More plants

How would the plant marketing company Landgard’s hard work pay off at this year’s Spoga+Gafa? Would the trade fair be greener? Would more visitors come to Cologne as a result?
With so many questions being asked in the background, the world’s leading garden and leisure trade fair got underway from 31 August to 2 September 2014. In the past the organisers had been criticised that for a garden fair, there had been far too few plants on offer. At the end of the day, there were not more visitors, but according to Koelnmesse the number was 36 800, exactly the same as the previous year. In contrast, the number of exhibitors with 2 012 vendors from 56 countries was up by 10.7 per cent.
The increase was partly due to the German marketing organisation Landgard, which held its autumn ordering days for the first time in the framework of the garden trade fair together with its affiliated horticultural companies. In Hall 7, tree nursery products, potted and indoor plants, solitary trees, seasonal products for Halloween and for remembrance days, as well as convenience goods were shown on an area of 12 000m2. Almost 100 horticultural companies presented their goods as exhibitors.

In a first statement made by Landgard, the company reported a positive result. “The customers’ buyers from the garden centre and DIY industry heartily welcomed the appearance of Landgard’s plant ordering days”, explained Franz-Willi Honnen, CEO of Landgard Blumen & Pflanzen GmbH. The order days will also be a part of the trade fair in 2015.
Positive feedback was also received from target customers. The German Garden Centre Assocaition (VDG) spoke of a “spirit of optimism”.
The high level of international exhibitors was underlined by John Herbert, CEO of the European DIY Store Association Edra: “ We have never before welcomed so many foreign buyers at the Spoga + Gafa as in this year” he said and also added: “The innovations that were shown, in combination with the high quality of visitors ensure that the Spoga +Gafa is an international industry meeting point, although it would be desirable to see the presence of the big brand names, who have been missing so far, especially for the overseas visitors”.
In general there has been a shift in the visitor structure across the countries, explained Katharina C. Hamma…