AUGUST 28, 2015

SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO EXHIBITION & CONVENTION CENTER

AGENDA

9:00-9:30       Registration and check in

9:30-9:45      Welcome and introduction

9:45-10:45      Introduction: Finding your opportunities in the Chinese pet food and treats market

Pushan Tagore, director of pet care global for GfK, looks at trends in and projections for Chinese pet ownership and the pet food market. GfK’s retail audit of the Chinese pet care market tracks online sales, plus sales in pet shops, mass merchants and veterinary clinics in Beijing and Shanghai, the two most important markets within China. Tagore will discuss pet food segments such as lifestage, natural and grain-free, and whether they are catching on in China as in developed markets. He will make comparisons to the US and Europe to highlight similarities and differences—thus identifying niches for Chinese pet food companies to stand out and out-grow the market.

10:45-11:15      Coffee break

11:15-12:15      Innovative product development phase 1: pre-commercial activities

Russ Kelley, consultant with Kelley Canine Consulting, focuses on upstream, or pre-commercial, actions that are critical components for developing and successfully documenting new nutritional concepts. These include concept development, conceptual testing, regulatory and legal assessment, preliminary ingredient/nutrient assessment, front-end formulation, preliminary product performance testing and finally commercial handoff. While not all new products may require extensive investment in each of these components, each category should be examined and assessed at some level to maximize the chances of a successful commercial launch of a new product or product line.

12:15-13:30      Lunch

13:30-14:30      Innovative product development phase 2: product qualifications for a successful commercial launch

Eric K. Altom, PhD, consultant, explains commercial product design and delivery, focusing on concept stability, production material supply, package qualifications, legal and regulatory barriers, production-scale formulation challenges, finished product qualifications, animal feeding studies to validate product performance and support in-market claims, and commercial product introduction. Prior to product launch commitment, all aspects of the product development cycle must be assessed in detail, with the design and delivery team’s collaborative responsibility to ensure long-term stability and viability of a commercial product to enhance brand equity and drive profitable sales.

14:30-15:30      Establishing partnerships and developing feeding trials for innovative product development

Serge Boutet, owner of SB Nutrinnov Consultants, provides insight into developing partnerships with ingredient suppliers and other sources for innovative formulations and products; then, for the final product, setting the right feeding trials to ensure market success. Although pet food formulation is based on science, the successful inclusion of novel ingredients is an art and has usually been the result of partnerships between nutritionists, scientists and specialty ingredients suppliers. Innovation occurs when a scientific concept, a social or commercial vision, artistic creativity and technical know-how meet. Completion of this innovative development must then go through the final judges: pets themselves, via formal or in-home feeding trials.

15:30-16:00      Coffee break

16:00-17:00      Taking the product to market and building your brand

John Stanley, president of John Stanley Associates, explains the specific marketing and retail skills you need to take your new product to market and build a winning brand. New product development success means getting the consumer to buy your product. Consumers are inundated with new products, and your role is to engage the consumer—and retailers—to ensure your new product is the one that attracts attention.

Remarks:
1. Registration for Petfood Forum China 2015 includes all conference sessions, access to the conference's tabletop exhibits, a generous buffet lunch and two coffee breaks.
2. Online registration is available in Chinese and in English.
3. Please note that registration for Pet Fair Asia is separate, and even if you are registered for Pet Fair Asia, you must register (and pay) for Petfood Forum China using the above links if you want to attend this petfood conference.

SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION

The conference will come along English & Mandarin Chinese simultaneous interpretation.

Other languages are available on request for groups (Korean, Japanese, etc).
Contact us before August 10th to arrange additional language interpretation.

Early Bird : US$ 345

After August 1st : US$ 405

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