Sessions

7:50 Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:50 Chairperson’s Welcome & Opening Remarks

Darlene Frudakis, President & COO,PETAG, INC.

Ms. Frudakis, a pioneer in the pet industry, has specialized in the development and invention of products devoted to enhancing and improving pet health. Her career successes and company achievements have been profiled in top pet industry trade publications.

9:00 Opening Keynote: What are the 8 Growth Trends Transforming the $43 Billion Pet Market? And How Will This Phenomenon Impact Your Business?

Bob Vetere, President, AMERICAN PET PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION (APPA)

As the APPA's chief spokesperson, Mr. Vetere has written for publications including Pet Business and Pet Product News and appeared on such television shows as CNBC, CNNFN World News Tonight. Before joining APPA, Bob served as senior vice president, administration, general counsel and secretary at Oil-Dri Corporation of America.

9:30 Trend-Savvy New Pet Product Development

Innovation is now more critical than ever! The pace of new product creation gets faster; while the life of a product gets shorter. Smart organizations depend more and more on innovation, to stay ahead of:

• nimble global competitors; and
• bottom-feeding ‘knock-off’ products.

Not innovating is not a solution; a lack of innovation makes an organization particularly vulnerable to losing sales and margins to knock offs from anywhere in the world. To beat the bottom feeders, you need not be a low cost producer; new trends and market changes, create a relentless stream of new opportunities and unmet customer needs. To be innovative involves two critical skills- sourcing the ideas and screening the ideas. Your firm should monitor these trends for timely ‘sweet spot’ opportunities. Trends are a rich source of new products ideas, open to your more nimble, R&D-savvy competitors.

This session will help you to better assess the landscape for pet-relevant trends and ideas, namely:

• Where to find trend-driven ideas. How to gauge relevance of trends
• Combining trends -- an effective way to locate ‘intersects” for a ‘sweet spot’ trend
• How to categorize Competitive Innovation to predict their behavior and strategy
• How to vet the ideas so you can concentrate on those most likely to succeed, including when to ‘Revolutionize’, versus when to ‘Incrementalize’
• Pitfalls & Tiger Traps -- what they are, how to avoid them

Steven Litt, Principal, SPITFIRE GLOBAL INC.

Mr. Litt began his career at P&G, followed by successful careers at Kimberly-Clark US and Schering-Plough

Craig Bundrant, Managing Partner, SPITFIRE GLOBAL INC.

Mr. Bundrant has expertise in many Pet categories including hard goods, animal bedding & watering, cat litter, dog biscuits & treats. He has launched or grown new brands (Boodah Velvet, Kennel-Aire, Tidy Cat, etc) and rejuvenated existing brands.

10:10 Networking and Discussion Break

10:30 How Can Innovations in Food and Nutrition Enable Market Growth Sufficient to Accommodate Traditional Players and New Entrants?

Pet owners often follow the patterns created by the human food industry when using criteria to choose their pet supplies…especially food and treats. The pet food industry follows these trends closely and develops products along these lines. Pet food companies are constantly looking for a competitive advantage over their counterparts. Unique formulas, ingredients and nutrients that promote health and longevity are the goal of many companies.

Among the topics to be discussed:

• Are “Bells and Whistles” only “Smoke and Mirrors”?
• What are the criteria used to measure true quality improvements in pet nutrition?
• In the land of Obesity, why is palatability so important?
• Why do grain and by-products get such a bum rap?
• “Dear AAFCO…why are you picking on me?”

Martin J. Glinsky, Ph.D. President, SEDONA PET PRODUCTS, INC. & Executive Vice President, CHENANGO VALLEY PET FOODS

Dr. Glinsky has been in the pet food business for over 35 years. He started his own private label pet food manufacturing company in 1980. He developed the first dry pet food to utilize fresh ingredients.

11:10 The Consumer-driven Natural, Organic Movement and How it Will Continue to Impact the Pet Industry

Today’s “Natural Consumer” can espouse many ideologies, from focuses on health & wellness, to food purity and quality, to environmental consciousness & natural resource sustainability. No longer just a fringe group, natural consumers are a rapidly expanding and economically viable segment. Our session examines how these consumers feel about buying “natural” for their pets and how to best market to them.

Michael Johnson, Vice President Marketing and Information, CHUCK LATHAM & ASSOCIATES

Mr. Johnson has specialized in CPG Marketing and Category Management for 14 years, of which the past 5 were in the pet specialty channel.

12:00 How Animal Health and Wellness Will Hold the Keys to Unprecedented Growth Including and Beyond the Traditional Pharmaceutical Companies

Bob Fountain will initially cover the growth opportunities for "traditional" veterinary channel animal health companies, commenting on the recent transactions that have greatly consolidated the industry. He will also cover opportunities that these companies have with respect to un-met needs and products and services that have the best future potential. To balance this out, he will also cover threats that are looming.

On the "Non-Traditional" front, Fountain will cover a number of evolving companies and technologies, including:

• generics
• e-commerce & catalogs
• geriatric products, nutraceuticals
• diagnostics
• pet foods with disease claims
• novel drug delivery
• insurance
• crazy pet accessories
• key pet supply products - eg. cat litter, odor control, treats
• private equity firms
• mass merchandisers
• pet specialty companies
• e-commerce and catalogs

Bob Fountain, President & CEO, FOUNTAIN AGRICOUNSEL, LLC

Mr. Fountain began his 30-year animal health industry career with Merck & Company’s Merck AgVet Division (now Merial) where he had responsibility for the Australian animal health business. He later moved to Pifzer with management responsibility for the animal health business in Japan and Asia.

12:35 Networking Lunch & Keynote Speaker

1:45 How to Market and Sell to the Veterinary Market

• What are the hurdles in taking your product to the Ethical Veterinary Market?
• Are there competing products?
• Are you familiar with the competitors?
• What is their success?
• What is your distribution strategy?
• How will the product reach the veterinary clinic?
• Who will educate the veterinarians on the merits of this product?

Lionel Reilly, President and CEO, PROFESSIONAL VET PRODUCTS (retired)

Dr. Reilly founded in 1983 Professional Veterinary Products (PVP), a distributor now owned by some 2000 veterinary practices. PVP's largest year enjoyed consolidated revenues of near $500 million. PVP was the first distributor to register with the SEC.

2:20 Networking and Discussion Break

2:25 Pet Health and Veterinary Care: Trends in Spending and the Role of Insurance

While the debate over human health care is a key point of public debate today, the care of pets' health is a challenge for many pet owners as well. Spending on veterinary services has approximately doubled over the past decade to current estimates of over $14 billion in the United States. With the growing costs of routine and surgical visits for individual pet owners, there are increasing challenges in paying for the quality of care that pet owners desire. Pet health insurance can help bridge the needs that both the veterinary community and pet owners have in caring for pets. While pet health insurance has been available in the United States since 1982, penetration is still low. This session will discuss the trends in veterinary care and insurance and the growing opportunity for insurance to meet market needs.

• Spending on veterinary services is growing rapidly with current estimates of over $14 billion annually.
• The cost of care overall and for individual routine and surgical visits has approximately doubled in the past decade.
• Pet health insurance provides an increasingly valuable service to help veterinarians and pet owners meet their pet's health care needs.
• While pet health insurance has been available in the United States since 1982, the opportunity for its growth to meet pet owner and veterinary needs has never been greater.

Rich Timpone, Ph.D., Director of Research & Strategy, VPI PET INSURANCE

Dr. Timpone is responsible for consumer, veterinary, and partnership analytics and the integration of this research for fact-based strategic planning for VPI, the largest pet health insurer in the United States.

3:00 Exclusive Pet Industry Survey – What do Retailers Want from Manufacturers and Distributors?

Craig Rexford, Vice President and Publisher, PET BUSINESS, The business resource for pet retailers

3:35 Discovering New Retail Channels: Searching for Opportunities in a Rapidly Evolving Retail Landscape

The battle for distribution and sales of pet products has never been more fierce than it is today. With growth in retailer private label initiatives, vendor consolidation, slower paced purchasing decisions, increased product competition and a difficult economic environment, the time for a diverse distribution plan has never been greater. Pursuing new channels of product distribution should be a permanent part of any pet manufacturer’s long term strategy. During this session, we will discuss the need and benefit to pursue new retail channels and various ways OurPet’s has pursued new opportunities.

5 Reasons To Pursue New Retail Channels:

1. Right Products In The Right Channel
2. Directly Talking To Consumers
3. An Industry Worth Barking At
4. Improved Gross Margins
5. Strengthens Your Overall Business

Scott Fitzhugh, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, OUR PET’S COMPANY

Mr. Fitzhugh has been with Our Pet’s since 2002 and in the role of VP of Sales and Marketing since October 2006.

4:15 The Battle for the Pet Parent – With More Shopping Choices Than Ever, How Do You Turn Pet Parents into Regular Customers?

With growing sales and high margins, everyone wants a piece of the pet industry – especially during these difficult economic times. We will explore how these dynamics have impacted the competitive landscape and how this, in turn, changed how the pet parent shops.

These changes will also have both short and long term impact on:

• Manufactures and retailers relationship
• Retailers relationship to pet parents
• How to turn shoppers into customers

Stan Latacha, Principal, LEaF, THE UN-AGENCY

Mr. Latacha has successfully branded several national retail chains and private label brands within the industry including: Petco, Ashley Furniture, OfficeMax, Sears, Kenmore, Diehard and CopyMax.

5:30 – Wine and Cheese Networking Receptio

7:30 Coffee & Continental Breakfast

8:20 Chairperson’s Recap of Day One

Desiree Lynch, Publisher, Pet Product News International and Veterinary Practice News

8:30 Brand and Channel Strategy -- Keeping Your Customers Happy in a Changing Retail World

The internet has made retail pricing transparent. Retail consolidation means there are fewer chains, each wanting to look different than the store down the street. Major mass retailers want the best selling brands from pet specialty. Specialty retailers need a broad assortment to not look like a mass retailer. Production managers would like to make large runs of a single sku. Marketing managers are used to growing their business through line extensions and want a single brand to promote. Sales managers want to keep customers happy by offering them a controlled brand, or at least one that isn’t available to “the other guy”. These competing interests and the need to reduce inventory costs at all phases of the supply chain make brand and channel strategy more difficult, and more important than ever.

• How strong BRANDS have value to manufactures and retailers alike
• Limiting distribution- giving up sales or increasing perceived value?
• What do I say when the mass channel wants my product?
• When channel or customer exclusives make sense
• What works in one category may not work in another
• If you can’t explain it on an escalator ride, it’s not a channel strategy
• Plan with the end in mind because you can’t un-ring the bell

Shawn Dooley, Vice President, ABSORPTION CORP.

Mr. Dooley started his career with Purina Mills, Inc. He was part of the team that pioneered a new line of flea and tick products and achieved the second highest sales level of any zone in the country in the second smallest market.

9:20 Strategic View of Internet Technologies – What Makes Bottom Line Sense – From Web Site to Social Networking

Profitability in today’s crowded marketplace demands a “full-circle” linking of technology that surrounds the target market. Want to avoid competitive vulnerability? Don’t miss any link! This session explores key elements of your “full-circle” strategy by first identifying your (horizontal and vertical) target markets.

Next, we touch on must-have technology including:

• Account management database profiling
• Customer-centric website
• Strategic email marketing
• Exploiting internet resources including social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, podcasts and webinars

Brand identity, trust, customer attraction, retention, repeat sales and referrals are sustainable with office technology linked with internet resources.

Vicki Lynne Morgan, President, ANIMAL BRANDS

More On Branding Select This Link

10:00 – Networking & Discussion Break

10:20 Human Brands to Pet Brands: How to Get it Right!

Licensing is a marketing method that has been used in other industries for many years to drive sales by communicating to the consumer through a recognized brand. This method is only starting to be used in the pet industry and if done correctly can help launch a new manufacturer or drive new business for current suppliers. Brand licensing can increase excitement and also reduce the marketing dollars needed to make customers choose YOUR product over others on the shelf.

• Case study examples of human branded pet product launches that drove excitement at retail and why
• Case study examples of human branded product launches that failed and how to avoid costly mistakes
• How to decide if human brand and/or licensing is right for your product
• How to acquire a brand or license and the challenges
• Understanding the finances of licensing and the potential impact on your cost and retail price

Adam S. Ertel, Executive Director, New Business and Brand Development, CWIC, INC. and President, ERTEL & ASSOCIATES SALES & MARKETING

Mr. Ertel developed the new Body Glove pet line which was recently featured on CNBC. Previously, he worked with Planet Products, whose pet division was responsible for licensed items including Sesame Street, Cesar Milan, Star Wars

10:55 Tails from the Bark Side – The Adventures of Building a Dog Gone Great Brand!

Estée Lauder, Nike, Apple, Ben and Jerry’s, Camp Bow Wow…. despite being very different businesses, they’ve all been incredibly savvy about building their brands. Now you can be, too!

You already know that your brand isn’t just about your logo, tagline and glossy brochure. But where do you go from there? Entrepreneur Heidi Ganahl has successfully built an extraordinary brand (one coveted by hundreds of franchisees across the country!), and in this engaging presentation she’ll share 5 strategies for developing and implementing a successful, stand-out brand program. Throughout, you’ll benefit from Heidi’s insider tips as she shares her real-life stories about what worked and why, what didn’t work and why, and other lessons learned.

Heidi Ganahl, CEO/Founder aka “Top Dog”
CAMP BOW WOW® and Home Buddies®/D.O.G. Development

Ms. Ganahl opened the first Camp Bow Wow location in Denver, CO, in 2000, and began franchising in 2003. She has not only grown her lifelong passion for dogs into a $40 million business, she has also honored her commitment to the well-being of dogs everywhere through her establishment of the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation.

11:30 When the Generic Animal Health Business is Not So Generic

• How to win when you are not the biggest
• The future of Delivery Systems
• Long Acting Technologies
• Needless Technologies
• Identification Technologies

Vince Palasota, Chief Executive Officer, MED PHARMEX ANIMAL HEALTH

Mr. Palasota began his career with Pfizer Animal Health in 1989 which prepared him for his current position as CEO of Med Pharmex Animal Health.

12:05 Leader of the Pack: How Innovation Can Set You Apart in the Growing Health and Wellness Arena

Darlene Frudakis, President & COO, PETAG, INC.

12:40 Tackling the European Market

Overview of what is happening in the European pet business, and how suppliers must differentiate their approaches in various countries based on pet population, geography, government regulations, consumer behavior, and retailers' policies.

• Pet Specialty vs. Mass Merchants in leading countries; how they differ from their U.S. counterparts
• Managing cross-border chains
• Growth and Opportunities in Eastern Europe
• Supply Chain Structure
• Merchandising Trends
• Reaching the Consumer: trends in advertising and promotion

Leigh Kirtley, Chief Executive Officer, OmniPro Pet Foods Inc.

1:15 – Close of conference

OPTIONAL HANDS-ON INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS

This workshop is an excellent forum for those who have never done business internationally as well as for the global veteran who wants to learn inside tips to saving time and money and how to avert catastrophic mistakes. To begin, you must know exactly what you want and how to make to make sure that is what you get. Through case study examples, our veteran workshop leader will take you through the difficult process so that you are armed with the tools you must have to succeed internationally -- whether you’re importing, exporting or both.

DO YOU WANT TO IMPORT PRODUCTS TO BUILD YOUR BRAND?

• Where do I begin?
• How to find manufacturing partners.
• Government Requirements.
• Shipping Costs.
• Margin needs.
• International help.
• Packaging, printing and design help.

DO YOU WANT TO EXPORT YOUR PRODUCTS OVERSEAS?

• Where do I begin?
• Is my product unique?
• Marketing Strategy.
• Do you need patent protection?
• Which Supply Chain is right for me?
• Margin needs.
• Packaging requirements.

Phil Cooper, President, PINC (PET INCORPORATED LLC)

Mr. Cooper has been in the Pet Industry for 43 years. Prior to founding his own consultancy, he was Vice President of Sales and Shareholder at Bamboo, a division of Munchkin where he grew sales from $1 million to $20 million in three years and gained experience working in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Japan Brazil, U.A.E., Australia, Russia, Indonesia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Malaysia, Tunisia, Taiwan and the UK.. Before that, Mr. Cooper was President of Hydor, where he gained experience in Canada and Mexico.

The pet food and supplement industries continue to follow the growth and direction trends which began in earnest 15-20 years ago. No longer is “complete and balanced” an exciting description for pet foods.

In our workshop, we will discuss the following concepts and terminologies whose definitions are key to understanding pet foods and supplements in today’s market: functionality, health benefits, drug claims, DSHEA, NASC, AAFCO, USDA, FDA, GRAS, natural, holistic, organic, grain free, raw, fresh, complete and balanced, life stage, breed specific, immune system enhancement, hairball control, dental claim, calming effect, joint supplement, breath control, digestive improvement, antioxidants, etc.

The current identifiers and descriptors of today’s pet food varieties…

• Are they regulated by anyone?
• Are they adequate?
• Are they understandable to the consumer?

We will closely examine the role of “functionality”…

• What are “functional” ingredients and/or products?
• Who regulates the use of functional ingredients?
• What kind of research is available to identify the efficacy of these products?
• Why are there different regulations for pet food verses pet supplements?

We’ll also discuss the future of innovative pet foods and supplements…

• What will the regulatory environment look like in the future?
• What’s next in functional and/or healthy ingredients?
• What are the main obstacles to growth?

Martin J. Glinsky, Ph.D. President, SEDONA PET PRODUCTS, INC. Executive Vice President, CHENANGO VALLEY PET FOODS