Hot on the heels of its Charity Golf Day, the GIMA team was out and about again, this time onsite at Warwick Racecourse to oversee the (socially distanced!) 2021 GIMA Awards judging.

With almost 250 products entered, the judges had their work cut out for themselves, with winners having to wait a little longer to find out who has scooped this year’s highly contested awards with the annual celebratory dinner taking place on November 11th at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort.

Selecting products from across 10 product and three marketing categories, plus the newly introduced sustainability award, were a panel of eager judges. Each bringing something different to proceedings, the judging was a vibrant affair that considered the merits of each product in a number of different ways including commercial appeal, innovation, uniqueness, design and build.

This year’s judging panel was made up of Alexa Blackmore The Gardens Group; Andy Bunker, Alton Garden Centre; Matthew Bent, Bents Garden & Home; Trevor Pfeiffer, Garden Trade News; Victoria Redshaw, Scarlet Opus; Phillippa Stubbs, British Garden Centres; andStuart Whalley, Rosebourne.

The two additional Special Achievement awards – the Export Achievement, and Supplier of the Year – have been judged by Gardenex and the GCA respectively.

GIMA Director, Vicky Nuttall said: “A huge thank you to all the judges for helping to maintain the integrity of the event despite current pressures. The input and enthusiasm for the judging process made for a truly enjoyable day, and we now have an incredible list of winners that we cannot wait to unveil in November.

“To those that entered, a huge thank you also. It was heartening to see so many new products being launched since 2019 when we last celebrated together. The fact that so many suppliers have faced adversity and have seen it as an opportunity to innovate, stands to show the resilience and brilliance of the garden retail sector.”

This year, the GIMA Awards will be sponsored by a wealth of fantastic industry brands, including Glee which returns, once again, as headline sponsor, as well as the HTA, GCA, Gardenex, Decco, Ebay, Evergreen Garden Care, Hozelock, SBM, Primeur, CJ Wildlife, Garden Trade News, Gardenforum, Garden Radio, Garden Centre Retail, Garden Centre Update, Horticulture Week, DIY Week, CM Ventures and Hornby Whitefoot PR.  Additional sponsorship opportunities are also available - please contact GIMA to find out more.

Book now to avoid disappointment

Available spaces for the 2021 GIMA Awards are now limited so interested parties are urged to book their place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Booking your place can be done via www.gima.org.uk/gima-awards. Prices for GIMA members: £319 + VAT per person, or £2,999 + VAT for a table of 10, whilst non-member costs are: Non-Members:   £389 + VAT per person, or £3,699 + VAT for a table of 10 (all costs include dinner and accommodation).

For further information please contact the GIMA team on (01959) 564947 or info@gima.org.uk