Numbers stable at this year’s Spoga+Gafa event

Some of the big names were indeed missing at this year’s Spoga+Gafa event in Cologne, Germany – and yet this is still the place where the gardening trends are set. The balcony, for example, is one such trend: a theme that is now more than visible on a broad front in the ranges of products offered by the suppliers. Whereas the balcony enthusiasts have at long last discovered the fair for themselves, the machinery specialists seem to be neglecting it. Refusals to participate in the core gardening and landscaping categories such as growing media and plant care were also noted with a critical eye. Nonetheless, the numbers have remained stable. The attendance figures show 36 300 trade visitors from 103 countries, exactly as many as one year previously. The proportion of foreign visitors came to 58 per cent. The number of exhibitors rose by eleven per cent to 1 975, with 81 per cent of the total coming from abroad. Representatives of the retail sector were emphatic about the significance of the garden trade fair for their business. They include John Herbert, general secretary of EDRA, the European DIY Retail Association, who reported that more than 90 top international buyers attended the event. As he said, “The feedback from our members has been consistently positive. The high level of internationality and the quality of the trade visitors were particularly striking.”Download: