Following an extensive period of consultation with suppliers, retailers and supporting trade associations, the organisers of Glee, i2i Events, have confirmed that the 2015 show will benefit from a new weekday opening pattern, starting on Monday 14th September and closing on Wednesday 16th September.
Since the close of the highly successful 2014 show, the Glee team has been working tirelessly to gather research and feedback from the garden retail industry. Now collated, the evidence clearly points to a widely supported view that Sunday is no longer an essential day for those attending the show, and that a weekday-only format offers greater flexibility and a stronger platform for business to be done for both exhibitors and visitors.
Glee’s event manager, Matthew Mein said: “Glee’s opening days have been a part of an ongoing discussion regarding the best possible format for the event for many years. In 2014 we tackled a number of vital aspects, and believe that the changes that were made have kick-started a period of regeneration for the show, whilst also creating a vibrant and revitalised platform for business.
“The change to a weekday show provides the opportunity to deliver a number of additional benefits, most notably the potential for an increase in visitor numbers, and additional flexibility for those that visit - including when they attend, how many team members they can bring with them, and how long they stay at the show. This latter benefit was certainly a trend which emerged in 2014, in that more people were staying at the show for longer. Over 400 more people revisted the show on the Tuesday compared to 2013 figures, whilst attendance on the Monday was also up year-on-year. I’ve no doubt that an additional weekday will enable this trend to continue to grow in the year ahead, helping retailers and manufacturers to grow profits and develop even more valuable working relationships.”
Echoing the positive feedback received from the garden retail industry following the close of the 2014 show, Glee’s organisers have also confirmed that the show’s Net Promoter Score has shown a phenomenal increase year-on-year, with the overall score 41 points ahead of 2013’s results.
Net Promoter, is considered the worldwide standard for organisations to measure, understand, and improve their customer experience*. Used extensively post-show the score has highlighted the positivity that surrounds the changes made to the 2014 show. Respondents praised Glee for its revised format and improved layout, the customer experience, facilities and educational platforms and overall benefit to their businesses.
Further details of i2i’s plans for Glee 2015 will be available shortly. To keep up-to-date on all the latest news log onto www.gleebirmingham.com. For details on exhibiting at Glee, call 0203 033 2160.
Read the Omnibus Edition of The Glee Daily News 2014 here
