Past Events
With 70 companies exhibiting and 215 gardening journalists attending, 2011 was undoubtedly the best Garden Press Event so far. All the top companies were there and for time-pressed gardening writers, broadcasters and photographers, it provided an invaluable opportunity to meet the key people as well as see the best new plants and products for the coming year.
This year's innovations included a new product area, the Innovation Zone, highlighting the most exciting new ideas for the year. Craftily positioned near to the refreshments, this attracted much attention as well as raising £1,500 for Greenfingers. The Horticultural Trades Association, most generously, added an extra £500 to this total, by way of 10 of its new £50 gift vouchers, so the charity is delighted to be benefiting by at least £2,000 from the one-day event!
Congratulations to Uniquevents for organising the day. This small exhibition company deserves wider recognition in our industry for its cost-effective ability to build anything from a one-off exhibition stand to organising an entire event such as this. The Garden Press Event may not have the glamour or the multi-million pound budget of an RHS show but, in my opinion, is just as essential for all of us in the gardening media. In fact, in some ways it's even better - you get more stories, can network better and, what's more, you don't have to pay for your lunch!
Richard Jackson
Greenfingers Chairman
"It is the second time we have exhibited here and it was much busier than last year. The grow your own theme has really taken hold."
Stephanie Harrod, Harrod Horticultural
"It is our first time here and the stand has been buzzing with activity and interest in our firepits. We have been talking nonstop, with lots of enquiries, some from landscapers."
Emma Ross, Firepits UK
"This year's Garden Press Event was thoroughly enjoyable and immensely useful to Fiskars. This level of access to so many journalists is fantastic; the changes and improvements we're making to both Fiskars tools and the Sankey brands have been very well received. It's great to be able to talk, face to face with so many key people in the industry.
I'd like to add that the event was extremely well organised and coupled with the relaxed atmosphere made the show set up and breakdown much more bearable than most of the events we go to!"
Lucy Hose, Customer Marketing Manager Fiskars UK Ltd
The Vital Earth stand was busy throughout the day, which was excellent. The peat-free compost company was showing Vitaliser, the first plant food to be made, like the composts, from recycled green waste, so that excited considerable interest as did the ever popular 'Chicken Poo', sourced from free range hens. So there was plenty to talk about. Vital Earth has exhibited at The Garden Press Event from the show's inception to build its consumer profile and probably the best testament to its role in the company's growth came when one of the lifestyle magazines said "We've watched you at this event year on year and it's great to see how you've built Vital Earth into a proper, leading brand."
Kate Newton, Brookes & Co, PR for Vital Earth
Just a brief note to thank you for your help with our first appearance at the Garden Press Event, we were delighted at the number and calibre of the people who attended and I can't think of a more efficient way of introducing our range to key writers and observers in the Gardening Press. I would like to add we found your team including stand builders and electricians to be very helpful.
Jane Vere-Hodge, Managing Director, Nether Wallop Trading Co Ltd
Links
www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk
www.gardenmediaguild.co.uk
