A business from Wales specialising in pet cleaning products has spoken about their experience at the London Pet Show Live which left them thousands of pounds out of pocket due to a lack of attendees. Police are investigating a number of fraud reports in relation to the event.
The London Pet Show 2025 event was held in London on September 20 and 21 at Olympia, and had been sold to vendors as a successful event which was expected to attract 50,000 visitors. But it is alleged that barely 2,000 people attended the event, many of whom were said to not even own a dog.
Katie Perkins, marketing manager at Nilaqua Pets, based in Clydach, Swansea, was among the vendors who were sold a pitch at London Pet Show live, and the experience left her feeling underwhelmed.
When the event opened, there were merely a percentage of visitors promised, with the venue only holding a 5,000 capacity.
Dogs were not allowed to attend the events, and many customers who did attend did not even own a dog.
She said: “We have done many a show, we understand there’s good shows and bad shows. Whatever we provide may not be of interest to attendees. Just from the sheer volume it wasn’t just us, everyone was in the same boat due to the lack of people there. When I was speaking to people, there were those red flags…
“It’s just the distrust, personally I feel absolutely gutted that we put so much time and effort into it. It’s not just turning up on the day, planning is involved, marketing, producing enough product and marketing materials alone, and travelling and staying up there and the time involved and the effort.
“To think someone might have thought this was a way to make a quick bit of cash. It’s heart wrenching that somebody could do that to so many small businesses.”
The event was organised by Elite Events Ltd, run by Oscar Von Keysall. Following the event, a number of fraud reports were made by vendors, and a police investigation is currently ongoing.
According to Companies House, Elite Events Ltd is said to be in Liquidation and Mr Keysall has not responded to request for comment.
Nilaqua Pets, is part of Waterless Ltd, set up in 2009 and is owned by brother and sister Jessica and Victor Efford.
Katie said she believes the business is in a lucky position as they are established and did not invest as much as other vendors at the show.
She said: “We’re very lucky in some respects, it’s not going to make or break our business. We’re financially in a position, we’re not going to be shutting the doors because of it but it’s a big dent.
“It’s the fact that what we do at these shows, we never go to them to make lots of money, we do it for awareness and to get the brand out there. We’re trying to cover our costs and what we make we put back into doing other events.
“We have had to scale back and reevaluate what we’re able to do. We are one of the luckier ones. Our stance, whilst we are £2,200 down there are others who are £5,000 or £6,000 down because they paid for a bigger stand.
“We’ve resigned ourselves to the fact we’re not going to get compensation back, it’s more about the justice.”
Attempts were made to contact Oscar Von Keysall but he has not responded.
A spokesperson from Thames Valley Police said: “Thames Valley Police are aware of a number of fraud reports that have been made in relation to the London Pet Show Live 2025. We are currently reviewing the circumstances around these reports.”
“Should anyone be a victim of fraud, all reports should be recorded direct to Action Fraud”.
Speaking to Mail Online, 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.”
