NEW YORK — Kinship, a division of Mars Petcare, will host its first ever pet industry summit, Coalition, Sept. 22-23 in New York City.

The event was initially scheduled May 6-7 at Union West in Manhattan but, following a state of emergency declared by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in New York and various other concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Kinship has decided to postpone the event.

People who have already registered for Coalition have been registered for the new dates automatically, according to Kinship. The organization urged attendees and industry members to continue checking the Coalition by Kinship website for further updates. 

The company expects hundreds of pet professionals to attend and discuss “The Future of Pet Care,” a topic that will span product development, retail, financing, animal welfare, CBD, sustainability, benefits of the human-animal bond, content creation and several other areas.

Several top industry players were invited speak at the event, including Anne Carlson, founder and CEO of Jiminy’s; Jane Wakely, lead chief marketing officer of Mars, Incorporated; Loic Moutault, president at Royal Canin; Matt Michaelson, co-founder and chief executive officer of Smalls; Ryan Bethencourt, co-founder and CEO of Wild Earth; and Aimee Gilbreath, executive director of Michelson Found Animals Foundation, to name a few.

Kinship stated that it is currently working with speakers and panelists to determine their availability with the new dates.

Topics of discussion may include “Innovation, Opportunity and the Future of Pet Care,” the positives of personalization in pet health, current trends affecting retail, developing relevant pet content, “The Evolution of Digitally Native Vertical Brands,” economic impacts and opportunities, brand building, women in the pet industry, the future of pet diagnostics, sustainability, the concept of universal pet healthcare, “The Economics of Mutuality,” and a LEAP Venture Studio demo presentation.

Lunch will be provided both days, and a cocktail hour will be held for networking.

This agenda could change based on the availability of participants and speakers following the event's postponement. 

Kinship was first launched in April 2019. The business supports several pet industry startups in the pet science, health care and nutrition spaces through its in-house startup studio, data and analytic capabilities, venture capital and cutting-edge technologies.

Stay tuned for details about the new date of Coalition by Kinship. Read more about the inaugural pet industry summit and learn how to register at www.coalitionbykinship.com.

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