What to Expect When Exhibiting at SuperZoo 2026
Exhibiting at SuperZoo 2026 means preparing for North America’s largest pet retail trade show: 1,100+ exhibitors, 22,000+ pet industry professionals, and 350,000 square feet of show floor at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from August 12-14, 2026, with education sessions running August 11-12. Exhibitors should expect a buyer-focused atmosphere where orders get written on the floor, a rigid move-in schedule coordinated through the show’s official contractor Freeman, and tight deadlines for everything from carpet rentals to New Product Showcase submissions.
At Xibit Solutions, we’ve designed and installed booths for major Las Vegas shows for over 20 years, and SuperZoo is one of the most operationally demanding events on the calendar. This guide covers what every exhibitor should know before shipping a single crate: what’s included with a standard booth, how to prepare for move-in, which deadlines matter most, and the tactics that help brands stand out among 1,099 others.
SuperZoo 2026 Dates, Location, and Key Numbers
SuperZoo 2026 runs August 12-14, 2026 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Education sessions begin August 11. The show is produced by World Pet Association (WPA) and has grown steadily over the past decade into the pet industry’s largest trade-only event.
Show hours for 2026 are:
- Wednesday, August 12: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Thursday, August 13: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Friday, August 14: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Here’s how the show has grown over recent years:
| Year | Attendees | Exhibitors | Show Floor (sq. ft.) |
| 2022 | 16,000 | ~1,000 | 331,500 |
| 2023 | ~18,000 | 1,100 | 330,000 |
| 2025 | 22,000+ | 1,200 | 350,000+ |
| 2026 (projected) | 22,000+ | 1,100+ | 350,000+ |
The 2025 show generated a $55 million economic impact and drew attendees from 77 countries, giving you a sense of the global buyer base exhibitors will encounter on the floor.
Who Attends SuperZoo and Why It Matters for Your Booth Strategy
SuperZoo is trade-only. The general public is not admitted. Every badge on the floor belongs to a pet industry professional, which changes how you should plan your booth.
Attendees include buyers from:
- Major chains such as Petco, PetSmart, and Pet Supplies Plus
- Online retailers like Chewy
- Independent boutique pet stores across all 50 states
- Grooming salons and mobile groomers
- Distributors and wholesalers
- International retailers sourcing for their home markets
In 2023, over 10,000 of the 18,000 attendees were verified buyers according to show organizer reporting, and more recent WPA data indicates a roughly 70% sales-conversion rate for exhibitors who set specific order goals. SuperZoo buyers arrive with spreadsheets, purchase orders, and a limited number of slots to fill on their shelves.
What this means for your booth strategy: prioritize product visibility, have order forms and deal sheets ready, and staff the booth with people who can actually write orders or set up follow-up calls. SuperZoo rewards sales readiness over brand awareness, so booths built for experiential consumer engagement tend to underperform here. Buyers want to see the product, get the price, and move on.
How the SuperZoo Show Floor Is Organized
The SuperZoo show floor is organized into themed product zones, which affects where your booth gets placed and which buyers are most likely to walk your aisle. Major zones include:
- Live Animals (fish, birds, reptiles, small animals)
- Groomer’s Marketplace (tools, products, and services for professional groomers)
- Natural and Health (supplements, functional treats, natural food)
- Specialty and Lifestyle (accessories, toys, apparel)
- New Product Showcase (curated debut-product section)
- Emerging Brands (dedicated startup area)
- International Pavilion (overseas exhibitors)
When you request a booth location, factor in the foot traffic these zones attract. A natural-treat brand placed inside the Natural and Health zone will see more of its target buyer than the same brand stuck in a general aisle. The New Product Showcase is worth special attention because it pulls targeted traffic from buyers specifically looking for what’s new.
What’s Included with a Standard SuperZoo Booth
A standard 10×10 inline booth at SuperZoo includes three things:
- An 11×17-inch booth ID sign with your company name
- An 8-foot draped backwall
- 3-foot side-rail curtains
That’s it. Everything else is an add-on order through the exhibitor services kit, which means budgeting for the following separately:
- Carpet or flooring (required, ordered through Freeman)
- Tables and chairs
- Electricity
- Internet hardwire (free SUPERZOO Wi-Fi is available on the floor, password SUPERZOO, but it’s best for phones, not point-of-sale systems)
- Lighting beyond the standard hall lights
- Cleaning services
- Lead retrieval devices
Tents, canopies, and awnings are not permitted on inline booths. Hanging signs are only allowed on 20×20 island booths or larger.
A practical rule: order rentals through the exhibitor service kit as early as possible. Freeman applies discount rates for orders placed well in advance of the show, and those rates step up as the deadlines approach. Exhibitors who wait until move-in week often pay 30 to 50% more for the same carpet and furniture.
Emerging Brand Kiosks for First-Time Exhibitors
If you’ve never exhibited at SuperZoo before and want to test the show without a full booth investment, the Emerging Brand Kiosk program is worth considering. Kiosks run approximately $2,850 and include:
- A 3×5 foot built-in kiosk structure with pre-applied graphics
- Two stools
- A small lockable storage cabinet
- Wastebasket
- Carpet
- Electricity
- Two exhibitor badges
- Listing in the show directory and mobile app
Kiosks are limited to one per company. There’s no additional pipe-and-drape or floor display space beyond the kiosk footprint, so plan your product presentation to fit the kiosk’s built-in shelving.
For brands ready to move beyond the kiosk tier, a 10×10 inline booth or larger gives you room for custom graphics, demo space, and seating for longer buyer conversations. Renting a custom-designed booth is typically the most cost-effective move for second- or third-time SuperZoo exhibitors who don’t yet want to commit to owning a booth.
SuperZoo Move-In, Show Hours, and Teardown Schedule
Move-in at SuperZoo is staggered across Sunday through Tuesday (August 9-11, 2026). Exact move-in windows are assigned by booth size and aisle location and get published in the final exhibitor packet roughly four to six weeks before the show. Larger booths (20×20+) typically move in first, followed by smaller inline booths.
Key scheduling points to plan around:
- Cartload service hours: Monday August 10 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Tuesday August 11 (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.), and Friday August 14 (4 p.m. to 9 p.m.) for hand-carried move-out.
- No early teardown. Dismantling only begins immediately after the show closes at 3 p.m. Friday, continuing into Saturday morning. Booths must be fully cleared by 12 p.m. Saturday.
- Booth staffing: booths must be staffed during all open show hours. Leaving the booth unstaffed or tearing down early can result in penalties from show management.
This last point catches a lot of first-time exhibitors. The temptation to start packing at 2:30 p.m. Friday is real (flights out of Las Vegas get tight quickly). Resist it. Leaving the booth unstaffed during the final hours is both a violation of the exhibitor agreement and a signal to buyers that you’re not serious about the show.
Shipping and Drayage Through Freeman
Freeman is the official drayage and material-handling contractor for SuperZoo 2026. All freight either goes to Freeman’s advance warehouse (recommended) or direct to show site during designated move-in windows.
Drayage mechanics to understand:
- Each booth comes with a 300-pound inbound drayage credit included in the booth cost.
- Freight over 300 pounds is charged by weight, with separate inbound and outbound fees.
- Advance warehouse shipments are typically cheaper and less risky than direct-to-show shipments, because they guarantee the freight is at the venue before your move-in window starts.
- Dollies with wheels are not permitted through the loading docks. Hand-carried materials must come in through the designated exhibitor door.
For oversized vehicles (trucks, vans, trailers), Mandalay Bay does not have oversized parking at the convention center itself. The Excalibur lot nearby accommodates larger vehicles at approximately $50 per day with advance coordination.
Our recommendation for first-time SuperZoo exhibitors: use the advance warehouse. Shipping direct to show introduces too many variables (truck timing, dock congestion, union labor availability) for a first outing. The small savings aren’t worth the risk of your freight not being in your booth when your move-in window opens.
On-Site Services You’ll Need to Order Separately
Most services at SuperZoo aren’t included in the booth cost and require separate orders through either Freeman, Mandalay Bay, or third-party providers. The most commonly needed add-ons:
| Service | Provider | Order Through |
| Electricity | Mandalay Bay | Exhibitor service kit |
| Furniture and AV | Freeman | Exhibitor service kit |
| Carpet and flooring | Freeman | Exhibitor service kit |
| Booth cleaning | Mandalay Bay | Exhibitor service kit |
| Catering and refreshments | Mandalay Bay | Exhibitor service kit |
| Hardwired internet | Mandalay Bay | Exhibitor service kit |
| Lead retrieval | SuperZoo (WPA) | Exhibitor portal |
| Rigging and hanging signs | Freeman | Exhibitor service kit (20×20+ only) |
Every one of these has a deadline. Advance-pricing deadlines typically fall 4 to 6 weeks before move-in. Standard-pricing kicks in after that. On-site pricing can run 50 to 100% higher than advance rates.
A printing and shipping office is on-site at Mandalay Bay (FedEx Office) for last-minute collateral, business cards, and outbound shipping.
How to Stand Out Among 1,100 Exhibitors
Standing out on a 350,000-square-foot floor with over a thousand competing booths is the central challenge of exhibiting at SuperZoo. SuperZoo’s exhibitor best practices and our experience building booths for major Las Vegas shows both point to the same core tactics:
Pre-show marketing matters more than most exhibitors think.
- Update your exhibitor listing in the SuperZoo directory by June 5, 2026. Buyers search the directory and app before they arrive to build their walking lists.
- Announce your booth number on social media using #SUPERZOO2026 in the weeks leading up to the show.
- Email your customer list and invite known buyers to visit the booth for a show-specific incentive.
- Consider a paid ad in the Show Daily if budget allows.
Enter the New Product Showcase if you have a legitimately new product.
The New Product Showcase is a curated area where buyers specifically look for what’s new, and the traffic it drives is disproportionate to the cost. Submissions require an image and product description by early July 2026. Display options and pricing:
| Display Type | Size (W x D x H) | Advance Price | Late Price (after 6/26) |
| Tabletop | 24″ x 24″ x 36″ | $375 | $525 |
| Floor Display | 40″ x 40″ x 72″ | $425 | $725 |
| Gondola Endcap | 39″ x 20″ x 96″ | $425 | $750 |
| Glass Case | 20″ x 20″ x 54″ | $750 | $1,000 |
| Electricity (any display) | N/A | $124 | $124 |
Design the booth for scanability. Buyers walk fast. The key questions your booth needs to answer in the three seconds someone spends looking at it from the aisle:
- What category of product is this? (Food? Toys? Grooming tools?)
- What’s the differentiator? (Organic? Made in USA? Price point?)
- Who is this for? (Independent retailers? Big box? Online?)
Booths that try to communicate everything end up communicating nothing. Pick the one or two things that matter most and make them impossible to miss from the aisle. This is where a professional booth design earns back its cost: a well-designed 10×10 with strong sightlines and clear hierarchy will out-perform a 20×20 that’s been thrown together.
Staff the booth correctly. A common mistake at SuperZoo is staffing the booth with junior marketing people who can’t answer detailed product or pricing questions. Buyers who hit a wall on a basic question (“What are your case packs?”) move on and don’t come back. Bring at least one person who can quote, close, and commit.
Networking Events Worth Building Into Your Schedule
SuperZoo’s after-hours calendar is a legitimate part of the business value of the show. The SUPERZOO Beach Party on Thursday night is the marquee networking event, with food, drinks, live music, and a heavy buyer turnout. It’s often where the deals that didn’t close on the floor actually close.
Other standing networking moments at SuperZoo include:
- Female Founders in Pet meetups
- Retailer-and-emerging-brand mixers
- On-floor lounge spaces for one-on-one buyer meetings
- Education sessions on August 11-12 (good for networking with buyers who stay for the programming)
Block at least one evening on your schedule for networking. A 15-minute conversation at the Beach Party with a buyer who wouldn’t stop at your booth during the day is often how your biggest 2026 account gets opened.
Common Mistakes First-Time SuperZoo Exhibitors Make
Patterns we see repeatedly from first-time exhibitors:
- Underestimating booth design lead time. A custom booth build (not a rental) typically requires 8 to 12 weeks from concept to delivery. Waiting until May to commission a custom booth for August almost always means compromising on design or paying rush fees.
- Skipping the advance warehouse. Direct-to-show shipping is cheaper on paper but riskier, especially for first-time exhibitors who don’t yet know the rhythm of SuperZoo move-in.
- Missing advance-pricing deadlines. Carpet, furniture, and electricity pricing jumps substantially after the cutoff. Calendar all deadlines the day you book the booth.
- Under-staffing. A 10×10 booth needs at least two people staffing it at all times so one person can take a break, use the restroom, or follow up with a buyer at a nearby booth.
- No follow-up plan. Leads collected at SuperZoo have a short shelf life. Buyers visit hundreds of booths and forget brand names within a week. Have a follow-up email queued up to send within 48 hours of the show closing.
- Tearing down early. As noted above, show management enforces this. Don’t do it.
Frequently Asked Questions About SuperZoo 2026
When does SuperZoo 2026 take place?
SuperZoo 2026 runs August 12-14, 2026, with education sessions on August 11-12, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
How much does an Emerging Brand Kiosk cost?
An Emerging Brand Kiosk is approximately $2,850 and includes a 3×5 foot built-in kiosk with graphics, two stools, a lockable cabinet, wastebasket, carpet, electricity, two exhibitor badges, and a directory listing.
Is carpet included with a SuperZoo booth?
No. Carpet is required but not included. It must be ordered separately through the Freeman exhibitor service kit. Advance-pricing deadlines apply.
Can I hand-carry my booth in?
Small loads can be hand-carried through the designated exhibitor door during move-in and move-out. Dollies with wheels are not allowed through the loading docks. For anything heavier than what one person can reasonably carry, use Cartload service or standard drayage.
How much drayage is included?
Each booth includes a 300-pound inbound drayage credit. Freight over 300 pounds is billed by weight, and outbound drayage is billed separately from inbound.
Does SuperZoo allow early teardown?
No. Dismantling begins immediately after the show closes at 3 p.m. Friday, August 14. Booths must remain fully staffed through the close of the show, and penalties apply for early teardown.
Is there Wi-Fi on the show floor?
Yes. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available under network SUPERZOO with password SUPERZOO. For point-of-sale systems, lead capture, or any business-critical application, order a hardwired internet connection through Mandalay Bay’s exhibitor services.
Preparing for a Successful SuperZoo 2026
Exhibiting at SuperZoo 2026 rewards exhibitors who plan early, budget for the full cost of a booth (not just the space rental), and treat the show as the buyer-driven event it actually is. The 22,000+ pet industry professionals who walk the floor are there to place orders, and exhibitors who match that energy with sharp booth design, prepared staff, and follow-up discipline consistently out-perform brands with bigger budgets but worse execution.
If you’re exhibiting at SuperZoo 2026 and want help with booth design, graphics, professional installation and dismantling, or full-service Las Vegas logistics, request a quote from our team. We’ve been building award-winning booths for Las Vegas trade shows for over 20 years, and we can handle every piece between your sign-off on the design and the moment you walk onto the show floor.
