28/09/2026
What can we say… and where do we even start?
We are absolutely blown away by Sunday.
Reptile Expo Ireland was everything we hoped it would be and more.
From the beginning, Reptile Expo Ireland was created because we wanted to do something positive for the reptile community in Ireland — to bring people together, support responsible reptile keeping, promote education and knowledge-sharing, give breeders and businesses a platform, and create an event where experienced keepers and people completely new to the hobby could come together under one roof.
Seeing that actually happen on Sunday made all of the work behind the scenes worthwhile.
There are a lot of people who made it possible, so we have quite a few thank-yous to make!
First and foremost, to all of our incredible vendors — thank you.
The standard of the booths was outstanding. From the choice, quality and presentation of the animals, to the incredible displays, artwork, crafts, supplies and everything else on offer, the amount of effort that went into your stands was clear for everyone to see.
Many of you travelled considerable distances to join us, and we genuinely appreciate the time, work and commitment that went into making the journey and being part of the event.
Quite simply, there wouldn't be a Reptile Expo without our vendors. Thank you to every single one of you.
A huge thank you also goes to our sponsors and everyone who contributed their time, knowledge and expertise to the event.
Thank you to Cyril and Zoo Med for their continued support and for spending the day speaking with visitors, answering questions and sharing their knowledge.
Thank you to Palmerstown Veterinary Hospital for supporting the event and being there to speak with reptile keepers throughout the day.
A special thank you to Filipe Martinho of Palmerstown Veterinary Hospital for delivering an excellent educational talk on recognising the early signs of illness in captive reptiles, and for sharing his knowledge and experience with everyone who attended.
And, of course, a huge thank you to Reptile Community for its continued support of Reptile Expo Ireland and its work in providing education, information and a place for reptile keepers to connect, learn and share their knowledge.
Animal welfare is, and always will be, incredibly important to us.
For that reason, we want to give a very special thank you to our welfare team, Debbie and Julian.
Throughout the entire event they kept a close eye on the reptiles, tarantulas and other animals present, helping to ensure that welfare remained a priority throughout the day. It is an incredibly important responsibility, and we are very grateful to both of them for taking it on.
As some of you will know, we also had four awards to present at this year's Expo.
It was important to us that the judging was carried out independently and fairly, so we asked experienced hobbyist Peter Nish to take on what was certainly not an easy job.
Peter took the time to carefully look at the animals entered and carried out the judging independently and professionally. A massive thank you to Peter for giving his time and taking on that responsibility.
We'll be announcing all four award winners in a separate post!
We'd also like to thank everyone who supported and promoted the Expo in the run-up to Sunday — whether you shared our posts, told friends and family, displayed our material or simply helped spread the word. Your support played a huge part in making the day what it was.
Then there are all the people you might not necessarily have seen working behind the scenes.
An event like Reptile Expo Ireland takes an enormous amount of organisation, and we simply couldn't do it without our amazing friends, family and everyone who stepped in to help.
From preparing VIP bags and setting up tables, to managing tickets and queues, moving equipment, helping vendors and taking care of the countless other jobs that appeared throughout the weekend — thank you.
There are far too many individual jobs and people to mention, but every person who helped played a part in making the day happen. We genuinely couldn't have pulled it off without you.
A huge thank you also goes to everyone at SETU Arena for allowing us to bring Reptile Expo Ireland to such a fantastic venue.
Thank you for all of the work behind the scenes, for putting up with our endless emails and messages, and for helping us every step of the way. The venue and its staff were outstanding throughout.
Thank you to our security team too — not only for looking after the event throughout the day, but for being approachable, friendly and taking the time to speak with so many of our visitors.
And finally…
The biggest thank you goes to all of YOU who came through the doors.
Seeing breeders, keepers, businesses, veterinary professionals, artists, families and people completely new to the hobby all together under one roof was exactly what Reptile Expo Ireland was created for.
Seeing people talking, learning, meeting breeders and fellow keepers, asking questions, getting advice, discovering new species, supporting our vendors and leaving with smiles on their faces made all of the work worthwhile.
Whether you travelled from across Ireland or further afield, brought the family, came looking for a new animal, needed supplies, wanted advice, attended the educational talk or simply wanted to spend a day surrounded by people who share your passion — thank you for being part of it.
Sunday showed us what can happen when the reptile community comes together, and the atmosphere you created throughout the day was something very special.
To our vendors, sponsors, speaker, welfare team, judge, venue staff, security, volunteers, friends, family and every single person who attended:
Thank you for making Reptile Expo Ireland the day that it was.
This event was created for the reptile community, and it was the reptile community that made it what it was.
And after a day like Sunday, there's only one thing left to say…
We'll see you all again at Reptile Expo Ireland 2027!
Mat & Jen
Reptile Expo Ireland
