PATS 2021 - Business as usual, almost!

It was business as usual last weekend in Telford, over at the International Centre, as PATS held its first face to face trade show since Covid struck two years ago. Although a handful of pet traders decided to don their face masks and visors to stroll among the many exhibition stands, the vast majority of folk seemed glad to be finally free of such requirements, in fact it almost felt normal again!

One aspect that wasn’t normal however was the apparent lack of innovation from the hundreds of pet accessory manufacturers which were displaying their wares to the traders. Once you’ve seen one bag of dog food or chewy toy you’ve certainly seen them all, as the overwhelming majority of this year’s stalls were displaying very similar products to each other. One couldn’t help but to feel kind of sorry for the thousands of trade visitors which turned up to the show, queuing up with their proof of double vaccination or negative flow tests in hand, only to be disappointed when finally herded past the security points to find a show packed with the same old same old.
If the truth be known it was rather disappointing to say the least.  

However, one company which certainly hadn’t been sat on their laurels during lockdown was Vividarium. Once again the reptile product maestros led the way with a range of new and very exciting vivaria which lit up the otherwise drab exhibition like a beacon shining through the gloom.
Their new mini log habitat and matching micro lighting kit were beautiful, in terms of both appearance and functionality, and certainly attracted a lot of attention. 

But perhaps the product with the most visual impact was their brand new spider home, manufactured exquisitely in the guise of?.... yes you’ve guessed, a spider... and a great big spider at that!!
The 2ft long menacing tarantula was modelled loosely on the Mexican Red Knee.
However this particular spider has a transparent body for maximum viewing, an integral hide for a spider to retreat into, substantial locks to prevent unwanted escapes, and the pies de resistance – a magnetic tail piece containing a special light bulb which lights up the enclosure perfectly for human viewing, yet is completely invisible to the pet spider being kept within it, thanks to the specific light colour wavelength it emits. This particular innovation is aptly called “invisibulb” and together with a host of other features, will no doubt ensure its popularity when it gets launched a little later in the year.