The trade show season for 2018 is gearing up and promises to be a lucrative time for garden centre traders, with sales to make and people to meet. Here, we look at a selection of the big trade shows and highlight the speakers and exhibitors which we think are must-sees. We at Garden Trade Specialist also look forward to meeting you at some of the shows!

The UK’s premier landscaping exhibition is less than a month away - have you registered yet? 

Hall 12 on the 3rd & 4th November at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham - Make sure it's in your diary! 

The LANDSCAPE Show provides the first in-person opportunity to reconnect
with others in the industry! LANDSCAPE welcomes exhibitors with a vast collection of leading products, services and innovations for the design, build and management of exterior and interior landscape projects. 

Scruffs® will be located on Hall 9, Stand A70-B71 at Spring Fair between the 2nd – 6th February 2020. The show is located at the NEC in Birmingham.

As the company enters is fifteenth year of trading, it is expected to launch several new product lines and potential retail display solutions over the coming months.

Spring Fair is the UK’s all-encompassing sourcing marketplace - facilitating connections between retailers, exhibitors and marketers. We offer certainty that only scale can provide. Encompassing 16 carefully edited show sectors, including the co-located Jewellery & Watch, Spring Fair showcases the best products, launches and inspiration that 2,500 UK and international exhibitors have to offer.

With its popular Bulb Festival now in full swing, Haskins wants to encourage gardeners to celebrate and showcase the fanfare of colours which can be achieved through bulb planting.

Haskins’ Bulb Festival continues across all four garden centres until Sunday November 17. There are more than 250 bulb varieties on sale, with a focus on British-grown bulbs. Of all the varieties on sale, 24 are UK-grown and include a selection of rare and unusual bulbs.

Alasdair Urquhart, Haskins’ in-house plant expert, commented: “Our Bulb Festival aims to highlight how easy it is to create a gorgeous garden through planting bulbs. We’d like to remind our customers that September is the perfect time to be planting bulbs for a vibrant colour display in spring. Planning for spring colour isn’t something that should be left until the last minute; if you’re able to plan ahead and plant now, you’ll reap the rewards next year.”

Retailers seeking products of the future and the latest in-store merchandising ideas need look no further than the Retail Lab at Glee. Now in its third year, this inspirational feature area, in association with the Horticultural Trades Association, is bursting with ideas. In fact, 61% of Glee’s visitors say they will attend Glee 2019 as a result of seeing the Retail Lab last year. Here, we meet one of the sponsors of this year’s feature – the German pot, container and plant accessories manufacturer Scheurich, which is eager to demonstrate its latest creations when the Retail Lab throws open its doors.

When it comes to stylish pots and plant accessories, Scheurich is a household name for both garden centre buyers and consumers alike. The Retail Lab at Glee holds strong appeal for Scheurich, as it is a repeat sponsor. The company’s Sales Director, Peter Taylor explains why: “Scheurich has chosen again to sponsor the Retail lab as it shares the same forward-thinking strategy, strongly focusing attention on innovation and customer story-telling, as well as capturing and inspiring the fast developing 'social consumer' in their quest to achieve the right look.”

As garden retailing continues to thrive, with double digit year-on-year growth, the future for our industry continues to look bright. One place where this optimism will shine through will be the forthcoming Glee exhibition (10th – 12th September, NEC Birmingham), where 550 plus suppliers will join with 7,000 UK and international key decision makers, buyers and trend setters, to showcase the future of gardening.  

Matthew Mein, Glee’s Event Director, said: “The market is reporting a strong start to the 2019 season, with sales up 37% year-on-year. A combination of good weather, and consumers retreating to their homes in a time of economic uncertainty, has paid dividends for our industry. As such we move into the 2019 event with a sense of excitement regarding the future development and growth of our sector. From an engaged audience, the potential of the ‘millennial pound’, new tech hitting the market, and a wealth of existing ranges continuing to hit the mark, Glee 2019 will be a thriving hub for the garden retail market, offering unrivalled value for both suppliers and visitors.”