FLORAHOLLAND NAALDWIJK, 8 March 2010 (press release) – Staring, comparing and being inspired. That is what it was all about for visitors to the FloraHolland Trade Fair Naaldwijk, which was held last week. The fair was well attended, and the current selection of products and concepts for the upcoming season and months to come was presented, with a focus on trends and new products.
FloraHolland organizes the FloraHolland Trade Fair twice a year, in the fall in Aalsmeer and in the spring in Naaldwijk. Here is where FloraHolland’s suppliers present their total collection. Flowers, plants, product concepts, the latest trends, new products; it was all there at the approx. 500 stands and on various themed plazas. The FloraHolland Trade Fair focuses on wholesale and retail (large-scale retail, but also on traditional retail) and is mainly an important networking event. Visitors described the fair as being compact and surprising. They appreciate the fact that the fair is held in both spring and fall. The fair offers its visitors wide and in-depth insight into the ornamental plant supply, which helps them plan their purchasing activities.
Staring and comparing
The fair was a good opportunity to stare and compare; on the Product Plazas as well as at the stands. During the fair, buyers and sellers present their complete collections for the upcoming period to their clients. This did not always result in concrete orders, but it did lead to requests for information and offered insight into what is available. FloraHolland and their suppliers do expect the fair to lead to new orders in the weeks to come. However, for some products (like the violas) the fair already has resulted in extensive trading.
Standholders making choices
Standholders take the FloraHolland Trade Fair seriously. Increasingly they deliberately choose for a specific atmosphere, a new concept or a relevant new product. Participants prepare well in advance and have their target group in mind when designing their stands. FloraHolland employees assist them where necessary, for instance by offering training for fair participation.
Flowers and plants
Traditionally, the FloraHolland Trade Fair focuses on presenting the house and garden plant supply. This time, however, there was more interest from the floral sector than ever. But it could still be further improved, so say standholders and visitors. Both parties would like to see the next edition to show a wider and deeper supply of cut flowers. However, the enhanced presence of flowers was considered a positive aspect because wholesalers and retailers were offered a more complete supply.
Doing business electronically
During the fair, FloraHolland presented their electronic supply services FloraHolland e-Trade and PlantConnect.nl. Both trade platforms were recently renewed and are becoming increasingly popular with growers and traders alike. FloraHolland’s e-Trade online catalogue for cut flowers was introduced during the fair. The catalogue offers buyers an overview of the range of cut flowers available via FloraHolland.
Originality Prize
For the first time in the history of the FloraHolland Trade Fair, the VKC assessed every stand for the Originality Prize. The VKC was very optimistic about the level of the fair in general, but there was a clear winner; the Oriental Group from Bleiswijk. The VKC spoke of a daring stand, with a broad use of water. They not only focused extensively on their product, but their stand also offered a lot of product information. The VKC awarded the Oriental Group with a score of 9.50.
Upcoming fairs
On Wednesday 14 April and Thursday 15 April, the auction will be organizing the FloraHolland Spring Fair in Aalsmeer. This trade fair will focus on the seasonal supply of garden bed and tub plants. The FloraHolland Summer fair will take place in Rijnsburg on 20 and 21 May. There, for the first time, a complete range of cut flowers will be presented. The next large international trade fair is the FloraHolland Trade Fair Aalsmeer, which is planned to take place from 3 November through 5 November 2010.
Photo caption (f.l.t.r.): Teunis-Jan Klein receives the award for most original stand from Arnold Hordijk (FloraHolland) and Gerard de Wagt (VKC).