As the countdown to Glee – the International Festival of Garden, Leisure and Pet – ticks into weeks not months, it’s been another busy period for Glee’s organising team, as well as the show’s floorplan and content schedule.  Here, we find out more about the latest developments shaping the industry’s leading exhibition.

Talent Store onsite merchandisers have been confirmed

Glee’s interactive merchandising masterclass, Talent Store, has confirmed the inaugural lucky 12 who will be showcasing new and innovative ways to display outdoor and houseplants within the retail environment.

These 12 up and coming merchandising talents were selected from the 24 garden centre staff members who took part in the recent Talent Store ‘bootcamp’ where they learnt top tips from some of the very best, including Talent Store mentor, Debbie Flowerday, TrendBible’s Home & Interiors Trend Editor, Wendy Lowe and Michael Perry, aka Mr Plant Geek.

Working in groups, the 24 candidates were tasked to come up with a pop-up store concept and design based on houseplants or outdoor plants. These designs were submitted and carefully considered by the panel, with the 12 finalists being selected. They are:  

Outdoor plants:

• Freya Markwood - Perrywood Garden Centre, Sudbury
• Louisa Power - Ongar Garden Centre – British Garden Centres
• Amber Dowsett - Perrywood Garden Centre, Tiptree
• Katherine Davies - Pugh’s Garden Village, Wenvoe
• Nathan Evans - Bents Garden & Home
• Damian Walker - Harrogate Garden Centre – British Garden Centres.

Houseplants:

• Clare Forster - Braintree Garden Centre – British Garden Centres
• Hazel Woodward - Millbrook Garden Centre, Staplehurst
• Alison Smith - Chessington Garden Centre
• Clare Baker - Bents Garden & Home
• Matthew Bone - Thurrock Garden Centre
• Wendy Jones - Pugh’s Garden Village, Wenvoe. 

Peter Burks, Chief Executive at the Garden Centre Association, which represents more than 200 garden centres nationwide and is sponsoring the Talent Store, said: “Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Glee Talent Store and to those who have been selected to have their designs showcased at Glee. It is a fantastic achievement as Glee is one of the most important trading events in the gardening industry calendar.”

Glee’s speaker programme takes shape

Education has always been a key aspect of Glee’s overall offering with ‘The Stage’ the place to learn more about the key trends and topics that are shaping the future of garden retail. With a three-day packed agenda, there is a lot to learn, from issues surrounding sustainability and ethical consumers to how we can futureproof our industry, this year The Stage is a must for any visitor to Glee.

To-date six speakers have been unveiled. Look out for Glee’s first ever ambassador, Michael Perry aka Mr Plant Geek, as he looks at horticultural trends and reveals some of his favourite tips and tricks for a greener thumb. Madeleine Ritchie, Visual Trend Researcher at TrendBible, will share key social and cultural shifts which will underpin important householder behaviours for outdoor living in 2025, whilst Garden Trade News Trevor Pfeiffer will take to the stage to announce the winners of this year’s New Product Showcase, Buyers Power List and the all-new Talent Store. More speaker announcements will be made over the coming weeks

Exhibitor update

March saw a strong influx of brands join the Glee 2023 exhibitor list, with home, gift and clothing brands coming out in force as the buzz builds around Glee’s new Home, Gift & Clothing Village. Look out for brands making their debut at Glee as well as some making their return following a profitable 2022 event, including Rainbow Designs, Andersons Wholesale, Open 24 Seven, Lodi, Hemmo & Co, Mr Bug, Sofasoy Candle Co., JR Pet Products, Magma London, Hornby Hobbies, and Winning Moves UK.

Green Heart

Glee’s horticultural hub – Green Heart – is back and this year the area is set to experience even higher prominence as the Talent Store will be located alongside it within the light-filled atrium area of the NEC. Meanwhile, Fire, Grill & Chill, Glee’s dedicated outdoor entertaining demonstration area, will be relocated to the front of the NEC near the Hall 6-8 and Hall 20 entrances, directly adjacent to Green Heart. This means even more traffic will pass by Green Heart, bringing with it new buyers and helping to forge new retail relationships.

Whether a grower or nursery, Glee’s Green Heart has been set up to offer a uniquely cost-effective and highly beneficial exhibiting package to ensure that plants remain at the very heart of the show. To-date Bransford Webbs, MMP, Craigmarloch Nurseries, Lovania Nurseries and New Leaf Plants have confirmed their space within Green Heart, ready to access the many benefits that this area provides, including:

• Free access to the Glee Exhibitors Toolkit including Glee Show Preview and Show Guide entry, customer invites and online profile
• Entry into Glee New Product Awards
• Inclusion in our feature display of new plants and recent launches and introductions to your range
• Limitless ‘pop up’ opportunities to promote your plants through podium displays
• Main stage presentations on plant retailing and trends

Find out more

Glee is the UK’s leading garden retail show, focusing on building year-round profits for buyers and suppliers within the core gardening and outdoor leisure product categories.  To keep up to date on the latest Glee news visit www.gleebirmingham.com.  To enquire about exhibiting at Glee 2023, which will take place June 27th – 29th, please call +44 (0)203 3545 9752.