I visited the Helsinki pet fair “Lemmikkimessut” this weekend for the first time in years, partly out of curiosity, partly nostalgia.

Last year, the event brought in around 46,600 visitors (combined with the Child & Food fairs) and 67 exhibitors, which already says a lot about its current positioning.

For over 10 years, I used to exhibit at fairs across the Nordics, so events like this are close to my heart. They’ve always been one of the best places to understand consumer behaviour, branding, and how people actually interact with products in real life.

But this time, something felt different.

Compared to a decade ago, the fair felt much smaller, not necessarily in numbers, but in focus. Today, Lemmikkimessut runs alongside 2 other events and has become a fully B2C, family-oriented experience.

Even bringing your own dog wasn’t possible, likely due to the multi-event setup.

That said, there were still some interesting observations:

The stands that stood out for me were 3 pet food brands:
→ Haukkula
→ Tassu Foods
→ Vitakraft

Surprising brands:
→ Agilitykissat – yes, agility for cats
→ Emmi Pet – an ultrasonic toothbrush for pets from Germany

Fantastic strong presence of animal welfare organisations:
Rescueyhdistys Kulkurit, Woffa, Viipurin Koirat, Hard Luck Paws, Rekku Rescue, Stray Dog Cabaret, Kodittomat Bulgarian Koirat.

Only dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and fish were represented.

Interestingly, I didn’t come across birds, ferrets or reptiles this time, and overall, there were fewer accessory and pet food brands than expected (notable ones included Best Friend Group and Husse).

Lemmikkimessut today is less of an “industry meeting point” and more of a consumer insight lab.

It’s a great place to:
✔️ Observe trends
✔️ Talk directly to pet brands and pet owners
✔️ Validate ideas

And maybe that reflects a bigger shift, not just in this fair, but in how the pet industry connects with its audience today 🧡

LinkedIn original post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/angels-bosch