Events and Show


GIMA Awards

Following in the footsteps of Stephen Mangan, Rufus Hound, Tim Vine, Russell Kane and Hal Cruttenden, it has been confirmed that Vernon Kay, star of TV and radio, will host the 39th annual GIMA Awards.

Vernon has had a varied career, starting in the world of modelling before moving into TV with the hugely popular Channel 4 show, T4.  From here, Vernon’s star continued to rise. He presented his own Radio 1 weekend show for six years, before moving to Radio X. ‘Mr Entertainment’, Vernon’s TV CV includes All Star Family Fortunes, Splash!,  ITV’s Beat The Star, Just the Two of Us (…


Purple plants in pots at The Great British Growing Awards

In an exciting move to help build Glee’s ongoing relationships with consumer media and their readers, it has been confirmed that Grow Your Own magazine will once again be bringing its annual Great British Growing Awards to Glee 2019.

Having hosted the ceremony to critical acclaim at Glee 2018, following a move from their previous home at the Edible Gardening Show, the Great British Growing Awards is back! These awards recognise all that is great within the gardening industry – from tool companies, to seed suppliers, garden writers to fruit nurseries and everything in between, as…

Glee 2019

With catering and food sales continuing to offer major add-on profit opportunities for garden centres, leading garden trade show Glee (10th – 12th September, NEC Birmingham), will be offering retailers extensive inspiration at the newly introducedTaste Village.   

This new Taste Village will provide food and catering suppliers - particularly smaller brands, niche suppliers and start-ups - with the opportunity to participate and exhibit as part of a larger group. 

Offering exclusive exhibition packages, exhibitors within the Taste Village will be able to enjoy an enhanced…


Brambles Pet and Wildlife Giveaway Hedgehog Awareness Week logo

Hedgehog Awareness Week runs from 5th – 11th May 2019 and hedgehoggy events are being organised all around the country!

Hedgehog Awareness Week is organised by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and takes place every year.  It aims to highlight the problems hedgehogs face and how you can help them!

Brambles Pet and Wildlife are running daily Facebook giveaways to coincide with Hedgehog Awareness Week, with Brambles Hedgehog Food and other related prizes – it’s our biggest ever campaign with a total retail value of over £700! 

There will be a mixture of…


SOLEX 2019 - Daisies on a green background

The Summer Outdoor Leisure Exhibition or for those in the know SOLEX, will be opening its doors to the most influential buyers from within the garden industry on 9thJuly 2019.  It will be packed full of the freshest designs from 60 LOFA members, with the full A-Z and everything in between that the outdoor and leisure industry has to offer. 


Cici Coleman of TV's First Dates at the Exclusively Housewares show in 2018

The UK's premier showcase of housewares, tabletop and small domestic appliance brands returns in June 2019 as two shows, Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical, take place in London.

These shows guarantee an explosion of new products, the very latest on trend creations and Christmas gifting collections showcased by the 150 plus exhibitors.

Visitors have the unique opportunity to gain an understanding of the very latest styles and trends interpreted for the housewares market by trend experts Scarlet Opus. They will share their predictions for future high street…


Blooming Marvellous! 12 Gardens Around The World Ahead Of The RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Ahead of the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show, the quintessentially British annual celebration of horticulture and floral design which will delight West London from 21st – 25th May 2019, Hills Balfour rounds up spectacular gardens around the world. From Japanese plum gardens and native Hawaiian botanical parks, to the Chilean flora which has inspired a 2019 RHS Chelsea show garden, here are just some destinations not to be missed in bloom…

Glorious gardens in… 
  1.  Chile
  2.  Nashville …

Glee at Spring Fair logo

Exhibitors at second Glee at Spring Fair report high levels of orders as buyers from retail powerhouses and independents flock to NEC to do business

Business was booming at the second annual Glee at Spring Fair, with upbeat exhibitors reporting strong levels of orders and new leads at a key point in the spring sales season.

Buyers from retail powerhouses such as Amazon, John Lewis and Robert Dyas, as well as representatives from garden centres, summer festivals and public events, flocked to Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) on 3-7th February – helping exhibitors…


Matthew Mein, Spring Fair Event Director

As the second annual ‘Glee at Spring Fair’ gets ever closer, the show’s Event Director, Matthew Mein, provides an update on what the industry can expect, and why garden retailers should make the event a ‘must attend’ part of their spring 2019 plans. 

Why Glee at Spring Fair – how does it differ to the September show?

Glee at Spring Fair was introduced in 2018 for one simple reason - Spring Fair is the UK’s number one Home and Gift Fair, with an audience which is already engaged and ready and willing to do business. The exhibition already welcomes a strong…


GCA conference logo

GARDEN centre staff from across the country who attend the GCA's annual conference (January 20 until 23, 2019) can learn how they can become a game changer from guest speaker John Stanley.

The conference will take place at Luton Hoo Hotel, Luton…


Glee at Spring Fair exhibitors reveal plans for the 2019 event

With just weeks to go until the second annual Glee at Spring Fair event (3rd – 7th February, NEC Birmingham) the show’s exhibitors reveal what garden and gift buyers can expect to see from this thriving section of the exhibition.  

Woodlodge, the UK’s leading supplier of garden planters and containers, will be using the show as a second opportunity to showcase its expanded Rustic Garden and Feather ranges of pots and planters. 

Drawing influence from current trends, including the ‘Modern Farmhouse’ trend – considered by Houzz as the biggest interior trend of the last few…


Why garden centres should visit Fordingbridge at Glee 

Following the success of last year’s show, Fordingbridge, the leading specialist design and build contractors of inspiring canopy, walkway and building solutions, will be returning to Glee (10th – 12th September, NEC Birmingham) to demonstrate the benefits of its robust and hardwearing designs to suit a wide range of garden retail environments.

With over 50 years’ experience of building aesthetically pleasing and durable structures for garden centres across the country, Fordingbridge’s sales team will be on hand at the show to give expert advice on bespoke building solutions that…