backward from March 15, when The Pet Summit begins. The sequence below fits a team that has not started yet.
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Now to mid-December | Pick one announcement, confirm exhibitor status with APPA or PIDA, and check the organizer's New Products Showcase entry details and deadline. |
| January | Confirm every figure, line up creators and prepare the fact sheet, photos and demonstration clip. |
| February | Send long-lead pitches to trade outlets, with an embargo date set for the first show day. |
| March 15 to 18 | Take executives to Pet Summit sessions that match the brand's topic. |
| March 17 to 19 | Run booth, interview and creator commitments, and log every contact. |
| March 20 to 27 | Send follow-up quotes and data, then check which outlets published and which pages name the brand. |
The next step for any brand is to write the single announcement sentence, with the product, the price and the date, before drafting anything else. A brand that cannot finish that sentence by mid-December does not yet have an announcement.
Frequently asked questions
When is Global Pet Expo 2027?
Global Pet Expo 2027 runs March 17 to 19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The Pet Summit runs March 15 to 18.
Is Global Pet Expo open to the public?
No. The organizer says the show is open to independent retailers, distributors, mass-market buyers, media, influencers and other qualified professionals. It is not a consumer show.
How many exhibitors will be at Global Pet Expo 2027?
The organizers report more than 1,200 exhibitors, 3,500 booths and over 1,000 new product launches. They also say the show draws nearly 20,000 pet professionals.
What is new at The Pet Summit in 2027?
The Pet Summit is reimagined with Connector Rooms, which pair expert panels with guided networking for specific peer groups, and Speaker Deep-Dives, which extend select education sessions into workshop-style conversations.
Can show coverage help a brand appear in AI answers?
It can, when the coverage names the brand, a spokesperson and a dated fact. AI search systems retrieve pages they can find and cite facts that several independent pages repeat. Brands can test this by asking ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity category questions after the show.
