Trio heralding start of new season

As many as three fairs wholly or partly geared to the garden trade mark the lead-up to the new season at the beginning of the year in Germany. The gardening year kicks off with IPM Essen, closely followed in late January by the presentation at Christmasworld of the trends for the festivities that are still eleven months distant. Then comes Ambiente in mid-February, with coverage of the entire consumer goods industry. The main categories here of relevance to the garden sector are décor and boutique items, dried flowers and garden furniture. The three different events did not prove to be consistent right across the board in terms of exhibitor and visitor numbers. However, a positive picture is revealed if these are taken as an indicator of the general mood throughout the sector. IPM, the international plant fair held in Essen, Germany, attracted some 60 000 visitors, the same as last year. The number of exhibitors was up by 20 per cent to a total of 1 517; they came from 46 countries. The organisers report a considerable increase in ordering activity, having ascertained from a survey that 35 per cent of the visitors put in orders directly at the fair. The good rating given by the fair visitors who participated in a survey on the economic situation in the sector also reflected this: 88.4 per cent of respondents see the economic prospects in their industry in a positive light, slightly up on a comparable survey last year. Jürgen Mertz, president of the Zentralverband Gartenbau (Central Horticultural Association), the conceptual sponsor of the IPM, spoke of the encouraging “openness of the exhibitors, partners and trade visitors in the dialogue with each other.” In particular he emphasised the opportunities that the international character of the event offered to participants: “The outstanding success of IPM 2013 is characterised by its international spirit: here important networks were strengthened once again and impressive technical and product innovations were launched.” Next year’s dates: 28 – 31 January 2014. A total of 2 967 exhibitors from 66 countries (2012: 2 963) were on display at the Paperworld, Creativeworld and Christmasworld consumer goods fairs in Frankfurt am Main. The number of visitors totalled 83 206, which was 3.9 per cent down on the previous year. However, “in view of economic developments in the areas of paper, office supplies and stationery, craft and artists’ supplies, plus decorative products and festive decoration”, Messe Frankfurt…