Contractors and suppliers of a ‘disaster’ pet show in London – that was widely lambasted after failing to attract the 20,000 visitors promised – are claiming the event organiser has now ‘vanished’ and left £200,000 in unpaid bills.
London Pet Show Live 2025, held at Olympia London last month, 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.
Daily Mail previously reported how several vendors came 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 claimed the two-day event, held on September 20 and 21, was a huge marketing failure and that organisers Elite Events Ltd had not sufficiently promoted the show.
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, who appeared with his cat, Sigrid, was taken aback by the lack of visitors turning up to their ‘meet and greet’.
Vendors were also disappointed to learn the event was not actually ‘pet-friendly’ – and members of the public were barred from bringing their dogs in with them.
At the time, Elite Events issued a statement saying it had taken the feedback ‘very seriously’, adding ‘our priority now is to rebuild trust, respond transparently to those affected, and ensure the long-term success of the show’.
But within days of Daily Mail publishing the story, the man behind the company, Oscar Von Keysall, ‘disappeared and ceased all communication’. At the time of publication, it is also understood insolvency practitioners have been appointed to begin the process of liquidation.
Contractors and suppliers of the ‘disaster’ London Pet Show Live are claiming event organiser Oscar Von Keysall has ‘vanished’ and left £200,000 in unpaid bills
Celebrity vet Dr Scott Miller was spotted on the main stage at last month’s event delivering his talk to just two people
Daily Mail previously reported how several vendors reported the event space was largely left empty, while the atmosphere was described as ‘dead, dead, dead’
A contractor employed as the show’s event manager claims Mr Von Keysall, of Ascot, Berkshire, has ‘left us high and dry’ with ‘hundreds of thousands’ of still owing in unpaid bills.
Thames Valley Police has confirmed it is now reviewing ‘a number of fraud reports’ relating to the show, while a ‘concern for welfare’ investigation has been opened into the whereabouts of the 62-year-old businessman.
Daily Mail can reveal Mr Von Keysall is a convicted fraudster, having previously pleaded guilty to five offences of ‘misleading and deceiving advertisers’ while running a publishing company in 2010.
Jay Jones, who was employed as Mr Von Keysall’s event manager and ‘right-hand man’, said the situation has left him feeling ‘angry and insulted’.
The contractor, who is the founder and director of Lahat Creative, a full-service agency for PR, marketing and events, said he is still owed £20,000 for his work – and fears he will not be able to pay his mortgage this month ‘or next’.
He explained that dozens of other suppliers and contractors are also owed money for everything from providing catering and furniture, to staffing, rigging and marketing for London Pet Show Live – and estimates the overall total could be ‘up to £200,000’.
Mr Jones said he worked on the operational aspects of the show – and not sales or financials – but was asked to step in by Mr Von Keysall after the show to handle the PR and complaints that came flooding in from disappointed vendors.
Many complained they had bought a stall on the basis of there being 20,000 or more visitors to the door – but only a fraction of that turned up.
‘What we quickly learned was that Oscar had lied,’ said Mr Jones. ‘He knowingly mis-sold stand spaces to the vendors based on a previous show and with the expectation of taking over the whole capacity of Olympia.’
A contractor employed as the show’s event manager claims Mr Von Keysall (pictured at the event last month), of Ascot, Berkshire, has ‘left us high and dry’
Many vendors complained they had bought a stall on the basis of there being 20,000 or more visitors to the door – but only a fraction of that turned up. Pictured: A page from the show’s media pack which touted the ‘20,000 visitor’ estimate
Jay Jones, who was employed as Mr Von Keysall’s event manager and ‘right-hand man’, said the situation has left him feeling ‘angry and insulted’
Daily Mail visited the registered business address, which is also a residence in Ascot, Berkshire, and discovered it is on the market for £650,000 with ‘no onward chain’
According to the contractor, Mr Von Keysall had used projections based on earlier plans to use Olympia’s larger Grand Hall – ‘but this space was never actually secured’. Instead the show was held in the smaller capacity National Hall, which can hold up to 5,000 attendees.
He also claims Mr Von Keysall failed to take on advice regarding the marketing of the show, leading to poor ticket sales in the run-up to the event.
Mr Jones continued: ‘He’s left me close to £20,000 out of pocket and up to £200,000 for other suppliers.
‘That includes the exhibitors, influencers, marketing, you know, everyone involved with the show. We are talking about hundreds and thousands of pounds owed to everyone. He literally screwed us all over.
‘I actually can’t afford my mortgage this month because of him.’
Mr Jones said he was first brought on board through a recruiter last December, with the pair working to ‘pull the show together based on Oscar’s vision’.
He described the businessman as ‘a charismatic and passionate person,’ but said his personality was very changeable.
‘Oscar would change quite dramatically depending on the information you would tell him. On occasion he could become quite shouty, aggressive and threatening, in emails, texts, and during meetings.
Mr Von Keysall was the subject of a fraud investigation by Westminster Council in 2010 and he later pleaded guilty to five offences
‘It seemed he wanted this show to be a success no matter what, but would challenge the data we presented to him.’
Mr Jones said he believes Oscar initially ‘went in with the mentality of delivering a genuine show,’ but when problems arose he ‘took the coward’s way out’.
He said: ‘When things started becoming issues, I think he just ran and left us to deal with it.
‘If you are going to scam people, this is not the way you would do it by involving hundreds, if not thousands of people in such a public event.
‘But when he realised things were not achievable, he took the coward’s way out. He has left us all high and dry.
‘I’m angry and infuriated. He owes me near enough £20,000, including expenses.
‘That’s a year salary for some people and he’s left me to deal with the fallout.’
Content and marketing agency Newhall Publishing revealed the company had suffered similar losses after being employed to produce a show guide and goody bags for the event.
Thames Valley Police has confirmed it is looking into ‘a number’ of claims that have come forward since the show, as well as searching for the whereabouts of Mr Von Keysall
Managing director Richard Woolliams said he believed the show overall had ‘interesting content and household names’ and that ‘it had the foundations to grow into an annual fixture on the pet show calendar’.
However, he added the lack of footfall had resulted in ‘loss of income to Newhall’.
In a statement, the company said: ‘Newhall Publishing was engaged by Elite Events Limited to produce 3,000 London Pet Show Live event Show Guides and supply 2,000 branded “goody” bags.
‘Newhall fulfilled their obligations by producing an engaging and informative Show Guide, which included the show highlights, exclusive expert interviews and full daily timetables, together with a full exhibitor listing.
‘The branded “goody” bag included the Show Guide and a number of additional items. Due to a low footfall, and in order to ensure maximum exposure for sponsors and advertisers, the decision was taken, in consultation with the organisers, to give the Show Guide and “goody” bag away free to visitors.
‘All 3,000 Show Guides and 2,000 “goody” bags were distributed. This did result in loss of income to Newhall.’
Mr Woolliams said Mr Von Keysall had not responded to Newhall Publishing since the event.
Vendors are also reeling at the news they are unlikely to receive any part or full refunds from the show.
Mr Von Keysall is listed on Companies House as the director of nine dissolved companies between 1995 and 2012
Disappointed vendors claim they are thousands out of pocket after signing up to the ‘disaster’ pet show that failed to attract the 20,000 visitors promised
Lily Bewick, founding owner of Bew Dogs, which sells stylish accessories for pets, previously 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 2×3 sqm space – but made just eight sales on the first day of the show 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.’
She said that family members had stepped in to help financially and called the situation ‘devastating’.
Ms Bewick added: ‘This is by far the worst show we’ve ever done.
‘We paid a lot of money for us, but a small amount compared to others, who paid thousands for their stalls. It’s hard to fathom that there’s been all this income from the vendors and sponsors, but no-one has been paid.
‘I’m just shocked and disgusted that anyone could do this to people’.
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
Luisa Stravino, founder of PetBuddy, which sells natural and ethically-sourced treats and sustainable toys, paid £800 plus VAT for her 2 sqm by 3 sqm stall – and was so disappointed by her sales figure of £153.11 on the first day that she returned to the venue on the Sunday to pack up.
She told Daily Mail: ‘The potential loss for us is absolutely massive. It wasn’t just losing £1,000, it was also losing out on potentially a huge customer base.
‘Literally nobody bought from us at the event, because there were no visitors.
‘From that perspective we are all out of pocket hugely. Some smaller businesses will struggle to recover from this – and I know some vendors who paid £5,000 for their stall so it’s had a big impact on them.
‘I hope it catches up with him and Oscar is brought to justice. Some businesses will go under because of what he’s done.’
Elite Events Live Limited is still listed as ‘active’ on Companies House, but the confirmation statement – which verifies that details for the business are up to date – is now showing as overdue by more than a month.
According to Companies House, failure to file a confirmation statement is a criminal offence and can result in fines, the company being struck off and enforcement proceedings.
Daily Mail visited the registered business address, which is also a residential property in Ascot, Berkshire, and found it appearing to be unoccupied.
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 last month
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 at the show last month
According to a local resident, the property has been ‘on and off’ the market since last summer, with a new estate agent instructed just within the last week.
The ‘remarkably spacious’ four-bed semi-detached home has been listed for £650,000 with ‘no onward chain’.
Thames Valley Police has confirmed it is looking into ‘a number’ of claims that have come forward since the show.
A spokesperson 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.’
A further look into Mr Von Keysall’s past dealings reveal a murkier side to the businessman, who was once lauded in a press release as having ‘a proven track record of success in terms of sales, leadership and results’ and decades of experience.
Over the years, the veteran salesman has gone by a number of slight variations to his name: Oscar Von Keysall, Oscar Von Keys and Oskar Keysell.
Under the latter, he is listed on Companies House as the director of nine dissolved companies between 1995 and 2012.
Three businesses were the subject of a compulsory strike-off, four were voluntary and another two were dissolved following liquidation.
One of them, Elite Publishing Limited, owed almost £335,000 to unsecured creditors at the point of winding up, according to documents.
Elite Publishing and Mr Von Keysall (operating under Oskar Keysell) were also the subject of an investigation by Westminster Council under the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 and the Fraud Act 2006.
In March 2010, Mr Von Keysall pleaded guilty in court to five offences and was fined £,1500 for each offence. He was also ordered to pay costs of £7,500, Westminster Council confirmed.
Daily Mail has not received response from Mr Von Keysall for comment.
