Approximately 200 members of the worldwide pet trade are expected to attend the second International Pet Conference, Nov. 13-14 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Organized by Dähne Verlag (Ettlingen, Germany), publisher of the Pet in Europe trade journal, the educational program will focus on the European pet market. Seminars and workshops will cover topics such as “Sustainability and Economic Benefit,” “Luxury Accessories: Class, Not Mass” and “Web 2.0 in the Pet Supplies Sector.”

Other sessions will cover opportunities for midsize firms to expand into the international arena, the trend toward themed shopping in the aquatics segment and the reptile boom in the pet trade.

Speakers will include Olivier Sillion, president of Prodaf, a French association for pet product suppliers; Lars Bergkvist, chief executive officer of Swedish pet specialty chain Arken; Dieter Meyer of Vitakraft; and Ard Malenstein, director of Dutch pet specialty company JSvogel.

Conference highlights will include the Pet World 2008 exhibition of new products, technologies and services as well the presentation of the Pet Retailer of the Year award for the most innovative concept in international specialty retailing.

For more information, visit www.pet-global.com. [June 2008 PET AGE]