Joining Glee’s keynote roster in 2017 will be well-known naturalist, film maker, author and co-designer of several award-winning garden wildlife products, Simon King OBE.

Simon will be presenting a special off-one session on Tuesday 12th September (2:10 – 2:30pm within Glee’s seminar theatre, Retail Lab) entitled ‘The Secrets to a Successful Wildlife Garden’. 

Never before has there been such a wide choice of products to help attract and support wildlife in your garden. Whether you have a square metre in the heart of the city or a rambling spread in suburbia, there are a host of interventions you can make to increase both biodiversity and biomass in your home patch. It will be within Simon’s session at Glee that you will be able to learn more about what to look out for and how to make the most of what’s on offer. 

Matthew Mein, Glee Event Director said: “I am so pleased to be able to confirm Simon as our second keynote speaker. His enthusiasm and passion for nature is infectious and I’ve no doubt that he’ll bring a number of exciting ideas to the fore that retailers and suppliers can consider in their future wildlife and associated ranges.”

The theme of nature will also be carried into Glee’s most exciting ever feature – the Retail Lab. One of the ‘Labs’ four sections will focus purely on ‘Re-Wilding’ and how retailers can work with nature to create unique shopping environments. From natural wildlife settings, and planting scheme inspired by the influential Dutch designer, Piet Oudolf, to insect houses, wild flower seeds, and bird feeders, the Re-Wilding trend will offer a fully immersive experience for those wanting to tap into this ever-growing trend.  The area will include a range of products and display ideas that demonstrate how retailers can incorporate the Re-Wilding trend in-store. Look out for a virtual reality pod, and special botanic store, and products linked to sustainability, water-saving and green roofs. 

Full details about the wider Glee seminar schedule, and Retail Lab can be found at https://www.gleebirmingham.com/event-timetable and https://www.gleebirmingham.com/visit/retail-lab-at-glee

Find out more

Glee is the UK’s leading garden retail show, focussing on building year-round profits within core product categories including Garden Care, Outdoor Entertaining, Landscaping and Garden Design, Pet, Home, Gift and Clothing, and Plants. Each year the show attracts thousands of buyers from top retailers, such as leading UK garden centres, builders’ merchants, multiple retailers, and DIY stores. To keep up-to-date on all the latest news log onto www.gleebirmingham.com or call 020 3033 2160 to find out about exhibiting.