Disappointed vendors claim they are thousands out of pocket after signing up to a 'disaster' pet show that failed to attract the 20,000 visitors promised. London Pet Show Live 2025, held at Olympia London at the weekend, was hailed by organisers as the 'UK's biggest show for pet lovers', with stall holders attracted by promises of huge numbers coming through the doors.But several vendors have now come forward to say those figures never transpired -with the reality closer to 2,000 attendees, the event space largely left empty, and the atmosphere described as 'dead, dead, dead'.They claim organisers failed to promote the show enough and said many of the visitors who came along to the two-day event, held on September 20 and 21, were not pet owners but rather 'uninterested parents wanting to take their children out for the day'.Celebrity vet Dr Scott Miller was spotted on the main stage giving his talk to 'just two people' and row upon row of empty seats, while social media influencer Travis Nelson and his cat, Sigrid, were taken aback by the lack of visitors turning up to their 'meet and greet'. Several vendors say the lack of footfall meant they were left with unsold stock and sale figures far less than they had projected.In one case, the Daily Mail heard about a retailer who forked out £2,000 for their pitch - but made just £1.50 on their first day.Many have also told how they were buying from each other in an effort to help stem their collective losses. They say they have contacted organisers Elite Events Ltd and the man behind the company, Oscar Von Keysall, but not all had yet received a response from him. Disappointed vendors claim they are thousands out of pocket after signing up to a 'disaster' pet show that failed to attract the 20,000 visitors promised 'A complete failing': One vendor said a lack of marketing meant there were hardly any visitors to the show despite promises of up to 20,000 people through the door Celebrity vet Dr Scott Miller was spotted on the main stage delivering his talk to just two peopleDebra Hagland, founder of Wicked Fudge, said her experience of London Pet Show Live amounted to 'the worst show I've done in 40 years of trading'.The business owner was especially aggrieved that, after signing up for a stall in January, she was told only days before the event she would be 'unable to sell fudge' due to selling restrictions inside the event space.'I received an email saying that I couldn't sell it at the event, I could only give it away for free. Oscar took my booking in January knowing what my business was and that I would have a problem.'She adds that she was told 'repeatedly' that there would be a footfall exceeding 20,000 people, thanks to a large 'media push' promised by Elite Events.'But when it came to it we only had 2,000 people through the event. No marketing, no push, no media. Basically we were lied to.'Ms Hagland paid £800 plus VAT for a 2 x2 sqm space - but only took around £600 over the two days. She revealed that at least half of that amount came from sales to other stallholders.By contrast, the weekend before at a 'brand new event in Kent, in a field, in the middle of nowhere', she took £3,000.The business owner said she had been expecting to take between £5,000 to £6,000 at London Pet Show Live had the audience figures been as promised - and worked 18 hour days 'flat out' in the run-up to the event to boost her stock of hand-made fudge. Ash Harris, co-founder of TinyFriendsUK, which makes hand-made polymer clay pins and key rings, criticised the show during a TikTok review of the event Several companies say the low number of sold tickets meant they were left with unsold stock and sales far less than they expected. Pictured: The event appears almost empty of visitors Several vendors were left shocked by the lack of footfall to the London Pet Show Live 2025, held at Olympia London at the weekend'I don't expect to go to a major show in London and only take £600', she said, adding that other stall holders had told her they were 'thousands' out of pocket after the weekend.'I have never had an experience with an organiser basically being bulls****ed to this level'.Luisa Stravino, founder of PetBuddy, which sells natural and ethically-sourced treats and sustainable toys, said the absence of visitors to the event was obvious - and said 'there was just nobody there'. She said: 'There's just no way they sold 24,000 tickets. It was dead, dead, dead. People were not spending money and when we spoke to the visitors, many said they had been given a free ticket.'We were getting a lot of people saying, "I was given a free ticket on the street, I've not even got a pet, I'm just here because I was walking past and was bored and got given a free ticket."'So even the audience that was there were not the right crowd for this event.' Ms Stravino - who paid £800 plus VAT for her 2 sqm by 3 sqm stall - said she was so disappointed by her sales figure of £153.11 on the first day that she returned to the venue on the Sunday and simply packed up her stall. Other vendors who remained told her that the footfall was 'even worse' on the second day, she claimed. The low numbers at the show made London Olympia's event space look like a 'ghost town' 'You would expect if you've got 24,000 people coming to make, over the course of two days, about £4,000, which is a conservative estimate.'She added: 'It just felt like it had been thrown together with no thought. Everyone's money has been taken.'They were so confident in selling it to us, saying this will be an amazing event, and it was just an absolute s***show.'Ash Harris, co-founder of TinyFriendsUK, which makes hand-made polymer clay pins and key rings, shared his experience on a TikTok video, which has generated more than 9,000 likes since it was uploaded two days ago. He said: 'I've done events at Olympia before - London Film and Comic Con and Hyper Japan. There were queues, but this one - it was dead outside. There was nobody there, it was a disaster. 'They promised 20,000 people - I'm going to be generous and say at the absolute most 3,000.'Ash added: 'I think these people have taken the money and they have gone.' Ash Harris of TinyFriendsUK said of the event: 'It was dead outside. There was nobody there, it was a disaster'Influencer Travis Nelson and his Norwegian forest cat, Sigrid, were among the handful of special guests asked to attend the event - with the keen cyclist telling the Daily Mail he was 'foolish enough' to accept the invitation.The pair became an internet sensation in 2021 after filming and writing a book about their adventures exploring London, with Sigrid taking pride of place in the bicycle's front basket.American-born Mr Nelson, who has 384,000 followers on his Instagram account with his feline friend, said he was approached by Mr Keysall to attend the event and was offered a free stall in lieu of payment where he could sell copies of his book, Sigrid Rides.He did however have to rent a table and chairs for £100 and also had to purchase his own insurance, putting his costs at £150 overall before the event.Like other vendors, Mr Nelson was told 'up to 20,000 people' would be attending - but his experience at the event was very different.'On the Saturday, so few people came. For comparison, I went to The Cat Show Live at NEC Birmingham the week prior, and I sold my entire inventory of 50 books before lunchtime. 'But for the entire day at London Pet Show Live, including a public talk and a book signing, I sold just 10 books. 'I gave my talk in the Literary Quarter - and the first two rows were empty. There were a few people sitting in the back. There was just no one there. Organisers of London Pet Show Live admitted in a statement: 'We recognise that numbers did fall short of expectations''I was completely shocked. I almost hired an assistant to come, because normally it's so busy signing and selling books - but instead I found myself sitting and looking at my phone or walking around and talking to other vendors, because there was just no one there.'Of the visitors who came along to the show, Mr Nelson said the 'majority' were 'people having a day out with their children' and they were 'completely uninterested' in speaking to him about his unusual story.He said the general feeling among vendors was that they were 'inexperienced' and felt 'nervous' they might lose the money they had invested into the event, because the footfall was so quiet. 'I feel lucky that I was only £150 out of pocket, but I feel terrible for all these vendors who are out by a lot of money. I think its awful for them.'My wife thought it was a scam because there was a lot of nickel and diming. 'There was a photographer who paid £960 for one electrical outlet for the weekend. Everything seemed to be set up to extract money from the people there, and it did not seem to be in our favor.'But I said I was gonna be there, so I followed it through. Influencer Travis Nelson said he was 'shocked' by how few people turned up to the event. Pictured: His cat Sigrid awaiting visitors to their stall Travis Nelson and his Norwegian forest cat, Sigrid, were among the handful of influencers asked to attend the event - with the keen cyclist telling the Daily Mail he was 'foolish enough' to accept the invitation'I would say is that if you are attending a trade show or convention, you need to do your diligence. They have a lot of marketing material, they make a lot of promises, but that doesn't mean that it's gonna happen or that it's legitimate.'That's the lesson I've taken from this.'Lily Bewick, founding owner of Bew Dogs, which sells stylish accessories for pets, revealed she was 'close to tears when we realised what a failing it was'.The small business owner and her husband paid £800 plus VAT for a 2x3 sqm space - but made just eight sales on the Saturday totalling £185. She revealed that six of these were to other vendors and one to an influencer, meaning only one sale was made to a ticket holding guest.Ms Bewick told the Daily Mail: 'We have been massively left out of pocket. Add in fuel, parking, food and childcare, it's probably about £1,000 loss for us - when we were relying on a few thousand in takings to pay our bills. 'That's without factoring in the work put in to get ready for the show. We know that what was delivered is not what was promised. 'The exhibitor promotional materials stated at least 20,000 guests across the two days. But the footfall was atrocious, there was hardly anyone there, and stands were empty most of the day.'She added the organiser had been in touch by email and they are 'waiting and hoping for a refund on the stand fees' - but she remains concerned that as a small family-run business they might not be able to pay their bills this month. Independent pet supplies business Minipetz was also disappointed by their experience after taking a small stand at the show.Owner Emma Teader said she took just under £800 over the weekend, but lost more than £1,000 overall after factoring in her accommodation, parking and loss of normal working hours.She said she has been left feeling 'devastated' and that it had been a 'make or break' show for her business, which has been struggling amid rising costs.Emma said: 'It is difficult to understand how a show like this could have gone so wrong when what was sold to us was huge. Many of us have been to other big pet shows, we know how it works, but none of us could have predicted how badly this could have gone. 'It must at the very least have been incompetence, laziness or negligence. Did they just have a blind hope that it would be successful without doing any marketing? 'We were certainly sold something that wasn't real, so I would call it a scam.' In an email seen by the Daily Mail, Oscar Von Keysall, director of Elite Events Live Ltd, apologised to disappointed exhibitors - but stopped short of offering any refunds.He wrote: 'On behalf of London Pet Show Live and Elite Events Live Ltd, I would like to extend our deepest apologies for the disappointment and frustration you experienced at this year's event.'We recognise the time, money and effort you invested, and we are sincerely sorry that the show did not deliver on the expectations that you expected.'Mr Keysall went on to say that the 20,000 figure quoted to vendors were 'anticipated numbers' and 'never a guaranteed figure'.He said: 'We accept that for a launch show these figures were too optimistic and not sufficiently caveated. 'The figures presented were based on external advice, past precedent and genuine belief in what could be achieved. While the outcome fell far short, there was no intent to mislead.' The statement added: 'We know words cannot undo the financial or emotional impact this year's event has caused. What we can do is own our mistakes, learn from them and ensure they are not repeated.'Mr Keysall said exhibitors who raised concerns would be offered a 'heavily discounted' stand package for 2026, a formal written apology and 'guarantee of full transparency of attendance figures, marketing spend and campaign activity.'A spokesperson at Elite Events Live Ltd, said: 'London Pet Show Live was a launch event at Olympia and, while thousands of visitors attended across the weekend, we recognise that numbers did fall short of expectations set during pre-event communications. 'We fully acknowledge the disappointment this has caused for some exhibitors.'We are already in direct dialogue with exhibitors to address their concerns individually and are working closely with our finance team and partners to explore potential remedies. Every exhibitor will receive a response.'This was a first-year event, and like many launch shows, there are important lessons to learn. 'We are conducting a full review of our marketing, communications, and operational planning to ensure future shows deliver more effectively for both visitors and exhibitors.'We take this feedback very seriously. Our priority now is to rebuild trust, respond transparently to those affected, and ensure the long-term success of the show.'