Brompton Bicycle CEO and EFSA chair join HTA Garden Futures Programme
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Will Butler-Adams OBE from Brompton Bicycle and Ronald Van Veen from the European Floral and Lifestyle Product Suppliers (EFSA) have been unveiled as the latest speakers to join the programme for the HTA Garden Futures Conference.
The conference and dinner take place on Wednesday 30 September at Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire. The theme for this year’s conference, sponsored by Hozelock and Scotts Miracle-Gro, is ‘Embracing Change’.
The event brings together key players in the garden industry to consider cutting-edge practices and ideas from business leaders and experts. Alongside hard hitting business-focused content, the conference and dinner provide the perfect opportunity for networking with the leading figures in the business.
Book now to benefit from the Early Bird Rate that ends on 28 August.
Providing inspiration from outside the industry, Brompton Bicycle CEO Will Butler-Adams OBE, is an entrepreneur and keynote speaker with truly impressive business knowledge. Along with founder and inventor Andrew Richie, Will has taken the company from a cottage industry to a rapidly growing international brand – by combining expert engineering with a genuine passion for the product. Even in the current economic climate, Brompton Bicycle is enjoying exponential growth with over 40,000 folding bikes each year from their UK factory.
Ever-increasing digitalisation and globalisation leads to significant changes in consumer behaviour and distribution channels. In order to stay ahead of the game, retailers as well as producers must be aware and able to react on these changes. Ronald van Veen, Chairman of EFSA, will provide information on upcoming trends and explain how his own company EDELMAN BV benefits from the trend forecasts and other initiatives that EFSA launches for its members.
Other conference speakers include:
- Simon Jack, business and economics presenter for Radio 4’s Today Programme
- Dennis Reid, from Retail Performance Specialists
- Echo Lu, Managing Director of Homebase
- David Domoney, TV gardener and broadcaster
- Chris Collins, landscaper and former Blue Peter gardener
- Simon Davies, Group Marketing Director for Hozelock
- Barry Page, CEO for Town & Country
A panel session, chaired by Matthew Appleby of Horticulture Week, will be about what the changing landscape means for garden retail. Panellists include Matthew Bent, Managing Director of Bents Garden & Home, Sam Bosworth Director of Choice Marketing and Julian Winfield, Chief Executive of Haskins Garden Centres.
Alongside high quality content the conference and dinner provide plenty of opportunity for networking with key players from across the industry. The dinner will include the presentation of HTA Pearson Medal, an update on Greenfingers and Garden Re-Leaf Day and also The GTN Greatest Garden Centre Team Awards.
This year’s after dinner speaker is former BBC senior weatherman Bill Giles OBE who will provide an insightful and entertaining look at the subject that everyone, especially those in the garden industry, likes to talk about – the weather!
Set in 400 acres of tranquil Oxfordshire countryside and with a purpose built auditorium and beautiful ballroom, Heythrop Park will provide a fantastic setting for this year’s HTA Garden Futures Conference and Dinner.
To book your place and view the full programme visit www.gardenfutures.org.uk
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