The 'European Pet Market' Doesn't Exist, and Other Lessons from Interzoo 2026
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Why is the European pet market not a single unified market?
Every two years, pet care professionals from every corner of the globe gather in Nuremberg for InnerZoo, the world's largest and most international pet industry trade show. The show featured more than 2,400 exhibitors from 70 countries across 16 halls. You can think of each hall as its own sizable warehouse and was attended by roughly 39,000 people from 130 countries. So, yeah, it's an absolutely massive show. I've been going to these shows for eight plus years in the United States, and still nothing fully prepared me for 16 massive halls. Packed wall to wall with pet food, toys, gear, gadgets, innovations from places you've only seen on the map in geography class. You know us, Barking Mad can't get up a good spotlight, which is why we packed up our microphones, our headsets, and my trusty notebook and opened up a podcasting booth right there on the Interzoo 2026 show floor.
Over the show's four days, we sat down for 34 interviews with founders, manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, brand builders, researchers, and some truly fascinating people across the global pet care space. It's about 12 hours of content and we're starting with just a snippet. Today's episode's really more about context and correcting assumptions. Because if you think the European pet market is one big thing, guess again. There's a lot more to this market than meets the eye, and we have the sound bites to prove it. Welcome to Barking Mad, a podcast by BSM Partners. I'm your host, Jordan Tyler. First and foremost today, we have a huge thank you to our first ever sponsor, Kalman Worldwide Incorporated.
Our podcast booth at InnerSoo was made possible by Kalman, which custom built the booth right into our floor exhibit in the show's USA Pavilion, basically a dedicated section of Inner Zoo for American brands to exhibit their stuff. Now let's hear from Tom Kalman, president and CEO of Calm Worldwide, a former Air Force fighter pilot turned trade show veteran who's now organized somewhere in the neighborhood of three hundred and seventy-five US pavilions across twenty-four different shows in 18 countries. Safe to say this guy knows a thing or two about what it takes to bring people together across borders.
In uh nineteen sixty three, when uh uh the world was black and white and uh airplanes had propellers, my dad uh began organizing the US participation at trade shows here in Germany and uh I never understood exactly what he did growing up. I just knew he was gone a lot and uh in Germany a lot, in Munich a lot. Um, I went into the air force and had a uh nice career as a fighter pilot and And at the end of that I my dad said, Well, why don't you come and join me? And I said, Well, I don't not sure what you do, Dad. But uh I came and uh worked with him for a couple of years, but it would only took a few months to fall in love with the the trade show industry and and what we're doing, you know, and connecting people.
Tom and his incredible team shouts out to Andrea, Mike, Mark, Allison, Sharon, Erica, Megan, whoever else I didn't mention. They went above and beyond to make sure that Barking Mad had a comfy and chic home for the week. And they did this really for each and every company that exhibited in the NRZU USA pavilion.
You know, this is our first time here at this show. Uh last year it was done by another organizer and before that it was done by a woman that took it for several years, but had the challenge of taking this pro uh project through COVID. And those are really tough times uh for organizers. We came in and had to uh introduce ourselves to the industry and uh uh explain, you know, how we do things differently and why we do things. And uh the result is uh pretty darn spectacular. It's a really pretty looking pavilion out there.
Now I'm a first timer, so give me a couple years on Interzo Insights. But luckily, we know someone who's going to the show for more than twenty years. He's our friend Clayton Payne, no stranger to the Barking Mad podcast, and the host of his own UK facing podcast called Pet Business Disruptors.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why is the European pet market not a single unified market?
0:09–4:43
2
How big is Interzoo 2026 and what makes it unique?
4:43–8:41
3
What does pet humanization look like across different countries?
8:41–11:37
4
Which Eastern‑European and Baltic countries are emerging pet‑industry powerhouses?
11:37–15:56
5
How do pet‑retail models differ in Lithuania, the Baltics and Central Europe?
15:56–20:35
6
What sustainability trends are shaping the future of global pet food?
20:35–23:54
7
Why are premium lifestyle pet brands gaining traction with European pet parents?
23:54–27:03
8
What lessons from Interzoo 2026 can brands apply to emerging markets and wartime environments?
27:03–31:41
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Barking Mad Podcast
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Sharks and Kibble: The Unexpected Connection and What You Can Do About It
June Zoomies: Boy Kibble, Recalls, and One Nasty Fly
Turning Frustration into Innovation, and Other Founder Stories from Interzoo 2026
May Zoomies: Growing Meat, Recalls, and Pet Food Goes to Court