BHETA is partnering with Garden Centre Expo, the garden trade conference and exhibition being held at the London ExCel on the 15 and 16 October 2024.
BHETA has secured the partnership to provide its membership with access to the 3,500 garden centre buyers, owners and operators already registered to attend the event this year. Four months ahead of the show, 150 of the 180 stand options are already sold, but organiser, the established garden publisher Eljays, is reserving a selection of prime locations, including space immediately opposite the show entrance for BHETA members.
At a briefing webinar for BHETA members, Eljays director, Luke Page outlined the focus of the show as being non-horticultural garden retail suppliers including garden leisure, DIY, homewares, gift, food, fashion and pet.
He explained: “While we will of course be welcoming traditional garden supplies exhibitors, Garden Expo has been created to concentrate on the garden centre sector’s need to diversify and establish their destination shopping offer.”
BHETA marketing director, Steve Richardson said: “BHETA has a significant number of members who supply the garden sector and there is a real opportunity for traditional garden retailers to diversify into DIY, housewares and gift to create additional revenue streams.
“Planning purely around the weather is becoming harder and harder, so weather immune lines are critical. Alongside farm parks, farm shops, and outdoor clothing retailers, new lines in home and gift can establish a younger demographic for garden retailers and really make the difference between a nursery and a destination retailer.
“This new partnership is a great opportunity for our members to get in front of the appropriate garden buyers as well as owners and operators and we are looking forward to working with Garden Centre Expo to reap the benefits.”
